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Right to oversee mayor should remain with voters

The policy amendment put forth by the Maui County Council’s Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee asking for the power to approve and qualify various directors under the mayor’s supervision should be looked at with a healthy dose of skepticism and a discerning eye. The committee may be trying to overextend their authority with such a proposal.

The model of separation of powers ensures that no one branch of government can extend its authority over another. In this attempt, the legislative branch represented by the council is trying to control the executive branch represented by the mayor by effectively trying to say how the mayor chooses to fill out specific members of his or her staff.

The potential problems this can create are twofold: First, it extends the council’s authority over the mayor by having a say in who he or she can or cannot hire to fulfill job duties under his direction; the second, it limits us as voters by taking power away from us in making our choice for mayor and the authority that we place in that person to lead the county.

If the council has a problem with the mayor’s selections for department heads, then they are free to voice their displeasure with their constituents.

The right to oversee the mayor should remain with us, the voters. It should not be with the council. Keep that in mind on Election Day and realize that this is an attempt by one branch to seize more power than they were intended to have.

Kaulana Kino

Wailuku

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