Island Breath: EcoRoundtable Forum

SUBJECT: MAYORAL MAYORAL FORUM

SOURCE ANDREA BROWER andrea@malamakauai.org

POSTED: 8 AUGUST 2008 - 9:00am HST

EcoRoundtable Followup

"Gaia" © 1989 by Alex Grey www.alexgrey.com

by Andrea Brower on 6 August 2008 for www.EcoRoundtable.org

Mahalo to everyone that played a part in making the Eco-Roundtable Mayoral and Council Candidates Forum a success. Over 200 people turned out to hear where the candidates stand on important sustainability issues. With all four mayoral candidates, and 19 of 22 council candidates present, it was an opportune time to compare candidate's political platforms and stances on issues. The standing-room only turnout and excitement in the audience was evidence that the general public is highly interested and engaged in this year's election.

A questionnaire was given to candidates at the end of the night and post-mailed to candidates that were not present. The questionnaire includes all questions asked at the live forum, as well as several others that could not be incorporated due to time restraints. This will provide an opportunity for candidates to clarify their responses and provide more detail. We have asked for all written responses to be returned by September 1st, and will have them online shortly afterwards at MalamaKauai.Org and EcoRountable.Org. A copy of the questionnaire is available now at either of these sites.

A series of ten "support"/ "do not support"/ "no answer" questions were interspersed throughout the evening. Candidates unanimously agreed to support curbside recycling and a 7-day per week bus service with extended hours and doubled frequency during peak commuter times. Besides one or two candidates, there was also large majority support for mandating solar water heaters on all new residential construction, reducing density on lands zoned open, banning pesticides at county parks and along county roadways, and banning plastic shopping bags.

Very few candidates supported construction of a hotly debated Waste-to-Energy incinerator. Interestingly, all candidates said they did not support the return of the Superferry without a full independent Environmental Impact Statement, but a few candidates retracted their answer when they were made aware that the Act 2 assessment being conducted is not a legitimate EIS. Candidate's answers to all questions were recorded and posted on a large wall chart. This chart can by found online at www.MalamaKauai.org and www.EcoRoundtable.org.

A straw poll was conducted at the end of the night. Each audience member was allowed to confidentially vote for one mayoral candidate and seven council candidates. The results are as follows:

Mayoral
Yukimura-79
Carvalho-46
Rapozo-22
Beiber-5

Council:
Bynum-93
Kawahara-91
Furfaro-74
Kawakami-65
Kuali`i-64
Pleas-60
Thronas-56
Mijares-50
Kouchi-46
Kealoha-41
Asing-38
Taylor-34
Libre-34
Pasadava-28
Bartolo-22
Chang-21
Kaneakua-14
Kaneshiro-13 (NOT PRESENT)
Hoff-9
Agor-7 (NOT PRESENT)
Cariffe-4
McMahon-0 (NOT PRESENT)

The results of this straw poll are not an endorsement from the Eco-Roundtable.
If you were not able to attend the live forum, tune into KKCR public radio station for the re-broadcast. Video coverage from the night's events will be available for viewing on Ho`ike public television and EcoRoundtable.Org by August 13th.

The mayoral candidates will be hosted on the Malama Kaua`i Radio Show this Friday from 12-1 on KKCR, 91.9. This will be a chance to get deeper into some of the issues that came up last night. We will also open-up the phone lines to callers.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, do not hesitate to contact andrea@malamakauai.org.

SUBJECT: MAYORAL MAYORAL FORUM

SOURCE ANDREA BROWER andrea@malamakauai.org

POSTED: 25 JULY 2008 - 6:30pm HST

EcoRoundtable Mayoral Forum

WHAT:
EcoRoundtable Canditate's Forum

WHEN:
Tuesday, 5th of August 2008 at 5:30pm

WHERE:
Peace & Freedom Convention Hall
4191 Hardy Street, Lihu’e, Kauai, Hawaii

SOURCE:
www.EcoRoundtable.org
www.MalamaKauai.org

CONTACT:
Andrea Brower
Malama Kaua`i
email: andrea@malamakauai.org
phone: 808-828-0685

Help Spread the Word!
by Andrea Brower on 22 July 2008 for www.EcoRoundtable.org

With over twenty-five people running for seven county council seats and the position of mayor open, it is critical that the community knows where candidates stand on the important issues that affect all of us: the economy, land use, development, energy, transportation, waste, affordable housing, and the environment.

Hear from mayoral and council candidates on Tuesday, August 5th at the Eco-Roundtable Mayoral and Council Candidates Forum at the Peace & Freedom Convention Hall in Lihu`e. The public will have a chance to meet-and-greet with candidates from 5:30-6:00pm and a facilitated question-answer forum will begin promptly at 6:00pm.

All mayoral and a majority of council candidates have confirmed their participation in this event.

The forum is being hosted by the Eco-Roundtable, a network of over 50 sustainability-oriented organizations. Sustainability encompasses economic self-sufficiency and diversification, environmental health, social wellbeing, and perpetuation of culture. Questions have been formulated by representatives from organizations participating in the Eco-Roundtable, as well as by representatives from the agricultural, business, and Native Hawaiian communities.

The candidates’ forum is free and open to the public. No tickets are necessary but non-perishable food items for the Kaua`i Food Bank will gratefully be accepted at the door.

The forum will be recorded and re-broadcasted on KKCR and Ho`ike public televisions until the elections. Candidates written responses to questions will be made available following the forum at EcoRoundtable.Org.

For more information about the candidates’ forum please email andrea@malamakauai.org or call 828-0685.

SUBJECT: MAYORAL MAYORAL FORUM

SOURCE ANDREA BROWER andrea@malamakauai.org

POSTED: 11 JULY 2008 - 4:00pm HST

EcoRoundtable Mayoral Forum

by Andrea Brower on 9 July 2008 for www.malamakauai.org

Who will be Kaua`i's next mayor? And with three open seats, who will be elected to the county council? Do you know where the candidates stand on the big issues: diversifying the economy, land use planning, affordable housing, public transportation, energy, the environment, and preserving culture?

Meet all the candidates on August 5th at The Eco-Roundtable Candidates Forum held at the Peace & Freedom Convention Hall in Lihu`e. The public will have a chance to mingle with the candidates from 5:30-6:00pm with a facilitated question-answer forum beginning at 6:00pm.

This event is being hosted by the Eco-Roundtable, a network of over 50 sustainability-oriented organizations. Sustainability encompasses economic self-sufficiency and diversification, environmental health, social wellbeing, and perpetuation of culture. We are inviting questions for the candidates from all sectors of the community, but will focus on the issues falling within the county's jurisdiction that matter the most to Kaua`i voters. If you would like to contribute questions, please send them to andrea@malamakauai.org by July 14th.

The Eco-Roundtable Candidates Forum will be open to the public and free of charge. No tickets are necessary but non-perishable food items for the Kaua`i Food Bank will gratefully be accepted at the door.

The forum will be recorded and re-broadcasted on KKCR and Ho`ike Public Television Station until the elections. Candidates' full written responses to questions can be found online at www.ecorountable.org and www.malamakauai.org after August 5th.

For more information about The Eco-Roundtable Candidates Forum, or to submit written questions for the candidates contact:

Anrdea Brower
web: www.malamakauai.org
email andrea@malamakauai.org
phone: 828-0685.