Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 2, 1 ʻAukake 1994 — POP quizzes proposed [ARTICLE]

POP quizzes proposed

by Ellen Blomquist Would you eat kim ehee AND a bagel to get elected? Give your three favorite ways of extorting money. Would you be willing to publicly report your head size eaeh year of your administration? Are those good questions for gubernatorial candidates or what? They were developed in a Community Issues Conference held at the East-West Center by POP '94, a nonpartisan grassroots political effort based on volunteer efforts and voluntary contributions. The purpose of the half-day workshop was to develop a list of "can't-squirm-out-of-this-one" questions for the men and women vying for the governor's seat. Candidates, businessmen, librarians, lawyers, health professionals, representatives of Hui Na'auao and Ka Lāhui Hawai'i, and just plain folk gathered together to identify tough questions for gubernatorial candidates. In small working groups facilitated by volunteers, people developed consensus on the top five questions in nine given areas:

• Economics/Cost of Living • Education • Elections and Ethics • Environment • General Welfare • Government • Health • Housing/Land Use Regulation • Sovereignty/Hawaiian Issues. The topics were derived from thousands of responses to questionnaires asking what people would like to ask candidates. Randall Roth, a University of Hawai'i law professor and editor of Price of Paradise, Volume I and II. and Peter Adler, director of

the Hawai'i Bar Foundation and former head of the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, were the impetus for POP '94. The Honolulu Advertiser and KHON-TV2 have both agreed to ask the questions identified by the community in forums to be held this summer and fall. According to Roth and Adler, POP '94 will not take a position on the issues. "Our mission is to ask excellent questions in ways that will produce meaningful answers. Even individuals and groups that vehemently disagree on issues ean agree on the importance of getting every candidate to provide straightforward answers to key questions." The POP '94 sponsors acknowledge that in previous election years, many candidates avoided real issues and making clear, if tough, statements on what they would do, because they might lose to candidates given to vague, hopeful generalities. Why would it be different this time? POP '94 organizers say they think "the sheer diversity and sheer number of people who support POP '94 will get the candidate's attention." They also note that "many candidates prefer the kind of campaign we're seeking. They just need assurances that their

1. Quality of Education. What would you propose to improve quality education for all children? Who will be accountable for the success or failure of these steps? 2. Governance. Who should govern schools and why? 3. Involving Parents. Do you support community-based management of schools? If yes, how will you help this process work effectively? Do you have any ideas for incentives for low-ineome parents to become more dedicated toward their child's education? 4. Test scores. Can we blame you if test scores don't rise? If not, how shall we measure your success or failure? 5. Privatization. Do you support giving individual public schools the freedom and financial means to contract with private firms to run public schools - such as the Edison Project or Educational Alternatives, ine.? 6. Funding. What are your ideas for providing better funding and accountability for education? 7. Educator Competency. What would you do to assess the competency of public school teachers and principals? What would you do to ensure the removal of incompetent teachers?

HOUSING/LAND USE REGULATION 1. Impediments To Housing. What are the three most significant impediments to providing housing and rental units affordable to people of all ineome levels? What specific measures would you propose to mitigate eaeh impediment? 2. Government Roadblocks. How ean we reduce government regulation that is directly related to A. the cost of housing and B. other development in terms of exactions and infrastructure? Answer eaeh specifically. 3. Hawaiian Homes. What is your plan to expedite the delivery of homesteads to native Hawaiian people? Give specific measures. 4. Water. What will you do to promote development of new water technologies, e.g., desaHnization and wastewater reuse? 5. Homelessness. What specific measures would you propose to deal with the laek of housing for homeless people and people with special needs? Give short-term and long-term measures.

ECONOMICS/COST OF LIVING 1 . Attracting Business. What are five specific steps you would promote to make Hawai'i a more attractive plaee to do business? 2. Privatizing Government. How would you reduce government expenditures, including privatization or "out-sourcing" existing services? 3. Schools and Business. What business and educational link would you encourage for Hawai'i's economy? 4. Diversifying Economy. What would you propose that would open up or state to more diversified and innovative industries?

GOVERNMENT 1 . Privatization. Do you agree that privatization is necessary, and what services or government functions would be privatized? How would you assure accountability and quality? 2. Cutting Costs. What specific proposals do you have to reform government in both cost and size? 3. Budgeting. How would you change the budget process to ensure open decision-making (not llth-hour surprises)? 4. Campaign Equality. What would you do to level the playing field to involve all candidates? 5. Civil Service Reform. What reforms to the civil service system would you support to improve efficiency and quality of government?

SOVEREIGNTY/HAWAIIAN ISSUES 1 . Working Together. As an elected official, what specifically will you do to provide the opportunity for Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians to work toward mutual understanding and justice? 2. Hawaiian Homes. What will you do to get the 14,300 qualified applicants for Hawaiian Homes on their land? 3. Land Claims. How and when would you settle native Hawaiian claims for land? 4. Sovereignty Options. What are the pros and cons of eaeh of these four models of sovereignty, the consequences of eaeh, and how they will affect us: • Total sovereignty/international model • Nation within a nation. • State within a state. • Correcting wrongs within the U.S./state system. 5. Sovereignty Timetable. What is your timetable for addressing these issues?