HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0183.058 2020-2022 Date: July 30, 2021 --
To: County Council Public Testimony via
From: Wancy[an-Smith
�
Regarding: Aug] Planning Committee meeting
Agenda item: Communication 183—Mayor's request for the removal ofMark Van Pernisfrom Leeward Planning
Commission
Aloha Chair Kierkievvicz and fellow Council Members,
Thank you for allowing me to address you on this disturbing issue which continues to affect the health of the Leeward
Planning Commission.
This has certainly escalated over the prior months, Never did I realize when I agreed to Chair the Commission for 2020,
that the following year would besuch achallenge. The Leeward Planning Commission didn't have rules and procedures
in place to deal with unruly Commissioners, perhaps because it is a scenario that wouldn't be allowed to exist.
Commissioner Van Pernis is flat out unruly, uncontrollable, untruthful and continues to show his disrespect for his fellow
Commissioners, the Community and the County.
Please, strongly consider the perspective of those who have testified and please understand that this has been very
difficult for the Commission and Commissioners, not to mention the others who have come out to speak on this matter.
None of us have had to go through something like this before, so there are no guidelines to follow here. Everyone has
done their best to be patient, be understanding, and yet be pono in doing what is right for the rest of the Commissioners
and the Community.
In April this Planning Committee gave the Commissioner a second chance, and he was to be re-trained in rules and
process/decorum. At the April Leeward Planning Commission meeting he acted out inappropriately at the end of the
meeting and had iobemuted after not following direction from the Chair.
In your May Planning Committee meeting, after more detailed information was provided to you, more of you began to
see that this is a legitimate problem.You saw that the testimony from the current Chair, and two past Chairs,fellow
Commissioners as well as applicants and consultants, was worthy of your consideration.You gave him a three-month
reprieve and he still acted up. Again, we had never done this before and we did our best to provide you what you
needed tounderstand where vvewere coming from.
In the May Leeward Planning Commission meeting as Chair Vitousek has shared, he had to provide him with a warning,
and then had to interrupt the meeting to give the Commissioner a time out if you will, which was the second step of the
process that the Chair had put in place. During the time out, they talked on the phone and the Chair shared that Mark
continued to be unruly and was told if he didn't stop, he would be removed,which vvoo|d have been the final step in the
process. Mind you, noother commissioners have ever had tobescolded,
At the June Leeward Planning Commission meeting he became disruptive and Corp Counsel had to shut him down.
At the July Leeward Planning Commission meeting, the Mayor's request to have Mark removed from the LPC was
agenclized so that the Commission could discuss the issue and essentially let you know how they feel. Since you
questioned why the Commission hadn't dealt with this on their own, they seemed to take it upon themselves to take a
pulse of the rest of the Commissioners in order to provide you with an overall view. |twas passed with 4votes tomake
a recommendation to you,to support the Mayor's request of removing Mark Van Pernis from LPC. Mork was a no vote
and new comer Shani Armbruster abstained from voting since she didn't have enough information to make an informed
vote.
I certainly hope that you all watched the LPC meetings during the three-month reprieve so that you can provide a fair
evaluation of the continued bad behavior, and no doubt that you watched the July LPC meeting which proved that
Commissioner Van Pernis continued to lie and make things up that weren't true.
This is the culmination of what has taken place. No County elected official, employee or volunteer should get away with
such behavior. This is no place for nastiness and disrespect. He hasn't even admitted that he has a behavioral problem,
therefore it will not change. You folks gave him a chance to improve and he hasn't.The countless ways he disgraced the
seat of the Commission isn't going to go away. No volunteer should have to put up with this kind of behavior, let alone
have to live in this disgrace for months on end with the negativity surrounding the meetings. No other Commissioners
are acting up. It doesn't have to do with the Commission as a whole,just this one individual.
Please find the strength to do the right thing and make the hard, but necessary decision to support the Mayor's request,
because it's the right thing to do.
i
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Nancy
Nancy Carr Smith
nancy@alohakohalarealty.com
I