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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0183.041 2020-2022 Aloha Council Chair David, Committee Chair Kierkiewicz, COUNTY CLERK Council Member: COUNTY OF HAWAIII Ti 1: f4p.�t. Coounications :183 Date—MAY 03 021 My name is Barbara DeFranco, and I am a commissioner on the Leeward Planning Commission. After last month's council meeting to discuss Commissioner Mark Van Pernis behavior I wanted to highlight certain observations. I support the council's commitment to due process and compassion. However, the council seemed to question why we as a commission did not act sooner. Let's go over the timeline. Mark's first meeting was February 2020 following the meeting Chair Keith Unger wrote a letter to several Councilmembers clearly outlining behavioral problems recommending his removal. That was Mr. Unger's last meeting as chair and a commissioner, he termed out. Nancy Carr Smith replaced him as Chair. Covid hit and there were no meetings in March, April, May, and in June the commission reconvened using WebEx. From that time forward Chair Carr Smith asked for guidance from Planning Department and in October sent a written COMM. NQ Ref. Toe ----- _. Ref. ate MAY 0 4 2021 reprimand to Commissioner Van Pernis. At the last council meeting she gave written and oral testimony detailing Commissioner Van Pernis disruptive behavior during meetings. Please note that after February's meeting corporation council had also spoken t Commissioner Van Pernis about his behavior. There was no meeting in July. August was WebEx. So, when I came on in September 2020, Commissioner Van Pernis had only been at 3 meetings. I immediately could see that his behavior was off. I did not speak up at first because as I was absorbing the dynamics of the Commission. Chair Carr Smith had to spend a great deal of time to keep him on track. Not only was it apparent that he was inappropriate toward presenters but also seemed hostel and disrespectful to the planning department staff and talked right over the chair while she tried to maintain order at the meeting. She eventually had to mute Commissioner Van Pernis several times. He took up a great deal of time with his rants. One can be polite and courteous and still ask hard/relevant questions. He has been consistently out of order for nearly all the meetings I have attended, including the last meeting in April 2021. We also skipped a meeting in January 2021. At the last council meeting the current chair of LPC, Mike Vitousek asked for help, the previous chair Nancy Carr Smith who is also a present commissioner, after giving oral testimony waited outside chambers to be called in to clarify certain facts and explain the actions that had been taken. The past past chair Keith Unger gave written and oral testimony citing opposition to the selection of Van Pernis from the get-go and objected to his behavior in February's 2020 meeting in writing. The planning department gave you detailed history of problematic behavior. I have recently been made aware that Commissioner Van Pernis had actually gone to training before our last meeting. I could not tell. The change I noticed was that it was decided to allow him to ask questions in writing so he would not be so frustrated. Frankly, I have no problem in understanding what commissioner Van Pernis says. My difficulty is in the way he behaves not the way he speaks. In the last meeting he interrogated the applicant, an elderly woman who was seeking a B&B permit as if he were in court litigating. His questions seemed inappropriate, hostile, and irrelevant. He acted the same way to the gentleman applying for the project to establish a school. He went as far as to insult all the commissioners with the claim that he is the only one who knows Kona or the roadways. He ended with demeaning comments to the last applicant who had applied for a wedding venue. I want you to know that I am the executive director of a Peace Center. our mission is to promote harmony within Individual and communities. Having compassion includes standing up and saying something. "If you see something say something". Asking Commissioner Van Pernis to step down is an act of compassion for him, for the commission and for our community. There is no motivation with me or the other commissioners except to have a commission which behaves respectfully to each other, to the planning Department and to those who come before us. There is no personal gain, no political gain in fact it is a sad predicament we find ourselves in. Mark as the wonderful person he may be and who has championed many positive causes over the years for Kona is ill suited to be on the Leeward Planning Commission and It is my opinion that he should respectfully resign.