It is unknown how the majority of Kauai residents feel about the recent passage of anti-GMO Bill 2491, which severely limits the use of genetically modified crops and pesticides on the island. But there is a dominating minority that has pegged Mayor Bernard Carvalho, who vetoed the bill, as a “scum bag” and “birth-defect mayor.” Mayor Carvalho sympathizes with agriculture workers and wants to find a solution together with the governor, biotech companies and state departments tasked with oversight of pesticides and GMOs. Anti-biotech groups want Mayor Carvalho out of office and biotech companies out of Hawaii. However, Jan TenBruggencate, who runs a communications consulting firm on Kauai, suspects that there may be a silent majority against the bill, and that the councilmembers who overrode Mayor Carvalho’s veto may lose votes. The biotech industry has said it will sue the county and may propose additional legislation to limit their ability to impose regulations on biotech companies.
Read the full, original story here: Will Kauai’s Mayor Face Fallout After GMO, Pesticide Battles?
