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Peter Adler moderates a discussion on whether Hawaii voters will call a constitutional convention in 1996 — a question that automatically appears on the ballot since no legislative vote occurred in the preceding nine years. The 1978 convention, chaired by Bill Paty, produced 104 amendments including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the state water code, and environmental protections. Bud Smyser argues a new convention is the only realistic path to reforms the legislature will not pursue on its own: a unicameral legislature, multi-member districts, and greater county home rule. Jim Shon counters that the civic energy animating 1978 — neighborhood boards, the Hawaiian Renaissance, an open-government movement — is absent now, and he doubts a $7 million convention would attract sufficient public engagement. Dan Boylan predicts voters will reject the proposal, citing fiscal concerns and his worry that initiative provisions could trigger deep cuts to university funding. Paty shares that skepticism but notes a year remains for community mobilization. The sharpest disagreement involves the unicameral legislature: Smyser calls it long overdue while Paty and Shon warn it could concentrate power and weaken environmental checks. All four predict the 1998 convention would not happen unless organized interests mount a vigorous campaign.
Transcript
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Companion newspaper commentaries
Commentaries by the guests, published in The Honolulu Advertiser around the broadcast.
