Big Island News: The Hawaii County Council is undergoing a leadership change

Legislation will be introduced during the next council meeting on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at the Keahou Sheraton in Kona at 9:00 a.m.

IF you want to protest these changes, show up at 9:00 to testify.

If you site all three resolutions, you could talk for 9 minutes. Each resolution allows 3 minutes.

Resolution #200-removes Pete Hoffman as Vice Chair of the council
and makes Council member Emily Naole Vice Chair of the County Council.

Resolution #201- reorganizes the Chairmanships and vice-chairs of the council

Resolution #202 combines Human Services with the Finance Committee and Food and Sustainability with Environmental Management AND reassigns chairmanships:

This legislation strips the Chairmanship of any committees from Yagong, Hoffman and Ford.

Currently the committee chairs are:

1. Public Works- Brenda Ford
2. Finance- Dominic Yagong
3. Human Services- Naole
4. Environmental management-Greenwell
5. Food and Energy Sustainability- Onishi
6. Planning- Ikeda
7. Parks- Enriques


The new committees and the new chairs will be:

1. Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations- (roads, all building projects, the awards of big money projects) -Enriques
2. Planning- (General Plan amendments, CDPs, all rezonings) Ikeda
3. Finance and Human Services (all budget matters and non-profits) - Onishi
4. Public Safety Parks and Recreation- (police, fire, civil defense and parks) Naole

5. Environmental Management and Energy Sustainability (sewers, solid waste, landfills, recycling, energy sustainability) - Greenwell


What's next?

My opinion-

This is a deliberate effort to neutralize and punish council members Hoffman, Ford and Yagong for introducing legislation and questioning the administration and council during budget hearings. This takes these council members out of the public eye. The results will be less transparency and less accountability.

The overturn of the deposits to the 2% fund was the first move, now we are seeing the gutting of the committee and chairmanship structure. Expect more verbal abuse of these council members. Remember committee chairs can delay the airing of legislation for two meetings, which could result in a month's delay.

The Hilo block of Yoshimoto, Onishi, Enriques, Ikeda and Naole vote together. The real question is: who is orchestrating these moves? OR are these council members violating the sunshine laws and working together behind the scenes?
Will the will of the people be further slashed by gutting the CDPs?
Will they delay or prevent infrastructure improvements in these council member's districts?

Don't take my word for it. Click here to see your county council in action:
http://www.hawaii-county.com/council/gat_schedule.htm

Stay tuned! Please remember this at the polls in 2010.