Of all matters to be acted upon by the 1959 Legislature which can be classified as “issues,” one of the most apt to bring on a battle will be consideration of the proposed new Honolulu City charter.
The charter readily lends itself to controversy, because it involves personalities, job security and political influences.
A largely new — for Honolulu — governmental concept, the “strong executive,” is embodied in the new charter.
City jobs that historically have been elective have been made appointive. Civil service provisions have been considerably altered.
Boards and commissions have been stripped of administrative power and reduced to advisory status.
But, perhaps most important, under the charter Honolulu would be given a large slice of freedom from control by the Legislature.
Robert G. Dodge, vice chairman of the Charter Commission, sees this as the main stumbling block to the document’s chances of gaining open-armed acceptance by the Territorial Legislature.
And opposition to cutting the cord between the Legislature and the City-County, surprisingly enough, Dodge predicts, will come from Neighbor Island, not Oahu, lawmakers.
On the Neighbor Islands, he points out, legislators exercise considerably more control over County political matters than on Oahu.
“If Honolulu gets home rule,” Dodge says, “it won’t be too long before the other Counties will press for similar treatment.
“And Neighbor Island legislators know this would mean the end of their significant influence on County life.”
The Oahu Democrat — he is vice-chairman of the party’s Central Committee — predicts Neighbor Island opposition will be the proposed charter’s “major obstacle” in the 1959 Legislature. …
The attack on the proposed charter in the 1959 Legislature, Dodge warns, will not be fought on independent issues within the charter’s framework.
“The opponents will use the ‘confusion technique,” Dodge predicts.
