Dismissing the Council Chamber tapestry saga as a juvenile council member spat over preferences in displaying the county seal would be an understandable but significant misjudgment. This seemingly trivial matter exposes the indifference, disregard and disrespect some elected officials have for the public when they frivolously squander tax dollars entrusted to them.

Granted, when the iconic tapestry completes its needless round trip back to the wall behind the council chair, this selfish venture will only cost taxpayers $11,000 of the record $823 million county budget. But, add the $11,000 spent for staff and council members’ Wailea hotel accommodations in August and the wasted $22,000 could have supplemented the appropriation for assisting homeless on Molokai by 44 percent; or offset 8.8 percent of plan and design fees for county lots at Fairways at Maui Lani; or 3.4 percent of the renovation costs for the Ka Hale A Ke Ola Resource Center.

More disturbing is council officials stating that the $9,000 spent for the now displaced new county seal came from “excess” funds from the previous fiscal year. That statement reveals two pernicious attitudes that pervade public officials’ spending motivations: “Expend all the money this year, regardless, or it will appear we didn’t need it;” and “this is ours to spend.” There are no “excess” tax dollars; it’s the public’s money, and council members should never forget that.

Upon adopting the current budget with its $65 million increase, the budget chair proclaimed it would “address urgent issues in the county.” Like wall hangings, resort suite fees and what else?

Tom Sams

Kihei