Honolulu Charter Commission

Corporate body

Honolulu Charter Commission

1956-1958

Since the creation of the city and county of Honolulu in 1907, the city charter was amended by numerous acts of the legislature and the charter revision commission of 1937 - 1938. The restriction and interference by the legislature, rapid growth of the municipal and suburban areas leading to increasing complexity in local government, and a desire to keep tax revenue in Honolulu led to a sentiment favoring home rule. Bills to form a charter commission were introduced in both houses of the legislature in 1951, but were subsequently defeated. The Twentieth-sixth Legislature in 1955 enacted Act 225, which authorized the Mayor of Honolulu to appoint a charter commission of nine members. The commission was charged with the task of formulating a charter for the city and county of Honolulu "adapted to the requirements of such city and county and designed to provide for the people of such city and county a more efficient, economical, and representative form of government." Act 225 further stipulated that the commission be required to submit the proposed
charter to the Board of Supervisors, who could propose alternative provisions. At the next general election the proposed charter would be approved or disapproved by the electorate. Upon approval of the proposed charter, the County Clerk was to submit -the proposed charter to the Secretary of the Territory, who would submit it to the legislature for ratification. Act 225, however, prohibited the commission from altering the status of the Board of Water Supply. Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell appointed J. Ballard Atherton, president of the Hawaiian Telephone Company, as chairman of the-Honolulu Charter Commission; other commissioners were Thomas D. Murphy, Suyeki Okamura, Allan J. McGuire, Raymond Y. C. Ho, Robert G. Dodge, Mrs. Eureka Forbes, William F. Quinn, and A. S. Reile. Later, C. Nils Tavares was appointed to replace William F. Quinn. The commission hired Charlton F. Chute of the Institute of Public Administration as a consultant and Nils K. Ueki as executive secretary. Act 225 was amended by Act 277 in the 1957 session of the legislature to enable the city and county to submit the charter to the electorate for approval at a special election. It also allowed the commission to prescribe the form of ballot for the election and deleted the reservation held by the legislature on the Board of Water Supply. The commissioners held 142 meetings over a period of twenty-eight months, sixteen of which were designated as public hearings. They listened to testimony by officials of the city and county, other public officials in Hawaiʻi, members of civic organizations, interested individuals, and visiting personnel who were cognizant in municipal affairs. The commission prepared six drafts of the proposed charter. The fourth draft, the preliminary draft, was printed and widely circulated for comments to authorities on municipal government and to interested local individuals. It also served as a basis for a series of public hearings. On the advice of consultants who recommended an educational campaign lest the charter be defeated at the polls, the commission worked with the Citizens' Charter Committee. Organized in July, 1956 and headed by Joe C. Harper, the committee sought to inform the public about the issues involved in the formulation of and to stimulate interest in the proposed charter. While the Citizens' Charter Committee functioned concurrently with the Charter Commission, the Citizens' Charter Forum, composed of prominent members of the community, was organized in April, 1958 to aid in the drive for approval of the proposed charter at the polls. On April 3, 1958 the proposed charter for the city and county of Honolulu was submitted to the Board of Supervisors for examination and proposed alternatives. The proposed charter, as originally submitted by the commission, was approved by the electorate at the special election held on June 14, 1958, whence the terms of office of the commissioners expired. The proposed charter was then submitted to the Secretary of the Territory
by the Count y Clerk on July 11, 1958, who submitted it to the legislature on March 6, 1959. With a few amendments, it was passed as Act 261. The bill was signed by Governor William F. Quinn on June 5, 1959, and the charter took effect on July 1, 1959.

City and County of Honolulu

Twentieth-sixth Legislature in 1955 - Act 225. Act 225 was amended by Act 277 in the 1957 session of the legislature. The proposed charter, as originally submitted by
the commission, was approved by the electorate at the special election held on June 14, 1958. Act 261. The bill was signed by Governor William F. Quinn on June 5, 1959, and the charter
took effect on July 1, 1959.

The records may be divided into two groups, the regular files of the commission and those of J. Ballard Atherton, chairman. The former files include the drafts of the proposed charter, general correspondence, and communications with departments of the city and county; the latter files contain some duplicates of the former, but consist primarily of material and correspondence used in the campaigns for approval and ratification. The latter files also include some materials dealing with Honolulu's candidacy in the All America City contest.

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Created by R. Williams Jr. on April 27, 2021