Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: Our neighborhood board seems to have a lot of people running who don't live in the district, using addresses for condominiums they own and rent out to other people. Does that make them legal candidates? Also, how do you prove if someone lives in the district? Candidates must
live in the neighborhoodAnswer: If you believe a candidate or board member is not a legal resident of the district represented by the board, call the Neighborhood Commission, 527-5749. The executive secretary is Ben Kama.
Under the city's Neighborhood Plan, residency is a requirement to hold a neighborhood board seat, said neighborhood elections coordinator Elwin Spray. "If you have moved outside a community, then you are supposed to notify us, and you are automatically off the board," he said.
In the case of multiple residences, board members do have the option of designating a primary residence. But again, Spray said, if the primary residence is not within a board's district, "then it's not proper to be a candidate or to continue to be a board member."
Asked how the commission monitors residency, Spray said, "We do a relatively cursory inspection." Primarily, it relies on other board members to know where colleagues live, as well as on public complaints.
"If someone will notify our office that they have that kind of concern, we can try to check it out." Among city resources, the commission can check voter registration records, driver licensing information, homeowner's tax exemptions, etc., Spray said.
He said that no one has been "expressing (your) concern," but there have been cases of people with multiple addresses, but more often, there are cases where people feel they can run for a seat from the district in which they work. "People feel they spend the majority of their waking moments at work, so they know more about what's going on at their business address. That's sometimes where we need to explain to people that that's not the concept behind the neighborhood boards."
The bottom line is, "We want everybody to vote; we want everybody to participate," Spray said. "But it is not proper for people to be participating if they don't live within the community."
Q: I live at the top of St. Louis Heights. For two days last week, teenagers with chain saws were cutting down trees at Waahila state park, down in the gully on the Manoa side of the park road. I called police but no one responded. I also called the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and left a report. Can you follow through to see what's being done about this?
A: Right after you complained to DLNR, an officer from the Conservation and Resources Enforcement Division did go up to the Waahila Ridge State Recreation Area to investigate, said administrator Gary Moniz.
It turns out that the trees were being cut on private property, he said. The property owner indicated no young people were involved.
Moniz said that the state park is abutted by private property, "but it is not a symmetrical boundary whereby there is a straight line" differentiating public from private property.
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com