LET HONOLULU VOTE IS SEEKING TO AMEND THE CURRENT CITY CHARTER BY DELETING FOUR WORDS AND A COMMA (in brackets [ ]) FROM CHARTER SECION 3-401 AS NOTED BELOW: Section 3-401. Declaration -- 1. Power. The power of electors to propose and adopt ordinances shall be the initiative power. 2. Limitation. The initiative power shall not extend to any ordinance authorizing or repealing [the levy of taxes,] the appropriation of money, the issuance of bonds, the salaries of county employees or officers, or any matter governed by collective bargaining contracts.
Removing the restriction and letting Honolulu citizens present initiatives and vote on tax matters is a time tested and demonstrated process for creating upside citizen benefits, that by citizen choice, enhance the general welfare.
Voters elect leaders to consider facts and enact programs. If the politically enacted programs are not viewed as “the best alternative” by a majority of voters; how does going forward with the implementation of such a disputed program, without voter confirmation, enhance the public welfare? Is it not better to permit the voters to settle the matter by putting forward an alternative program by way of initiative? That way all voters have a choice and can decide the greater benefit in a general election.
Ballot initiatives lead only to greater public choice. A public with greater choice will be more involved and more committed to whatever option is selected. By leaving the Honolulu Charter unchanged, voters will continue to be excluded from speaking out and reversing the political maneuvering that often characterizes legislation.
REMEMBER: the current Honolulu Charter has a very high and restrictive signature threshold for initiative ballot proposals i.e. signatures of at least10% of previous Mayoral election voters collected in a complex and notarized format to the City Clerk. This 10% restriction is not the subject of a proposed Charter change and will, therefore, continue to set a high threshold that will eliminate non-substantive matters that opponents to this change might fear.
Initiative is approved and operating in 24 States and in 15 of the 20 largest Cities. Visit www.iandrinstitute.org .
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