Lance D. Collins This is Me

Education

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1. 1. Haleakala Times current edition content page

   www.mauisfreepress.com/archive - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/15/2004   Last Visited: 12/15/2004

   Lance Collins is running his second campaign for public office, challenging first-term incumbent Joseph Pontanilla for the Kahului seat on the Maui County Council.
   ...
   Lance Collins moved to Kahului from Wailuku when he was twelve years old, graduated from St. Anthony's at fifteen and went to MCC, then quickly went over to UH Manoa and earned bachelor and master degrees by the age of twenty in Political Science, specializing in Indigenous Politics. He earned his doctorate at the William S. Richardson School of Law in Manoa earlier this year.
   
   "My graduate research allowed me to focus on indigenous peoples and the struggles such our communities must face," says Collins. "This touched me deeply and taught me the need for social justice for all peoples. Once I finished my masters degree, I went on to complete a law degree with a focus on public interest law."
   
   In 1997, after finishing his term as president of MCC's student body, he was appointed to the County Council Subcommittee to Update the Maui County Code. The County Code contains all county laws, and Collins was asked to help review and rewrite that important and complex legal document.
   
   He was seventeen years old at the time.
   
   A year later Collins campaigned for a seat on the Board of Education. While unsuccessful, Collins surprised many pundits by earning 44,000 votes with a budget of $35 and made a few more folks aware of his intelligence and his potential.
   
   There's one aspect of Collins' potential that he has turned away from - he could easily earn twice as much as the salary of a council member if he chose to enter the law profession. That simple fact gives him some credibility when, as most politicians do, he says, "My motivation for running for Council is a very deep desire to serve the people of Maui County. I feel my purpose is to serve our community and help to make our lives better. Working within the Council is the best place to do that."
   
   The 'Ohana Coalition has endorsed Collins, stating in part, "To have a passionate attorney who wants to serve the people of Maui on the council with no ties to big money interests would be an invaluable asset. Highly qualified for Council position."
   
   That "no ties to big money interests" statement is accurate; Collins estimates that at least 150 people have given small donations (less than $100) to his campaign, which shows that he has a solid base of support within the community. With his whole life savings and some matching state funds included, he has about $20,000 in total campaign funds.
   
   "I have trained for many years for the opportunity to serve the people of Maui," he says. "I've been deeply involved in community education reform, Native Hawaiian rights issues, environmental protection and promoting and organizing workers. Together we can ensure a better tomorrow for ourselves and our children to come. As a young man, I'm not willing to wait for someone else to do it for me - I am willing to be part of the solution."
   
   One part of the problem he wants to solve is the current Council's inability to accomplish much during the past two years. According to Collins, if you take away all budget, bond and administrative decisions, the Council only managed to pass six bills of any substance during this term. He attributes the lack of decisions partly to delays and caution caused by legal questions and misunderstandings.
   
   Collins described the solution he sees. "We have to get away from a culture of 'Rule of Men' and return to a culture that values the Rule of Law." By this, he explained that individuals in authority sometimes come to believe that their wisdom alone is sufficient for good government. That leads to decisions that are contrary to the laws of the land, or decisions not to enforce the existing laws.
   
   The current shortage of affordable housing is one result of that tendency. "We've had an affordable housing requirement in place for 35 years," says Collins.
   ...
   During the past two years, Collins has also been a writer with the Honolulu Weekly, and Opinions Editor for Ka Leo 'O Hawai'i.
   ...
   That level of philosophical truth-seeking is rarely seen in a political candidate, but it's just one example of the kind of thinking Collins brings to the campaign. What may begin as a political conversation with him soon evolves into a broader discussion of the nature of government and the kind of people who are drawn towards public office.
   
   Lance Collins may be the first in a New Wave of Maui politicians - young people with sharp minds, good training, strong ethics and a passion for the 'aina and the people it sustains.

2. 2. Agenda Board of Ethics Agenda

   county.maui.net/boards/boardre - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 4/2/2008

   LANCE DAVID COLLINS

3. 3. www.mauitime.com

   www.mauitime.com/permalink.las - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 12/10/2007

   The rule, according to a brief filed by Lance Collins, the Maui Dance Advocates attorney and former LC Adjudication Board member, allows ,the liquor inspectors unbridled discretion to pick out who can and cannot move their bodies, or alternatively, chill all expression by fearful liquor licensees.,
   
   But Collins will not have an easy time in court. That,s because county attorneys have decided on a slightly Machiavellian tactic: that there,s no case because Silva didn,t know what he was talking about.