ALOHA
Our Member Services
Information needs to flow between the people and their representatives in government. Writing or e-mailing legislators doesn't give you much feedback, and you need to know the proper place to send it. When you call a department, you speak to an assistant. Going to meetings takes hours out of your day, with no assurance that you'll get to testify.
We make sure your voice is heard quickly, where and when it's needed.
Membership fees are $12 per year and paid on the honor system. We never bill you for membership. Once you join, you're a member until you you choose to leave. Even if you don't pay dues, you will still remain a full member. At your request, we can send a reminder of your enrollment date every year.
Why charge dues if we're not trying to collect them? We believe that this service has some value, and would like to make it available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. We also prefer to keep as few records as possible. All dues that are sent in are used to pay for some of the time spent in the County offices, for researching subjects and for writing the reports.
We're part of a network of people watching current events on Maui. When a significant matter is brought to our attention, we send that information to all members. When boards and commissions schedule a meeting, we review their agenda and alert members of any items that may affect lives of Maui's residents.
Members can send in comments on any issue. We get them to the appropriate places - department directors, council members, the mayor, state representatives, senators or the governor. Opinions and comments are always anonymous, unless a member requests that their name be included. Messages are signed "A Ka Leo O Maui member from (your town)".
When the County Council schedules a vote on a major bill, we send all members an e-mail report and ask for a response. The results of each survey are sent to Council members as a measure of public opinion - and they have it
before
they vote.
Members receive occasional e-mail summaries of comments posted on the public forum and sent in by other members. The same summary is sent to the Council and the Mayor. The summaries carry the power of many voices speaking on all sides of an issue.
We can also help with questions about government. If we don't have the answer, we can probably get it quickly. If a member would like some help in writing a letter to a representative, we will be happy to offer advice.
We avoid clogging your mailbox - it's a rare event when we send out more than one message in any week.
Above all else, members get the satisfaction of participating in a new way of measuring public opinion. Our hope is that it will become a process that helps our political leaders to behave more like public servants.
To join
Ka Leo O Maui
, complete the form below and submit it today - that's all the information we need.
Your Name
E-mail Address
Your Town
We'll send an e-mail confirming your membership, usually within a day. Payment information will be included. You can begin using the service as a member as soon as you submit the form.
Send any questions by clicking on our scribe below
The stylized petroglyphs chosen as our logo are meant to symbolize the truth that exists in the collective voice of the people - and the belief that truth is the best teacher, the only leader we need.
"If a Nation or a People expects to be ignorant
and
free, it expects what never was, and what never will be..."
Thomas Jefferson
Copyright Moon Valley Press, February 2000