HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP PC 046 2022/02/22 (2020-2022) REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON PLANNING
DATE: February 22, 2022 Re: Comm. No. 617
PLACE: Council Chambers
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
TIME: 3:00 p.m.
Council Chair and Members
Hawaii County Council
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Your Committee on Planning, to which was referred Communication No. 617, reports as
follows:
Communication No. 617, submitted by Mayor Mitchell D. Roth, dated February 1, 2022,
submitted for the Council's review and confirmation the nomination of Lauren Balog to the
Windward Planning Commission.
Executive Assistant to the Mayor, Pomaika`i Bartolome, was present in the Hilo Chambers to
introduce Ms. Balog, who appeared via Zoom. Ms. Balog is a lifelong resident of Hawaii Island
and a graduate of St. Joseph High School. She currently attends the University of Hawaii at Hilo
College of Agriculture and is employed with Edwin De Luz Trucking and Gravel LLC where she
oversees the dispatch department and assists with prescreening candidates for employment. She
has volunteered and contributed numerous hours of community service through youth programs
and food distributions. If confirmed, she will serve a term ending December 31, 2026.
Committee Member Tim Richards disclosed that he has known Ms. Balog and her family for a
long time. He voiced his support for Ms. Balog noting that she is very thoughtful.
Committee Member Sue Lee Loy thanked Ms. Balog for stepping up and noted that her work in
her family business gives her an industry mindset and a deep level of understanding of the issues
that come before the Windward Planning Commission.
Committee Member Heather Kimball asked Ms. Balog if she had read the Hamakua Community
Development Plan and stressed that she would not like to see further subdivisions and one-way
roads and bridges. Ms. Balog noted that she had gone over the Hamakua CDP and agreed with
Committee Member Kimball's sentiments.
Committee Members Holeka Inaba and Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder asked Ms. Balog what
motivated her to volunteer for the WPC and how she plans to represent communities as a whole.
Ms. Balog responded that she has always found land use planning important and has seen how it
impacted her communities, which inspired her to want to get involved.
PC Report No.: 46
a
PC-46 Page 2 February 22,2022
I
Committee Chair Ashley Kierkiewicz voiced her support for Ms. Balog noting that she is very
thoughtful and deliberate in her decision-making, and as a born and raised local resident would
bring important mana`o to conversations that will shape communities.
The vote was then taken on the motion to move this measure to Council with a favorable
4
recommendation and passed with nine "ayes."
i
Your Committee on Planning is in accord with the purpose and intent of Communication
No. 617, and recommends confirmation of the appointment of Ms. Lauren Balog to the Hawaii
County Windward Planning Commission.
jS
AYES NOES ABS EX Respectfully submitted,
CHUNG X
DAVID x COMMITTEE ON PLANNING
INABA x
KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER x
LEE LOY x
KIMBALL X nttqz"
RICHARDS x ASHLEY L. KIERKIEWICZ, CHAIR
VILLEGAS x PC REPORT NO.: 46
KIERKIEwICZ x ADOPTED: MAR 0 9 2022