The duties and responsibilities of the City Council make it one of our most important and consequential governmental bodies. Its decisions impact every facet of our lives, from garbage pickup, to infrastructure maintenance, public safety, police and fire departments, water, sewer, taxation, parks and recreation, and more. Most importantly, the Council decides land use and development issues that determine our island’s future. This is not a half-time job. Not so if the public interest is to be served well, with issues examined thoroughly and thoughtfully.

It is a full-time job that deserves full-time compensation commensurate with the work, which the current salaries are not. HMSA CEO Mark Mugiishi recently stated in relation to HMSA, “We have to be competitive if we are going to get good people.” The same should go for the City Council. In order to attract the best candidates, salaries should be fair and should afford Council members the time necessary to make informed and sound decisions. This is good public policy and a decision that should be made outside of political considerations.

Ursula Retherford

Kailua

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