HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0044.141 2020-2022 PI Council
COMM,IN
COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAII
Communication 44 RECEIVED
Attention: Hawaii County Council Time S:IOp.ri. By
Date FEB 0 2 2021
M A H A L O to the five Hawaii County Council members
who voted against the nomination of Zendo Kern for
planning director at planning committee level.
I sincerely appreciate your commitment to follow the
Hawaii County Charter and your lack of willingness to bend
for the sake of special interest
It's disappointing that the mayor put you in such an
awkward position, and I'm honestly in wonderment that we
are even at this juncture.
T H A N K Y O U to you five who said "NO" to the mayor and
his secretive selection committee that presented you with
Zendo as a possibility. I admire your courage and fortitude
to provide the necessary checks and balances on the
executive branch of government. That's supposed to be your
role, and I appreciate that you see that you aren't just the
mayor's rubber stampers.
I'd like to express my bewilderment that Zendo Kern has
provided you with a new and revised resume with corrected
dates and clarifications — mid-stream in this nomination
process. Need I remind you that this job pays $132,000 per
year plus benefits? Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe
it's fourth in line for mayor, should disaster strike.
Any professional who has credentials and expertise should
know exactly when they acquired those badges of honor.
They know the dates. They are meticulous about noting
those dates on their resumes, prior to applying for a job,
certainly one as important as this.
111 Comm. No to . " 1
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Ref. Dote
If there is a,lapse in ,memory, professionals have printed
-certificates --usually framed on office walls, to serve as
reminders. It's 'quizz'ical, to say the least, that Zendo is
having to correct the public record at this point in the
process— and there are still inconsistencies in the new and
revised resume!
Thank you to the five of you who see the RED FLAGS.
I'd like to remind you of all the voices of dissent you have
heard through the course of this nomination process. My
role is merely to serve as the highlighter, noting the key
points made in all the pages of testimony you have received
from people from all walks of life, from all over the island,
including:
Sen. Laura Acasio, of Hilo, referencing both the appointed
Public Works director and the proposed planning director:
"I have deep concerns about the transparency, potential
conflicts the appointments have..."
Stephen Bell, of Kohala:
"I do not think that you can equate Mr. Kern's occupation as
a self-designated "Planning consultant" with an attorney (or
doctor for that matter) who is bound by very high standards
of ethical behavior and subject to intense scrutiny by
professional organizations and regulatory agencies."
Thomas Berlein, of Kona:
"With all do respect, I submit that his appointment violates
the law as established by our charter and is therefore
illegal... Further, his appointment raises a litany of ethical
issues, both for him personally and the entire department."
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David Blancett-Maddock, of Kona:
"The charter does not have any provisions for substituting a
council member's opinion for anything less than the requisite
number of years of combined education, training or
experience..."
Meredith Buck, of Kona:
"... there is no evidence representing Mr. Kern's training or
experience in recognized government planning; education
beyond high school; or administrative service or employment
in local, state, or federal planning agencies...While I do not
believe that specific forms of education and experience
necessarily result in a better candidate, I cannot ignore the
conflict of interest that Zendo Kern's past and current
commitments betrays..."
Doug Cichowicz:
"Mr. Kern's experience within his own Company as a
consultant to Developers does not meet the Requirement for 5
years' experience in a Planning Position -nor- does he have a
Degree in a Planning-Related field. There is no evidence of his
education beyond Grade 10 and home schooling."
JoelCooperson,
of Kona:
"He is a hired gun. His job is to represent developers for
which he gets paid. In my mind, based on his previous work
and developer connections, he's never going to be objective
and truly represent the residents of Hawaii."
Margaret Donnellan Todd, of Kona:
"Any decision no matter how objective could be challenged in
court citing conflict of interest by whichever party disagrees
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with the result. That will cost the county significant legal
fees and slow the approval of projects."
Elizabeth Dunn, of Kona:
"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."
Brenda Ford, of Kona:
"I know that Mr. Kern does not possess the educational
qualifications, the administrative qualifications, does not.
follow the law when it is in opposition to his will, lacks the
understanding that the law must be upheld in its plain
language, and cares nothing for civil rights, all of which he
has repeatedly demonstrated to me."
Lori and Robert Gale, of Kona:
"We would like to state that after grueling research and
multiple inquiries into Zendo Kern's CV he is in no way
qualified for the position of the County Planning Director.
This appointment is of Zendo Kerns and his associates, the
development firm: Richard Wheelock, Robert Williams and
Roland Higashi contributed over $10,000.00 to our new
mayor's campaign funds. In this era of political unrest and
mistrust please don't allow this appointment to go through."
Edith Hall, of Puna:
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"...He is compromised and seems to have too many conflicts
of interest to be able to serve the county fairly. He seems to
be simply a lobbyist for developers. And if he gets in I don't
have the trust in him, based on his performance as a county
council member, that he will do anything but serve the
developers."
Harry Harrison, Jr. (MD):
"Mr. Kern appears to lack adequate experience in a
supervisory role on either a large project nor demonstrate
sufficient administrative responsibilities, though he does
mention supervision of small, local co-workers groups. Mr.
Kern does not appear to have any formal education or
training beyond high school and certainly there is not
mention of planning for such training in his resume."
Wayne Hemby:
"His application should have never made the final cut for
nominations because he has neither the educational
requirements nor the management experience required. This
alone should prevent even a single vote being cast for
confirmation. Any council member that votes otherwise
should be subject to a violation of the responsibility to
follow the Hawaii County Charter. There would be an ethics
concern for any member that abandons their duty to follow
the requirements outlined."
Nelson Ho, of Hilo:
"... Mr. Kern is a business consultant who, in the past, has
chosen to promote development proposals that have" ignited
serious community concerns about environmental, traffic and
archeological problems. His choices do suggest his
inclinations and philosophy with regard to development over
long-term community health."
J
Derek and Renee Inaba, of Kona:
"... If one must bend and have many, multiple interpretations
of even the very minimum requirements at this very early
juncture, it should give one pause..."
Megan Magdalene Isaac:
"It would be most unfortunate breach of public trust if it was
necessary for members of the public to have to resort to a
lawsuit to call a halt to these candidates whose appointment
would be outside of stated policy and procedure."
Alan Nakashima:
"With all of the animosity and anger between political parties
and other significant groups of people across the nation, I
have to ask, why are you even considering a nominee of real
or perceived conflicts of interest, possible compromised
relationships, and possibly dubious qualifications? Why
would you even consider bringing these possible contentious
points before the citizens?"
And, as you know, there are pages and pages more.
The bottom line is, the public has sent a resounding message
of concern, of skepticism, and of outright opposition to this
planning director nominee. Thank you to the five council
members who heeded the warnings, heard the grievances,
and understood the ramifications of accepting an
unqualified nominee.
We need someone in the Planning Department with the
credentials and expertise, with the training and experience,
to balance development with biodiversity and cultural
heritage to effectively solve our plethora of social, economic
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and environmental problems. Mahalo nui loa to our Council
majority for seeing this so clearly.
I genuinely and wholeheartedly appreciate you.
With sincerest aloha,
Tiffany Edwards Hunt