Laserfiche WebLink
Brenda Ford. I don’t think a quarter acre of papaya is going to make a big difference in her discussion and decision-making on this bill. The bill she introduced, in case you all didn’t know, died in committee anyway, so it’s not really an issue on the table. There is a pending bill on the table, Bill 113, written by Ms. Wille. But I support Brenda Ford and I think she’s awesome, and I hope you do, too. Aloha. <br /> <br /> <br />3. APPROVAL OF THE REGULAR SESSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 <br /> <br /> Motion and vote: Mr. Henricks moved to accept the minutes as drafted, Mr. Adams seconded the motion, and all members voted aye. <br /> <br /> <br />4. NEW BUSINESS <br /> <br />a. Petition No. 2013-04: Initial review of petition alleging a County officer is in violation of Section 2-84 (conflicts of interest) of the Code of Ethics because of the officer’s participation in Bills 109 and 113, “both impacting and putting papaya growers out of business as conventional farmers while claiming to grow non-GMO papaya on 1/4 acre at her farm.” <br /> <br /> Motion: Mr. Balsis moved to enter into executive session to consult with legal counsel. Mr. Adams seconded the motion, and they and Mr. Hisashima voted aye. <br /> <br /> 10:11 a.m. The Board left regular session. <br /> <br />* * * * * <br /> <br /> 10:20 a.m. The Board returned to regular session. <br /> <br />MR. BALSIS: This petition has been filed by Eric Weinert. Did I say that correct? <br /> <br />MR. WEINERT: There’s no “h.” <br /> <br />MR. BALSIS: Weinert. Please come forward, Mr. Weinert. I’d like to give you a few minutes to discuss the specifics of your petition. <br /> <br />MR. WEINERT: Well, the specifics are that that bill that Ms. Ford put forward is still—it’s now in the Department of Environmental Management. It’s still active. And it proposes that all GMO papaya growers, of which that’s essentially all—that’s the majority of what’s being grown on the island—will be illegal to grow after 30 months. So it puts us completely out of business. The fact is that we try—there is some non-GMO out there. In fact, I just planted 50 acres of it. And we surround it with GMO papaya so that the aphids that spread the virus clean their mouth parts by the time they get to the interior,