Civil Beat hopes to spotlight candidates — newcomers or incumbents — who will work to make government accountable to the public. People are already calling this a boring election year. There’s little doubt who will win the presidential contest in Hawaii.
And only a handful of state legislative or county council races will see spirited competition, the pundits predict. We’re not buying it. And you shouldn’t either.
This year may be more important than ever to put people in office who will make a real change in the political power structure that continues to give short shrift to policies and practices that would allow more transparency and public participation on important issues. Our election coverage this year will aim to surface candidates who are serious about changing the system that has allowed state lawmakers and county officials to look the other way as corruption, abuse of power and even political bullying has become the norm. Money has long fueled the elections process but this past year finally gave us a glimpse of how arrogant political donors have become — admitting openly in the most recent federal corruption trial that pay-to-play is just how the system works in Hawaii .
Jurors balked at convictions that would have sent a message that might have made contractors and other wealthy donors think twice about what they’re doing. And lawmakers, who benefit from all that cash, have consistently refused to make the changes necessary to improve that practice.
