HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0563.019 2020-2022 # {
From: Janice Glennie
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Sent: Monday, January 17, 2022 12:50 PM }� . 26
To: Council Testimony,Villegas, Rebecca fv `'
Subject: Shane Vincent leeward planning nominee
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Aloha council members, j
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I don't know Shane Vincent personally, and, as with all members of the public who offer to volunteer for important
county positions, I thank him for this willingness to do so. I know he's been involved in a conservation organization
in the past and that he's been involved in the construction industry as his financial mainstay. My points for opposing E
his appointment at this time are not personal and are the following:
• Mayor Roth continues to put forth nominees who DO NOT represent a truly diverse slice of our
communities' voices despite continuous outcry from the public and their representatives that he do so. It
would be much more Akamai for him to find a less controversial nominee for this powerful West
Hawaii position so that the nominee doesn't have to go through the challenges associated with being the
potentially right person at the definitely wrong time.
• Mr Vincent chose not to attend his committee hearing which was one of only two opportunites for the
public-and their elected representatives to get to know him better. Until today, no one has had a chance
to speak with Mr Vincent or have him answer questions about his interests, experience, land use
planning philosophy and activities, or his potential conflicts. For this reason alone I feel that his
nomination should be deferred to provide more opportunity for the public and their reps to evaluate the
nominee.
Our island's planning commissions are a powerhouse of decision-making—for better or worse. Comissioners'
decisions can positively steer our island canoe or indelibly take us to places we should never go or keep us in vortex
of bad planning from which we desparately need to escape. The original planning commission was split into two parts
years ago and for good reason i.e..,to provide opportunity for more region-centric, grassroots land use planning so
that it would better reflect the needs and interests of the residents of those distinctly different sides of the island. It's
telling that, even though Mr Vincent did not attend his committee hearing and was unavailable to make his
background and interests better known to the council and the public, that the council's east side reps (with the reliable
vote of Mr Richards} could be the ones to decide who should be MY Leeward Planning Commissioner. The fact that
three West Side reps made an obvious statement in opposition to this nominee (with Mr. Kanealii-Kleinfelder who, in
the spirit of democracy as an east side rep, deferred to them) says a lot about what the East side council people think
of home rule and regional planning (e.g., not much).
I ask that all council members join in nixing this nomination while insisting that the mayor put forth a new nominee
whose resume shouts—not whispers -- "Not a developer!" If you can't agree to that, I ask that you at least defer the
decision of whether or not to appoint Mr Vincent until there's at least one more chance to evaluate the
appropriateness of his appointment.
Mahalo and sincerely,
Janice.Palma-Glennie.
Kailua-Kona,Hawni'i X6745 Comm. No.
Ref. To:
Ref. Date—JAN 1 .9 m7
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