Testing and local elections are crucial
Despite a lack of federal election hoopla, local elections decide who ends up being in charge of your community during a crisis. That can mean life or death.
A good example is here on Hawaii Island. Though Mayor Harry Kim was slower on the uptake immediately after the discovery of COVID-19 than some would’ve liked, he came up to speed reasonably quickly, working diligently with available information and resources to protect the people of our island. Through it all, he’s had to balance extreme pressures and limitations put upon him by disparate entities including the State whose decisions often override the county’s.
Kim’s care-laced wisdom recently shone brightly when he fought to get a second COVID-19 test mandate for incoming travelers. Hooray! Forty-nine people who passed 72-hour prior testing but then tested positive upon arrival would’ve otherwise moved into our relatively small and unprotected island population, potentially spreading the deadly virus and putting further strain on communities, care workers, and severely limited medical facilities.
People who aren’t involved in politics may have trouble imagining how bombarded elected officials are each and every day by varying interests and opinions. Despite our individual sense of what is absolute or “correct,” little is known about COVID-19 now and even less when it was discovered. Mayor Kim is human, but, luckily, has a heart, wisdom, and a lifelong commitment to community safety, which came to bear as our state re-opened its doors.
Mahalo to Mayor Kim and for those who use their manao to vote for local leaders who will, at least in part, hold our futures in their hands.
Janice Palma-Glennie
Kailua-Kona
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