Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Seeks Candidates To Give Voice To Their Great Community

Does a community have a voice? We believe it does. And we are working to make the voice of Kaneohe heard.

Unfortunately, we aren’t at full strength to achieve that goal right now. Here’s why: Instead of a complete Neighborhood Board of 17 members, we have three unfilled seats.

That shortage reduces the range of opinions that go into our decisions and makes it harder to achieve a majority of nine votes, as required under city rules.

What you can do

There are two ways you can help ensure that all voices are heard.

One is to volunteer to fill one of the seats that are currently unfilled.

Another is to register as a candidate for the 2017 Neighborhood Board election, to keep the Board at full strength for the long term.

But first some background

Our Board represents District 30 in the Honolulu Neighborhood Commission classification system. The Board is made up of three at-large seats and 14 seats serving specific sub-districts. Our online map shows the territory covered by District 30. To find out what sub-district you live in, visit our street index.

We hold an agenda planning meeting the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Kaneohe Community and Senior Center, 45-613 Puohala Street. We hold our regular business meeting on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road.

Our meetings are open forums where residents can learn about what’s going on in our community and bring their concerns directly to the attention of government representatives and elected officials. Board members are volunteers with one goal in mind: Helping our neighbors.

How to fill an unfilled seat
We currently have three open Board seats, whose terms run through June 2017. They represent Sub-District 6, Waikalua; Sub-District 8, Kapunahala; and Sub-District 12, Pikoiloa. To find out what sub-district you live in, visit our online map and street index.

The Board is authorized to fill vacancies by appointment. Community members may indicate their interest by contacting Board Chairman Mo Radke or by attending a Board meeting.

How to become a candidate for 2017

The 2017 Neighborhood Board elections will take place April 28 through May 19. All 17 seats on our Board will be up for election. Any Oahu resident who will be at least 18 years of age by February 17, 2017 is eligible to be a candidate.

Starting December 1, 2016, candidates may register online or submit a Candidate Declaration Form to the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO). The form must be hand delivered to the NCO or postmarked by February 17, 2017.  Assistance is available by calling 768-3781.

We welcome your comments, in person and online

Comments on this blog are welcomed. To add a comment, please click on the link below. Also, please like us on Facebook and join us for all of our meetings. If you are unable to attend, you may provide testimony online and contact Neighborhood Board members directly.