HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0044.087 2020-2022 }
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From: Elizabeth Dunn
Seat: Friday, January 15, 2021 9:21 AM vm 1
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Zendo Kern and Potential Appointment as Planning Director
Aloha County Counsel:
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My name is Elizabeth Dunn, I live in District 7 (and earlier sent this same email to my Council represen`tative)and
watched the January 5, 2021 Planning Committee meeting of the interview of Zendo Kern to be appointed the
I lawai'i County Planning Director. I am concerned about this potential appointment, as Mr. Kern's relevant training
and planning experience does not appear to match the long term needs of the island.
My professional background is in City Planning, and I was the Planning Manager for three cities in the San Francisco
Bay Area Northern for fifteen (15) years. I hold both a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from U.C. Santa
Cruz, and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University. Though I'm now retired, when I
interviewed the top candidates for any position in my Division, I often posed questions about a candidates range of
experience and depth on projects, and always contacted their references. As I live in Kailua Kona now, I want my
community and the island to receive the best planning, and quality urban design, it deserves.
I have provided a few a topics below that I'd like the Council to ask of Mr. Kern in order to better understand whether
his experience qualifies him to be appointed the County Planning Director:
the range of projects he worked on; specifically, how many involved an amendment to the general plan or
zoning, what the issues were; did he need to engage legal advice for his clients, and how did he incorporate legal
advice into these projects.
his experience in preparinga General Plan or Specific Plan: what issues should be considered; what a public
outreach plan to the community looks like; preparation of a budget and timeline for bringing a draft plan to the
Planning Commissions and Council for consideration.
* what the most controversial projects are that Mr. Kern worked on: how did he work with the community, and
resolve issues; were these difficult projects due to planning issues or political concerns; did these projects get built or
are in the process of obtaining a building permit.
* what his management style is and how this might change from managing a smaller staff of five to a County
Department of 66 people with five (S) divisions (from the Hawaii County Planning Department webpage); what
experience he's had with underperforming staff, what is the assessment of the organization culture within the
Planning Department and does a change need to be made regarding the work culture? What steps would this candidate
take to implement these changes. How would he work to break down the barriers of working with different
departments?
what does he see as important issues to address within the first six(6) months of his appointments are there
changes to the County Code to better assist with streamlining the planning process? Is better coordination needed with
the Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Environmental Management Departments (and other Departments, if
needed) for larger island issues that require a long-term comprehensive approach?
what other references Mr. Kern can provide for this position? These appear to be personal, not professional,
references.
Comm. No. uA'%i
n PRO
Ref. Dote_ JAN 1 9 2021
i'J'appointed, confirm that Mr. Kern will work solely for Hawaii County and will sever any other professional
tics to previous employment (Kern and Associates, Tajaloha Co).
As raised by Councilperson Kimball, the language in Section 6-7.2 of the Hawaii County Charter for the Planning
Director states that, "a minimum qualification of five years of training and experience in a responsible planning
position (emphasis added)"— is required for this position. Ultimately, this is a qualitative decision that the County
Council will make, and will be based upon the responses Mr. Kern provides about his experience. Without further
investigation into the complexity of the projects that Mr. Kern has been responsible for, and how his administrative
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skills and political acumen will fit within the Hawal'i County organization, it does not appear that this candidate
meets or exceeds the minimum qualification for this position. Given the importance of land use planning for a
Community, It makes me reconsider my retirement, as there's always good work to be done.
I will be watching the January 19, 2021 Planning Committee meeting, and may comment if additional testimony will
be considered at this meeting.
Mahalo for your time.
Elizabeth Dunn
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