2018-05-09 Merit Appeals Board Minutes

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Merit Appeals Board May 9, 2018 why I stepped up because I am part of the program because I do use the taxi share ride program and, of course, the Hele-On. And, I was one of the first drivers for the Hele-On busses back in the 1970s under Jackie Matsuo. So I know the whole scam about this situation, especially in tourism when I was managing companies. I managed five companies—MacKenzie Big Island Tours, Hawaiian Scenic Tours, Cactus Jack Rent -a -Car, and Hawaiian Scenic School Bus. And I also managed the Kona Airport Taxi Company under three different owners. Now, the problem with me is that when I came out of the service in 1960-1970-1 attended the community college for economics and business. Now, it was boring. I didn't even last a semester. I dropped out. The reason for that is everything they were teaching me was already taught to me by my parents in our family business—Abraham Makaio Enterprises. We were into farming, luau catering—and my mother was an entertainer with her side job. She entertained with Mary Keahilihau and (inaudible) Spalding. And when the sisters left, she continued to entertain with Aunty Edith Kanakaole. So, I learned everything from my parents nothing to do with schooling. And I started in the business at the age of 8 years -old. And in 1960 when the tsunami came—we only lasted for about one year because no one's buying fruits, prices dropped, macadamia nuts went down—so we gave up the farming—we gave up the business. Plus, my parents were getting older. So, what I'm asking the Board to do is not for the job because to tell you the truth, I don't want it. It's too much of a headache, especially when people don't know what they're doing. Now, I would like, though, to have my application redone again. Because the five years that I was managing the companies they didn't teach me nothing else while I made money for them. So, I want to re -apply, put my—do my—re-apply and show them where my education came from. I have pictures of my sister folks and when my mother entertaining. I can show you pictures of my father and mother, who was in the group that built the Hawaiian Village. Now, this is the reason why Hawaiian Village was built. In the forties the Mormon church—and my parents were part of the Mormon church the Mormon church in Laie this is where the Samoans started the paina where they would get the tourist on the side—do a beach party with them. So, then when my parents picked that up by going to Laie to the temple that's when they started to bring back the dances for—from Maori from Tahiti and what have you. And this is when they came up with the idea—with Doc Hill to build a Hawaiian Village just to go after the tourist from Lurline and Matsonia. Now, the problem with this is that when we started the luau back then we did it at night. Rain so that's the reason why we changed it around. Why? They doing here they're here during the day as well—not all of them going on tours. So, what we did—we started the luau during lunch time from 10 to 2. This is your time bracket for tourism in Hilo that's when usually it opens up—and then, rain will come afterwards. Page 5