Knowledge is power, they say, which suggests that the sooner one can plug into that knowledge, the better.
This weekend, the 45-year-old neighborhood board system on Oahu — a fount of knowledge about our communities — will begin another election cycle. The all-volunteer boards serve in an advisory capacity to decisionmaking officials for the City and County of Honolulu. They play an important role in ensuring that elected members keep an ear to the ground, and that the City Council, mayor and others get feedback from communities to be affected by new developments and other issues.
There are 33 active boards on Oahu; three more — Moanalua, Airport and Mokapu — were created following the foundational amendment to the City Charter in 1973, but were never convened.
It is a dynamic system, fueled by community changes: The first board, Mililani/Melemanu/Waipio No. 25, was established in 1975, and the most recent board, Nanakuli-Maili No. 36, split off from Waianae Coast No. 24 only 11 years ago. The overseeing Neighborhood Commission will be reviewing the board makeup for further changes, based on new census data and resident feedback, said its executive secretary, Shawn Hamamoto.
Neighborhood boards are sounding boards for the community, and their power rests in the fact that changes often bubble to the surface at one of their monthly meetings, often long before any crowds start packing the hearing rooms at Honolulu Hale.
Voting in the board elections is one way for the community to tap in (for information, call 768-3710 or visit www.honolulu.gov/nco/nbelections.html Opens in a new tab). Those who live where there will be a contested race for a board seat will get a mailing to enable them to vote online.
Some have found the boards to be a launching pad for a full-time political career. However, it’s challenging finding candidates willing to make the demanding time commitment to the boards; roughly half the races are uncontested, according to commission figures. But the biennial board elections are not the only way to engage.
Another purpose, one within reach of most people, is to track what’s going on in the community, through the neighborhood board. Meetings provide the venue for face-to-face encounters with representatives who deal with neighborhood problems — from fire and police departments, City Council, state Legislature and other agencies. For those who have questions or concerns, that’s one direct way to find answers.
But people are busy in Hawaii, which is home to those who often fit multiple jobs and family needs into their daily routine. So the boards record their meetings to be viewed on public-access television. And, said Hamamoto, many are making expansive use of social media to extend their reach.
The more people who are in the loop of neighborhood affairs, the more likely it is that concerns will be raised early enough for the community to have the most influence. One example: Hamamoto said his office was contacted by community members about the Ala Wai Flood Risk Management Project, which would encompass the entire watershed area, including Makiki, Manoa and Palolo valleys as well as Waikiki.
The neighborhood boards provided the forum for community discussion, albeit at a later stage than would have been ideal.
Another case: The Waikiki Neighborhood Board worked with the city on its purchase of a 33-unit building on Ena Road to be renovated for the homeless. City officials have credited early discussions as a way to avert a not-in-my-backyard wall of resistance to projects that, otherwise, are sprung on communities too suddenly.
On the west side, the neighborhood board members in Kapolei and Ewa have sparked a discussion about a proposed racetrack. In town, the Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board have weighed in energetically on plans for renovating Ala Moana Regional Park.
Hamamoto said that some city agencies have it written into ordinance or rules that engagement with neighborhood boards is a mandatory part of their review processes, citing the Honolulu Liquor Commission as one example. Many private developers consider the boards to be a touchstone on the road toward permit approvals, too.
Community associations and other ad-hoc groups do exist elsewhere, but Oahu is unique among the state’s four counties to have a fully developed network of neighborhood boards.
Hamamoto said his research has found few other setups outside Hawaii that are akin to the board system, with possible exceptions in Seattle and in the Midwest. He also said he’s been contacted by other countries for information, once from the Ukraine and once from Canada.
“I think this system is so special that it’s not only a model for us here locally, but even nationally and globally,” he said.
The neighborhood board system is hardly perfect, but those flaws don’t detract from the general concept — that there is power beyond government officials. And the power of this democratic institution could be expanded largely by involving more of its participants and beneficiaries: Honolulu’s citizens.
