HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0044.009 2020-2022 January 4, 2021
To: Members of the County Council, County of Hawaii
I'm writing in support of Zendo Kern as Planning Director. I work for
Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers as a buyer's agents for Team Nakanishi.
Our team sold go properties in 202o and had the pleasure of working with
Zendo on multiple occasions. On a professional level, I can confidently say
he is one of the most competent individuals I have ever worked with. Our
clients have referred to him as "a life saver", on more than one occasion.
I've read remarks questioning Zendo's qualifications and can't help but
wonder how that's an issue. He built a highly successful planning
consulting firm, from scratch, in a town that is not exactly"business
friendly". He is a former county council member and a licensed contractor.
He knows how the county works and knows the county building code better
than anyone else. Some may argue that he doesn't have fancy credentials
behind his name, but Zendo is just as educated as anyone I've met - I have
an MBA from one of the top public universities in the U.S. and had the
opportunity to learn from professors who graduated from Yale, Harvard
and Stanford, alongside attorneys, doctors, and high-level wealth
managers; even then, Zendo is one of the most intelligent individuals I
know. Besides, let us not forget that Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Henry
Ford all changed the world without a college degree. Zendo is mostly self-
taught (besides a few mentors) and has an innate drive for learning and nn
bettering himself. We need this kind of self-starter leading our community.
I also know Zendo very well on a personal level — he is a man of high
integrity; a person who weighs all sides before acting. He does what is right,
instead of what's best for his bank account, and works tirelessly to obtain
optimal results for anyone he does business with. Zendo accepted the
position as Planning Director, a position most would not take on, in hopes
of making a difference for our community. He agreed to give up a thriving
business he poured blood, sweat, and tears into, as a condition of accepting
this position. He has done pro-bono work for my team on several occasions,
pulling permits for elderly clients, and spending long hours on the phone
with others. He also volunteered to speak, and educate, members of our
local Realtor@ board on several occasions. I know many Realtors® that
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call Zendo on his cell phone to ask advice because it is often too hard to get
a straight answer from the planning department. I've never heard anyone
say he declined to help.
We need change in the planning department — we need someone who can
effectively communicate with the employees so they're able to effectively
communicate with the public. The average person should be able to
navigate our system so we're not left with local citizens who pour their life
savings into unpermitted structures they will never be able to re-sell at
market value, because things are too convoluted to understand. I know for a
fact Zendo's goal is to make the system work better for everyone.
Mahalo for your consideration,
Kealohanui "NuF Browning, MBA, CIPS