1999-07-07 Charter Commission Minutes

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Page 8 of 23 saying. I just want to elaborate a little, as you know, Mr. Ray, that water has been my area of interest. I’ve appeared before the Water Commission at least a dozen times. I’ve been before the Planning Commission on certain projects as well. However, in looking at the Charter, one of the problems that I have and I believe that it would be more equitable if the members were either elected or appointed by the Council person from their district. However, I note here that in the Charter it says that Commission Members, this is Water Commission now, the Department of Water Supply. Commission Members shall be representative of the community RAY: Page 15. Sorry, I was just letting them know what page. BOYD: Oh, page 15, Article VIII. The county geographical areas of Puna, Ka’u, Kona, Kohala, Hamakua, and Hilo. Well, when you look at Ka’u, that’s a huge county or, pardon me, a huge district, as is Kohala and I really believe that you need to get, instead of three at-large members as this calls for, I really believe you need to get more people on this Water Commission. For example, I would suggest that you had a representative from Waikaloa, one from Waimea and one from North Kohala because I think - RAY: How about just one from each single member district? From each Council district? BOYD: From each Council district? No, I just don’t think - RAY: So you think there should be more than nine? BOYD: Yes I do and I think that Ka’u needs more. I think Oceanview Estates, I lived down in Ka’u in ‘70 and ‘71. Those people and their needs are entirely different than are the needs of the people in Pahala and Naalehu and so on. And I’m not familiar with Puna but I’ve talked with a couple of folks out there at Water Commission meetings and it’s really, they feel sort of like we do out there, we really don’t feel like, or at least myself, I’m speaking for myself and many others that I’ve talked to, that you really have any representation on the Commission. I wrote a letter to Mr. Pavao about this. Got a letter back from the Chairman at the time. I can’t think of his name now. He’s not with the Commission anymore but he said that district reps from the Water Commission, their loyalty has to be to the County as a whole as opposed to the district and I can understand that to a degree but I just don’t think that that’s really kosher or that that really floats. I think these Commissioners need to get feedback from people in North Kohala, Waikaloa and Waimea as well and I think our last Commissioner from up here, Fred Yamashiro, really didn’t care much what we said out in North Kohala and I told him that. I’m not speaking behind his back. The same thing with the Planning Commission. I would note that, oh and by the way too, it also says here that these people are appointed by the Mayor and approval of the Council but then on page 16, the last section, 8-5, it says the ‘Administrative Supervision - the department of water supply shall come under the general supervision and control of the mayor’. So you know, I don’t see any autonomy there. I think it all goes under the Mayor has supreme power on this particular issue. And moving on to the Planning Commission, I would note - RAY: Dick, before you leave the water issues, do you have any thoughts or comment on the qualifications for the Manager being required to be a registered engineer? BOYD: I think that’s a good qualification and I personally think a lot of the present Water Commissioner even though I’m involved in a lawsuit with the Water Department. I think a lot of Mr. Pavao and I think that he’s a victim of being under the Mayor, if I might throw that out there. Did that file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 7-7-99.html7/1/2011