Kauai Mayor Takes Public Stand on Y2K
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 06:51:17 -0800 (PST)
From: cabeal <cabeal@efn.org>
To: y2kforum@efn.org
Subject: Kauai Mayor takes public stand on Y2K (fwd)
This is an example of an incredible go-getter, who has learned most of his
y2k information on community organizing from the folks who share their
info on the net - who has now caused his community to get on board!
Karlos deTreaux, a small business owner, community and family man, is an
inspiration who shows, again, what one person, and then a handful, and
then a city, and then a whole island, can do.
Anyone want to take a trip to Hawaii?
Cynthia
**************
10/28/98
Kauai Mayor takes a public stand on Y2K.
Kauai, HI.
Awesome news from the Kauai front. The Community Self Reliance Cooperative
of
Kauai, along with the office of the Mayor of Kauai, initiated a "closed
door"
meeting with Mayor Marianne Kusaka, various county officials, The head of
Kauai Civil Defense, Wilcox Hospital, Bank of Hawaii, Kauai Electric Company,
The Gas Co., various independent MDís, our local newspaper and the
local cable
TV station as well as two representatives from the Community Self Reliance
Cooperative to bring perspective from Kauai's citizens . The meeting was
held
behind closed doors at the suggestion of the our group (CSRC) so that county,
industry and utility bigwigs could talk freely with the Mayor about potential
problems without fear of litigation.
The meeting was a huge success. The Mayor of Kauai had reinforced her
understanding of Y2K by the middle of the meeting. Before the close of the
session, she also grasped the larger "social" issues of Y2K, if,
as some
experts are predicting the infrastructure of our society will be affected
by
the Year 2000 glitch. The Mayor, along with her invited guests all understood
that the publics perception or the "social" aspects of Y2K could
have as big
an effect on the economy, as the technical aspects of the Y2K "virus".
Her response was to instigate a monthly closed door session with all of
the
attendees, including two representatives from the CSRC. The Y2K task Force
will meet on the second Tuesday of each month to cross reference and update
the participants, which will represent a cross section of the islands
business, industry and government sectors. The Y2K task force will address
both technical and social Y2K issues, and prepare contingency plans where
mitigation and/or remediation might not be completed.
Immediatly following the meeting, the Mayor held a live 45 minute Television
Broadcast on our local cable access station. The Mayor intervied several
of
her guests via intelligent Y2K questions, and shared her thoughts on how
we
must respond to the Year Two Thousand Problem as a community, rather then
individuals.
Then, the Mayor went a step further and declared her desire to open the
Community Self Reliance Cooperatives first island wide Y2K awareness meeting
on Thursday October 29th at the Hanalei Elementary School Cafeteria. She
will
join many other speakers as well as an expected crowd of over one hundred
concerned citizens. She will make headlines across the state by pledging
to
help Kauai reach a state of what she describes as ìCommunity Compliantî.
This
means that regardless of whether Y2K disrupts the technical side of life
on
the tiny island of Kauai, the community will be prepared socialy to survive
and thrive despite whether the island suddenly finds itself cut off and
isolated from the supply lines of the"outside" world.
To be effective, the concept of ìCommunity Complianceî would
have to involve
the entire community at a grass-roots door to door level. It would mean
a
ìwhole systemsî approach that must involve the integration
of many ideas that
are certainly not new (such as community gardens, first aid education,
neighborhood based methods of voluntary water and power rationing, CB and
short-wave communication systems, and the serious exploration of alternative
energy and transportation strategies), but have never before been blended
and
integrated into a specific need based package that must be delivered before
an
exact deadline in time.
The difficulty will be to weave them together in a timely fashion, that
avoids
both hasty chaotic beurocratic looping, as well as complacency. These are
just
a few of the concepts any leader wishing to fully encompass the possible
effects of Y2K on a given community will have to explore. It seems like
the
Mayor of Kauai will have her hands full, but by her actions yesterday, she
is
truly a visionary willing to do what is right for her county, the island
of
Kauai, which incidentally, will be the last largely populated place on the
planet to usher in year 2000 ad.
With few exceptions across the Country, this is an unprecedented move by
any
Mayor. She is further stepping out by making this bold move both publicly,
and
almost on the eve of the November elections. Our hats are off to the Mayor
of
Kauai, Ms. Marriane Kusaka. The CSRC and the citizens of Kauai look forward
to
being ìcommunity partnersî in your goal of ìcommunity
compliance by the
millennium.
The Community Self Reliance Cooperative is apolitical, and non religious
in
itís desire to outreach and inform others of the Year Two Thousand
Crisis on
Kauai. We believe that panic and ignorance are the only true enemies in
the
Y2K battle. If we work together as a community, we can isolate our weaknesses,
and make use of our strengths. The simple act of responding to honestly
to Y2K
with unity, clarity and focus, will turn a potential crisis into an incredible
opportunity for community members to build bridges before the flood waters
might rise.
As a ìcommunity compliantî county we can find pride at working
hard on a
common goal. In better understanding our neighbors, we will better understand
ourselves. Suddenly, we will remember that though we came from many walks
of
life, we are all Kauainís.
When the clock brings in the new year, the island of Kauai may well be seeing
itself more clearly, regardless of whether the lights are on or off..
Aloha and mahalo to all concerned, and a special thanks to Bill Dale, Larry
Shook, Tom Atlee, Cynthia Beal for their visionary writings (Awakenings,
The
upside of Y2K) As well as Arthur Burchard, and Ian Wells for their hard
work
on the frontlines. You have been inspirational to both myself, and many
others
around the country!
Also a special thanks to Mayor Marianne Kusaka of the Garden Island of Kauai
for your willingness to listen.
Please email the mayor of Kauai and support her efforts! ìmayor@aloha.netî
Sincerely,
Karlos deTreaux
Community Self Reliance Cooperative members et. all.
y2k@aloha.net
http://www.hawaiiy2k.com (still adding to the site)