By Susan Motander
On Tuesday, Mayor Tom Adams fulfilled a promise he made throughout his campaign and reiterated when he took the oath of office. During the campaign he repeatedly stated that he believed the council was and should, in fact, be a group of peers, equal in power. He repeated that sentiment in his remarks on the day he was sworn in, saying that he believed in an “inclusive environment.”
At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 21, Adams again confirmed his belief in the equality of the council, and in that “inclusive environment” when he turned the gavel over to Mayor Pro Tem Larry Spicer. Spicer had never before chaired the council though he has served for five years, first as an appointed member, and then elected in his own right.
While there were a few minor slips in the rules of order, Spicer wielded the gavel well. He wisely consulted City Manager Oliver Chi, City Attorney Craig Steele, and Adams when not sure of his actions. At the conclusion of the meeting, Adams was the first to congratulate Spicer on a well-conducted meeting, but was quickly joined by his peers. Indeed, the council appeared on Tuesday as a more collegial group than in the past, joking among themselves and even agreeing upon wearing Hawaiian shirts at the next Council meeting on August 4th in honor of the anniversary of Hawaii’s admission to the union.
In the course of the meeting the council approved memoranda of understanding between the city and its employee groups, voted to enforce mandatory water conservation and revised the city code to limit the weight of vehicles using the truck routes in the city to 14,000 pounds including the cargo.