This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Neighborhood Board system. The brainchild of the late Mayor Frank Fasi took off in 1973, when Oʻahu residents voted to create an organization to encourage civic engagement.
Many state and city lawmakers started their careers by serving on neighborhood boards.
Robert Armstrong is a current member of the Downtown Neighborhood Board. He's holding a meeting to discuss ways of revitalizing and refreshing the system.
"I think that after 50 years, it's certainly appropriate to take stock in the system," he said.
"Coming off the pandemic, many of the boards, including mine, are seeing a somewhat downtick in terms of public participation."
Armstrong hopes to discuss neighborhood elections, boundaries, demographics and more. The meeting will take place Saturday, August 19 at 1 p.m. at 1152 Smith Street.
This interview aired on The Conversation on August 8, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
