Oahu Neighborhood Board candidate filing period opens

A Neighborhood Board meeting in Waikiki. HONOLULU MAGAZINE PHOTO

HONOLULU — Oahu residents interested in running for a seat on their local neighborhood boards are urged to apply online at: www.honolulu.gov/nco on or before the deadline of February 20, 2015.

Registration forms are available at the City’s Neighborhood Commission Office located at Honolulu Hale Room 406 or by calling (808) 768-3717.

Candidacy is open to Oahu residents who will be at least 18 years of age by February 20, 2015.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell says serving on a neighborhood board is an opportunity to create “real change in the community, build a legacy and network with other leaders.”

“No one knows a neighborhood better than the people who live in it,” says Mayor Caldwell who served on both the Manoa and Kaimuki neighborhood boards.

Those who voted in the 2014 primary or general elections are automatically registered to vote in the 2015 Neighborhood Board elections.

Others may register by submitting a Neighborhood Board voter registration form online at: www.honolulu.gov/nco. Voting begins April 21, 2015 and ends May 15, 2015. Elected board members serve a two-year term, starting in July of 2015.

The Neighborhood Board System is the only government-sponsored civic engagement system in the Hawaii.

While they are advisory, board activities may include study and review of capital improvement projects and zoning concerns. They may also conduct educational programs on governmental decision-making processes and establish community goals, objectives and priorities.