I received the following letter from Councilman Pete Hoffmann regarding the County’s recent decision to truck trash from East Hawaii to West Hawaii.
Councilman Pete Hoffmann
No one even remotely connected with County operations would deny that the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is one of the more complex and difficult operations to control. Add also the somewhat emotional reactions of County residents to the various issues that are involved in the DEM arena and the situation becomes even more complicated. Finally, the fact that the County Council for various reasons has rejected some administrative initiatives to address outstanding matters has only frustrated all involved.
That said, the sordid performance of DEM officials at the recent Finance Committee Budget hearings on 20 April far exceeded any expectations. The immediate background for this less than inspiring series of DEM comments was generated specifically by the Mayor’s presentation at the Kona Town Meeting on 10 April, (and also mentioned at Waikōloa and Waimea talk stories last month) where Mr. Kenoi emphatically stated he had no plans to truck East Hawaii trash to West Hawaii and assured the audience that no decision had been made regarding this ‘hot’ topic. In attendance at this meeting was Hunter Bishop, the DEM Deputy Director.
Despite such comments by the Mayor, a few days later, we learn that a pilot program to truck trash from Kea’au and Hilo to the Pu’uanahulu landfill adjacent to Waikoloa had been in operation for at least a couple of months, without any public notice or explanation. To be clear, the Mayor did not publicly misstate the situation, but his comments certainly gave his listeners a false impression. The budget hearing was the first opportunity for Council members to query Bishop and Dora Beck, the Interim Department Director, on this ‘silent’ project.
Without detailing all of the vocal frustration expressed by Council members, some of the pertinent exchanges of this meeting follow:
– asked why DEM didn’t inform someone of this pilot program, DEM responded they didn’t think they had to reveal to the public (nor apparently to the Council and to the Mayor’s own Environmental Management Commission) every pilot program they activated and didn’t feel it was important. The Council agreed that not every program warranted public exposure, but surely common sense should have indicated that any trash trucking operation, a flashpoint for all involved, would have been a logical project demanding public disclosure and not one to be kept silent.
– queried as to why he did not speak up at the Kona Town Meeting in light of the Mayor’s comments, at least to insure no misperceptions were generated, Mr. Bishop simply stated “no one asked the question”.
– regarding the Hilo Sort Station, DEM officials told the Council during this meeting that the County planned to staff and operate the sort station in the immediate future. The Council passed a resolution some weeks ago by a vote of 6-1 requesting the administration initiate a Request for Proposal for a private-for-profit entity to convert the sort station to a Material Recycling Facility. No County resources were to be used. Asked why DEM/administration would apparently ignore this resolution, no response was provided.
There will always be controversies regarding issues of this nature. However, the blatant refusal of DEM to disclose activities that have a high profile in the community is a curious way to promote the Mayor’s program of transparency and open government. Bishop’s comments reflect an arrogance for the Council and the public that is hard to define. After the 20 April meeting, Bishop was asked why he responded to the Council in this manner? He answered; “well how does one respond to those questions?” I told him a simple statement such as: “in hindsight, we probably should have said something” would have been more appropriate.
Whatever the reason, the Council’s frustration was palpable, the administration’s lack of transparency obvious, and DEM’s responses inappropriate. Whether one agrees or not with trucking trash, I fear that the public’s perception of County government in general has suffered a serious setback. And for those with lingering doubts about the Council’s willingness to cooperate with the administration, here’s a prime example why several Council members are reticent to work with the administration on many issues. I trust the Mayor will take some immediate action to address this matter.
Pete Hoffmann
Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Community, County Council, Environment, Guest Commentator, Hawaii, Health, Legal, Opala in Paradise, Rumors, Transportation | Tagged: County Council, Garbage in Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii Department of Environmental Management, Landfills | Leave a comment »
Commentary by Former Councilman Pete Hoffman – Let the “Newbies” Cast a Few Votes Before Criticizing
Despite some misgivings, I’m finding I’m unable to simply fade into the woodwork after eight years in County politics. I doubt anyone who’s even remotely interested in what’s happening locally would be able to ‘turn off the faucet’ and evaporate in an instant. Therefore, a few opinions are offered as I labor to meet my wife’s goal of finding ‘gainful employment’.
It’s been a month since the elections and mercifully we have survived another bout of ‘sign pollution’. However, no spectator of this last election, irrespective of what level (federal, state, local) is reviewed, can fail to be concerned regarding the impact of the so-called ‘super-PACs’ on the voting results. Personally, I wonder whether the Supreme Court in its decision really anticipated the effect of the resources brought to bear on candidates from the PACs in a wide variety of races? Here in Hawaii, one or two Honolulu-based organizations spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars influencing the outcome of local campaigns. Is this the political future upon which our democracy rests!! This is truly scary!!!
Although the PAC contributions did not result in victories in every race (Margaret Wille did manage to win her race for County Council), the specter of their potential impact will dramatically change the campaigning landscape in 2014 and beyond if no steps are taken to place some restraints on the size of these contributions. While national contests may be immune to some of this impact, local races remain extremely vulnerable in this environment. This should not happen. I believe that the concept of public financing for elections is in jeopardy under these circumstances. Not many new candidates, let alone toughened incumbents, will be able to match PAC donations.
As to the Mayoral campaign, much can be stated about the results and much more can be inferred. If I understand it correctly, Mayor Kenoi won re-election after outspending Harry Kim by a factor of 30 times. (Some have calculated that disparity even higher). Whatever number you wish to use, the impact of political contributions from sources outside the BigIsland likely played a considerable role in the vote count. And when you consider that Mayor Kenoi won by a relatively small margin despite the tidal wave of spending on his behalf, any observer must conclude this was not exactly a resounding endorsement of an incumbent candidate who seeks higher office. A reassessment of policy and a more effective public outreach would be my first considerations if I were in the Mayor’s shoes. A reappraisal of my leadership style and initiatives would also rank high on my list of things to review. The Mayor is a smart individual with supposedly good people skills. I’m hopeful in his second term he makes the adjustments that our island requires, that he will be able to partner with those who don’t always agree with him politically, and that he will be able to generate the voter support an effective leader requires in his quest for higher office.
As to the results of the election itself, a very different County Council is in place. Some letters to the editor have already condemned the ‘overwhelming tilt’ of the Council to the eastside, and that may be the case. But at least give the novice Council members the benefit of the doubt before determining that they are ‘lost’ to compromise. Let the ‘newbies’ cast a few votes before criticism is levied.
I do agree that the estrangement of Brenda Ford from any real position of leadership on the new Council does not bode well and sends an ominous signal. One can only imagine the convoluted rationale of the Council that denied Ms. Ford some major responsibility in the current organization. No one denies that she is tenacious in defending her positions. No one denies that she can be aggressive and controversial. (I didn’t agree with her on many issues). However, no one denies she has been the hardest worker on the Council for the past two terms, has probably done more extensive homework and research than other members, and has a wealth of experience and information that a vastly renovated Council lacks, at least for the moment. The Council needs individuals who can lead, and no matter whether you agree or not with the policies of Ms. Ford, she is a leader. A Council with six new members can ill afford to play politics and remain effective.
At the bottom of County Council correspondence is a brief statement that says: “serving the interests of the people of our island.” I trust the new Council recognizes that to be effective it must adhere to that statement and avoid even the hint of political gamesmanship that, unfortunately, has characterized many previous Council discussions. The people of our island need real leadership not simply political agendas.
Pete Hoffman, December 2012
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Filed under: Announcements, County Council, Guest Commentator, Hawaii, Politics, Rumors | Tagged: County Council, Hawaii, Pete Hoffman | 2 Comments »