Ka Leo Hana - September 2009: Leaguers Came Through for ConCon Activities

March 2009

September 2009

December 2009

President's Message
A Case Not to Miss
Adequate Funding of Elections is a Must (Jean Aoki)
Leaguers Came Through for ConCon Activities (Jean Aoki)
Local League Reports: Honolulu (Piilani Kaopuikiu)
Local League Reports: Hawaii (Helen Hemmes)
Calendar

Leaguers Came Through for ConCon Activities

A Belated Thank You.
We had a long and intensive two years working on ConCon. We started out gathering information to help members decide what position to take on the Nov. 2008 ConCon ballot question. We ended with an ambitious educational campaign. It's been a long time, but so many interesting things happened that this article never made it to print.
I want to recognize the Leaguers who worked to contribute to our success, and look forward to 2018 when the Concon will be on the ballot again. If I left out anyone, I apologize.
Mahalo to our Hard-Working Leaguers
Hal Loomis, whose research on state constitutions, and the leaders in the field of state constitution studies led to our inviting Professor Robert S. Williams to be lead speaker at our seminar, “Primer on ConCon”.
Lois Tyler, Alice Fisher and Patricia Otake wrote to people we wanted to interview. The following people helped make the lists and/or conducted the interviews: Randy Ching, Dorothy Cornell, Bob Crone, Grace Furukawa, Piilani Kaopuiki, JoAnn Maruoka, Sue Miller, Jackie Parnell, and Mary Anne Raywid. From Hawaii County, we got the help of Sue Dursin and Pat Stofla. Special mahalo to Piilani Kaopuiki, who made most of my calls when I was temporarily disabled. Dorothy, Arlene Ellis, JoAnn, and Patricia helped sort and compile information from the interviews. (If I have left anyone out, please let me know.)
Special thanks to Steve Trussel, who fixed up my reports for the web site. Just getting the State Constitution on our web site was a huge challenge. And when I was ready to smash the computer in despair, he would direct me step by step and fix problems. Steve also linked web sites like those of ‘Olelo and the Elections Office to ours. OUR WEBMASTER IS THE GREATEST!
My intent to try for maximum participation by all the members broke down. Things moved so fast that many decisions and much work had to be happen quickly, without time for meetings or work sessions. So, essentially JoAnn Maruoka and I planned the events with our partners, the Hawaii Institute of Public Affairs, and the William S. Richardson School of Law. Jeanne Schultz Afuvai and Irene from HIPA designed our flyer and event program in gorgeous color, and JoAnn found a printer who saved hundreds of dollars. Joy Marshall, Bernice Hayashida, and I fit the programs and handouts into folders for distribution.
JoAnn Maruoka set up the logistics for our ‘Primer on ConCon’ with help from Heather Bolan, and accommodated the “Olelo” staff. Grace Furukawa took care of registration; Piilani Kaopuiki planned staffing and food for the refreshments with Joy Marshall and Lois Tyler. Suzanne Meisenzahl picked Professor Williams up at the airport and hosted him for cocktails that evening. Our then State President Jackie Parnell helped in a hundred ways.Scott Foster always helps get the word out on our events via his vast network of active citizens. Betty Goodwin and Charles Carole ran all kinds of errands.
Special thanks to JoAnn Maruoka. She supplied transportation, spoke before different groups including a Kauai League public meeting on ConCon. Former League president Anne Feder Lee took on any task big or small and bolstered our spirits all along the way.
Looking to ConCon 2020 For people and organizations who wanted a ConCon to push for needed reforms, it occurs to me that maybe collectively we could accomplish some of the revisions to the constitution in the next eight years. The idea deserves serious consideration, I think.
Jean Aoki

March 2009 Top Home Newsletters December 2009