Posted on: Sunday, May 1, 2005
Volunteers ready to serve communities
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The results of the 2005 Neighborhood Board election become official today and a new group of citizen volunteers will begin their two-year terms June 1.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 9, 2003 "They are working for love," Hufana-Ablan said. "They want to see their government changed for the better and can make a real difference for their community."
Neighborhood Board elections are held every two years by mail-in ballot. Members serve for free and must live in the neighborhood where they are running.
Hufana-Ablan said the boards discuss issues of community importance including crime, public-improvement projects and government planning. Lawmakers listen to the boards and take their opinions into consideration, she said.
More than 194,000 ballots were mailed to voters in March. In all, 538 people ran for the 444 Neighborhood Board seats, but 55 seats remain unfilled and will be filled by the board members during their monthly meetings.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 9, 2003 Ala Moana/Kaka'ako board chairman John Breinich tied with Duane Komine in the race for Subdistrict 3. Each garnered 125 votes. The rules of the Neighborhood Commission provide for the winner to be decided by lot.
Ben Kama Jr., the former executive secretary of the Neighborhood Commission, was elected to the Waimanalo board.
The Neighborhood Commission plans to install the newly elected board members in a ceremony at 10:30 a.m. May 14 at Honolulu Hale.
"The public is invited to attend the Neighborhood Boards' celebration of 30 years of grassroots democracy," Hufana-Ablan said.
The nine-member Neighborhood Commission and the Neighborhood Board system were established as part of the voter-approved, 1972 City Charter revision.
Tom Heinrich, a member of the Neighborhood Commission, said the board system has proven itself to be a major contributor to improving communities.
"The real key is its grassroots level of citizens' participation in government," Heinrich said. "The success or failure of any Neighborhood Board depends entirely on the initiative, energy and commitment of its members. It is all up to you. The better boards have many members who roll up their sleeves and get to work."
The boards have served as a launching pad for community activists and political leaders and their decisions help guide elected officials in making decisions on projects and municipal planning. Former board members include U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i; City Council members Donovan Dela Cruz and Charles Djou; and state Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa).
Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
The boards are part of city government and get people involved in government policy at the community level by making recommendations to local government agencies, said Baybee Hufana-Ablan, neighborhood commission executive secretary.
Thomas Williams, left, and his friend Mark Crock both residents of Chinatown, play a game of basketball at the Smith-Beretania Park in Chinatown. Concerned residents, along with their Neighborhood Board, worked for years to make the park a reality.
One board chairman, Joe Magaldi of the Nu'uanu/Punchbowl board, was not re-elected and another has a 50-50 chance of losing his seat.
If you want something done about basic government services in your area, the Neighborhood Board is a great place to start.
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| BY THE NUMBERS
• 32 Neighborhood Boards on O'ahu • 444 total board seats • 164 people were elected uncontested • 225 seats were contested • 55 seats remain unfilled • 315,537 voters were certified for the 2005 election • 194,282 ballots mailed • 48,025 ballots or 24.7 percent were returned • $160,000 estimated cost of the election
For information on the Neighborhood Board system, visit www.honolulu.gov/nco or call 527-5749. The Web site includes calendars, contact numbers, agendas, minutes, a board directory and maps. Residents may sign up to receive agendas and minutes by e-mail.
O'ahu's Neighborhood Board System was created in 1972 to increase participatory democracy, involving communities in the decisions that affect them. It established an islandwide network of elected Neighborhood Boards that would encourage community and government interaction. The nine-member Neighborhood Commission developed the plan. Neighborhood Boards allow a neighborhood to make itself heard on the delivery of basic government services, economic development, land-use questions, study and review of capital improvement projects and zoning concerns. Board members may conduct informational forums on government decision making and establish community goals, objectives and priorities. Neighborhood Boards must hold monthly meetings. |
