HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0126.002 1996-1998 W
Ntv Of N,
OJ'~ w1
JOSEPH REYNOLDS 1d~i,;~; Hilo Tel: (808) 961-8266
Coimri6r«anBer r-. ~~x: (808) 969-3291
c.
f1 11 ~ I-1
_ CL=;
~'"F~F~%~ '97 JAN 31 t?PI 8 58
COUNTY COUNC(I, Cp
~
TY~ G,~~~HAWAO
County of Hawaii
Hawaii County Building
25Aupuni Street
Hiln, Hawaii 96720
DATE: January 31, 1997
TO: JAMES ARAKAKI, COUNCIL CHAIR
HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL
FROM: JOSEPH REYNOLDS, COUNCILMEMBER
HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL
RE: Communication from James Hinch regarding White Hat
Subdivision, dated January 26, 1997
Please number the attached communication from James Hinch dated
January 26, 1997, regarding his comments on the White Hat
Subdivision.
I am also requesting that this communication be placed on the
agenda of the next Council meeting.
Thank you.
:ls
v 5
f
. _s:. x?ate 3_,_,.,
77-6399 Nalani St., Suite 1-A Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 Kona Telephone: (808) 326-5684 Fax: (808) 326-5697
~EC,C~~ _ 82-5811 Napoopoo Road
Captain Cook, HI 96704
'37 JaN ?8 PPi to uary26, 1997
COUNi'r ~,^Lf
COUNTY OF H. ;WAIT
Mr. Joe Reynolds
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Mr. Reynolds:
I am writing to you about the article in today's West Hawaii Today headlined "Developer cries
poor over park, road projects". I am offended that the developer had the nerve to ask for these
concessions, and am absolutely outraged that the Council committee supports the request.
I appreciate and agree with Mr. Tyler's rationale for refusing to support this give-away, but it
seems to me that there is a much better reason for our representatives on the County Council to
reject it It is ethically, morally, and legally wrong!
Let's apply a little common sense to this issue by putting it in the larger context of Hawaii
Island's business and homeowner communities. Every business on this island continues to suffer
the effects of an economic decline. Many businesses are locked into contracts and agreements
signed during better economic times. The agreements and contracts may be killing these
businesses today, and they would jump at the opportunity to bail out of these contracts and
agreements if bailing were an option, but it is not. It is not an option because an agreement is an
agreement, a contract is a contract. Many, many homeowners and land owners on this island
bought their property at prices greater than what they are worth today. Unfortunately for them,
no one is willing to refund them the difference in price vs. present value, or to reduce the
mortgage note to reflect the economic downturn. Again this is because an agreement is an
agreement, a contract is a contract.
The situation for Hawaii Island businesses and homeowners is similar in one respect to White
Hat Development Corp.: A11 of them made commitments based on the best information
available at the time, and all of them thought at the time that they were making a good deal.
Businesses and homeowners part company with White Hat, however, when our elected officials
declare that a developer is a special case, and that protecting a developer's interests is more
important than protecting their constituents' interests. What the Council committee said cannot
be more ciear: "Everyone else can roll with the punches, but we'll make sure that developers
(Bishop Estate, for heaven's sake!) realize the same RO] they projected in their business case -
the taxpayers will make up the difference."
One Last thing, regarding Ms. Leithead-Todd's assertion that her involvement as an elected
official in this matter is not a conflict of interest I sincerely hope Chat her definition of conflict
of interest is not the official one, because if it is we have even bigger problems in Hawaii County
than [had feared. Let's apply a little common sense here as well. Would I be willing to die for
my family? Probably so. Would I be willing to die for wealth? Absolutely not. Given those
realities, would you say that I vz?ue my family more highly than I value wealth, and that my
emotional involvement with y :amily runs deeper than my emotional involvement with wealth:
The answer is, of course, obvious. The truth is that when it comes to conflicts of interest, wealth
is a piker compared to family ties.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to read in the near future that you led the
opposition on this one, and that you convinced your colleagues to do what is right.
Sincerely,
~nch