Letters to the Editor: 6-1-16

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Don’t increase county council term limits

Don’t increase county council term limits

Dear Council,

Regarding Bill 154, which is trying to increase the four terms for the county council to five terms: Absolutely no. If anything, it should be shortened to three terms. Already the cost of government employees and their fringes totally increases many times over the annual budget increase. We do not need 10 years of the same council person just so they can get on the forever payroll bandwagon. Those new retirement pensions would only add to the impossible burden which exists already.

That bandwagon has been increasing exponentially every year while programs for the poor have been cut. Don’t you understand your constituents can’t keep paying more and more every year for unnecessary employee perks?

You need to reevaluate all positions at the county government level and make sure they are essential. Making your terms add up to 10 years is not helping the people of the Big Island one bit. Please don’t do it.

Sara Steiner

Pahoa

Construction starting too early, traffic backup needs to be addressed

It’s 5:45 a.m. so why am I hearing construction machines on the (Mamalahoa) bypass road and new construction above Konawaena Elementary? Isn’t there regulations for a 7 a.m. start time?

Sound carries, but when standing outside, it’s pretty obvious where it’s coming from.

While I’m at it, maybe the police can take over the traffic flow on the Napoopoo Road junction construction. The group doing it now often seems to forget to change direction. Why else would traffic be backed up from Napoopoo junction to Teshima’s. It took 38 minutes for what normally takes 7 or 8, and 20 of that was not moving. They need to do a better job.

Ken Love

Captain Cook