BY COUNCIL MEMBER TOM BERG – This is what you pay me for . . . to act on your behalf. When constituents wanted rights to fish 24/7 in Nanakuli beach park areas, I fought for that right and introduced legislation on their behalf.
When the historic Barbers Point Riding Stables was threatened with eviction, I took action to protect them.
We need another public (gun) shooting range on our side- and going to Kokohead (the only public firing range on the island) is a real ordeal for our leeward residents; so I fought for another shooting range to be on our (West Oahu) side of the island . . . and this came about because folks requested action and that I fight for them. So I did.
When residents requested transparency and accountability to flooding along the Leeward Coast- why government has failed them for decades, I responded with legislation to remedy that void.
The list for justice is long, but now I must respond to folks attacking me for standing up for a family that is grieving.
Watch this news story about one of our neighbors:
When I was informed there was no protocol, no guidelines, no rules, no conformity, nothing to offer clarity and define what government’s role is on the city level when it comes to roadside memorials, I responded to a request to make things better.
Yes, we have various important matters to discuss and vote on tomorrow, like how this rail is bleeding us dry and how to stop it; raising fees for the Summer Fun Program in our city parks; labeling food products that contain genetically modified organisms; to protecting farms that house horses from huge property tax increases that would put their ranches out of business…the agenda tomorrow is intense and encompasses many factors that touches many lives, in all facets, to some degree, whether remote or directly . . . tomorrow is a pivotal day for me as your councilman.
So I implore you to see the bigger picture- that I go into the arena to fight for your interests and whether it is for the one, or for the masses, I am there at your calling to fight for justice.
The vote tomorrow on Bill 45 is about roadside markers, and the media has taken this topic up . . . I respond with this: “There is nothing on the books to offer the grieving family a sense of protocol when roadside memorials are deployed on city roads, and it is the duty and obligation of government to create guidelines so all can rest in peace. Bill 45 is a simple house cleaning measure to fill in a void and give definition to the current conditions that lack direction.”
| Councilman Tom Berg | Honolulu Hale | 530 S. King Street Room 202 | Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 TEL: (808) 768-5001 | WEB: www.councilmanberg.com | E-MAIL: tberg@honolulu.gov |
Thank you for putting yourself out there for the people, not for monied interests and “economic development,” as some politicians do. I have always felt it was a good thing to have roadside markers, not just as memorials for the deceased, but as reminders to all drivers to be alert, focus on the road and drive safely.
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