HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0044.131 2020-2022 P/Council
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January 26, 2021
7177,1 JAN 7-
To the Hawaii County Council
Re: Zendo Kern Committee 44
Aloha Council Members:
I amwriting to you again in opposition to the nomination of Zendo Kern as
Planning Director. Based on my review of his CV/resume, it does not appear
to me that Mr. Kern has received the necessary training for this position, as
required by the County Charter. Mr. Kern and his supporters are attempting to
equate prior work experience with training but the two are not the same and
the Charter specifically states that the Planning Director shall have both
training and experience. Training is the process of bringing a person to an
agreed standard of proficiency by instruction. When in the process of being
trained, the trainee is the recipient of instruction from a teacher or instructor.
Presumably upon completion of training a certification or attestation of
successful training is issued which confirms that the trainee is proficient
according to the agreed standard. Nowhere in Mr. Kern's resume do I find any
evidence that Mr. Kern has received appropriate training in the fields of
Planning, Administration or Land Use Development. Furthermore, there is no
evidence that he is a member of any national or state Planning Associations or
that he has completed any relevant continuing education or training courses
offered by such organizations. The only reference to any possible outside
education or training that I can find in his CV is his attendance at a Hawaii
Congress of Planning Officials Congress more than ten years ago. Mr. Kern's
lack of any formal (or even semi-formal) training and continuing education in
Planning is quite troubling, especially given the enormous responsibility of the
Planning Director in formulating planning policies and preparing land use
regulations and even more so in this present day and age when such officials
are also frequently required to work through complex and difficult ethical and
moral dilemmas.
Therefore, I respectfully request that you vote to not approve Mr. Kern for the
position of Planning Director. Surely the Mayor will be able to find another
candidate who is both qualified and less controversial than the current
nominee.
Sincerely,
Comm. No.
Stephen Bell Ref. To: PRAMak
Ref. Date FEB 0 3 2021