Bigger may not always be better, at least that's what several current and former members of the City Council are saying in response to a proposal to increase the number of council seats to create smaller districts. Council members
wary of expansionChairman Gary Okino says
Djou's proposal for 21 districts
may be too expensiveBy Crystal Kua
ckua@starbulletin.com
"Generally, I'm not in favor of it. It just becomes very expensive. I don't know if it will be creating more efficiency, might just create more bureaucracy. I'm in favor of pushing it forward so we can have a discussion," Council Chairman Gary Okino said.
Councilman Charles Djou is proposing a charter amendment that calls for an increase in the size of the Council to 21 from the current nine-member Council. If approved, voters would get the ballot question in the next election.
Former Council Chairman Walter Heen says 21 council districts are too many and "ridiculous." He said paying 12 more Council members alone would be an added cost.
"What does that add up to? Big bucks -- and this from the councilmember opposed to big government."
Heen was chairman of the Council in 1970, the year voters were asked to decide whether the council should be increased to 11 members.
Heen led the pro-11-member Council argument, while then-Mayor Frank Fasi led the charge against increasing it.
"Frank Fasi didn't want to spend the money (for a bigger Council). He said we didn't need such a large council," said Heen, who thought the Council was too small.
The debate over the size of the Council was coupled with discussion over whether the Council should be made up of single member districts or at-large districts. The plan was the result of four years of Council efforts to reapportion itself to conform to a U.S. Supreme Court's one-man, one-vote decision that was extended to local legislative bodies.
The proposal was soundly defeated at the polls.
The following year, the Charter Commission withdrew a proposal for an 11-member council after widespread opposition.
Heen, however, doesn't dismiss the 11-member configuration.
"Well, 11 was my original proposal," he said.
And neither does the current Council chairman.
"We were thinking about that. I think that's more practical. Eleven has been a number that has been floating around for years, but even 11 people raised concerns," Okino said. "I think we should still consider 11, something more reasonable. To put the whole island in the hands of nine people -- I think spreading it among more members is a good idea."
University of Hawaii political science professor Neal Milner said the political ramifications of a bigger council would depend on how the district lines were drawn.
"A lot of cities go back and forth on these kinds of things. I know there other city councils right now that are thinking of cutting back in size, and sometimes it gets involved with racial and ethnic politics --which groups are going to lose," said Milner.
"It's not that obvious here. It's too early a stage here and again it depends on how you draw the district."
Milner said that there aren't any trends in how city councils are moving with regards to size but those that are cutting back in size are doing so for different reasons.
"Sometimes they think it's cumbersome, sometimes they think it's costly. You have cities the size of Honolulu that have city councils anywhere from two to four times bigger, and yet a lot of times it has to do with cost."
Former Council Chairman Mufi Hannemann said besides the costs, there are logistical considerations.
"I know when I was there, when I chaired the council, they were always talking about how cramped the spaces over there were. So if we don't house them all at Honolulu Hale, where are they going to move?"
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