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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0426.002 1996-1998 Testimony to the Hawaii County Council On the Appointment of Mr. Malcolm Saxby to the Water Commission, Presented by Robert Ritter on behalf of the Haw i'i unto! Green Party, August 17,1997 ~ ® Aloha, . Robert Gottlieb wrote in his book, A Life of Its Own, The Politics and Power o~~a{e~`~~ "Control over water has ultimately become tantamount to controlling the destiny of the land and the people who settle on the land." Because water is so important, the Hawaii County Green Party believes the committee should be faithful to Article XIII, Section 13-3 of the Hawaii County Charter which states, "No appointing authority shall appoint any person to any office or position which is exempt from the civil service laws until satisfied by proper investigation that the person to be appointed is fully qualified by experience and abilities to perform the duties of that office." And, although the qualifications for this position are not spelled out in detail in the Charter, the spirit and the words of the of the Charter makes it clear that someone without experience or ability should not be appointed. The Hawaii County Green Party would like to see the Council ask these questions. Is Mr. Saxby experienced or educated in the history, management and politics of water? Does he have any experience dealing with water issues? Does he have a working understanding of hydrology, the properties and chemistry of water, the complexity of aquifers and the disaster potential inherent in abusing them? Would he recognize and does he realize the consequences of poor water policies? Will anyone unfairly profit from his appointment or his voting? Is he willing to excuse himself from voting if and when any conflict of interest arises? The answers to these questions that go to Mr. Saxby's experience and ability should be the deciding factors in his appointment, not partisan politics. Our county, our citizens, our land, and our environment cannot afford mistakes that wind up costing us dearly in the long run. Our county government cannot afford the perception, real or imagined that it is not adhering strictly to the County Charter. Mahalo, The Hawaii County Green Party Hawaii Countv Green Partv Resolution for Chanae to the Hawaii Countv Charter, Article VIII Department of Water Suoolv. Adopted June 1997 Whereas: The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply and the Hawaii County Water Commission have no accountability to the citizens of Hawaii County; and Whereas: There is no public involvement in any of the planning that the Department of Water Supply undertakes; and Whereas: There are many communities in Hawaii County that are not served at all by the Department of Water Supply; and ;u0. ~z ~ , oz n.. MaY Bef ~ Presented P G 1 9 1991 Whereas: The methodology for the determination water restriction status for any community is not consistent or explained to the general pubic; and Whereas: The Department of Water Supply has no fair and consistent, publicly approved methodology for prioritizing the County's water needs and the allocation of the Department of Water Supply's resources; and Whereas: The effects of various proposed County water projects on Native Hawaiian water rights is unknown; and Whereas: The Department of Water Supply has not adequately planned for future agricultural water needs in North Kohala; and Whereas: The current Hawaii County Water Use and Development Plan (February, 1992) identifies 97.2 million dollars worth of projects in Hawaii County in need of upgrades to meet basic water quality legal standards; and Whereas: The Department of Water Supply has provided no alternative plan for upgrading North Kohala's water system to minimum legal standards except to build a projected $80 million pipeline to export at least 20 million gallons of water per day from the district; and Whereas: The Department of Water Supply has no requirement in their planning process to provide water services utilizing aleast-cost approach; and Whereas: The Department of Water Supply plans to raise the County's water rates without justifying to the public what the revenues from these increased rates are to be utilized for. Be it resolved: That the Hawaii County Green Party supports a change in the Hawaii County Charter which includes the following: 1) The Department of Water Supply shall be required to do an integrated resource plan with full public participation for the entire County and review or update it every five years with full public participation in the planning process; and 2) The Water Commission members shall be elected by the voters of each of their respective Council Districts in non-partisan elections and the campaigns will be publicly financed; and 3) The Manager of Department of Water Supply shall not be required to be a registered engineer; and 4) The Department of Water Supply shall come under the general supervision and control of the County Council.