Kudos to Councilperson-elect Sue Lee Loy, for standing up for her constituents before even taking office. She demonstrates committed representation for those opposed to the county’s proposal to build a composting facility in District 3. Regardless of the environmental merits
Kudos to Councilperson-elect Sue Lee Loy, for standing up for her constituents before even taking office. She demonstrates committed representation for those opposed to the county’s proposal to build a composting facility in District 3. Regardless of the environmental merits of such a facility, Lee Loy understands that there must always be meaningful community participation if the process is to stay pono.
Lee Loy’s caring style is in diametric opposition to the way District 1 Councilperson Valerie Poindexter treats her constituents. As a result, the county has treated the two different districts with a shocking double standard.
For example, Lee Loy’s constituents raised the fact that the county never contacted them for input on the proposed composting project. Because Lee Loy sticks up for her people, the county respected their concerns and granted them an extension for the comment period for the Environmental Assessment.
Meanwhile, last December, the Kukuihaele residents had also requested an extension to the comment period for the controversial Kukuihaele Park project. Like Lee Loy’s constituents, Kukuihaele folks had not been notified about the park project, and needed more time for community discussion.
Kukuihaele residents requested the extension from not only Poindexter, they also wrote to the mayor, to every member of the County Council, to the director of Parks and Rec, to all relevant attorneys with corporation council – even to Gov. Ige, Rep. Nakashima, Rep. Gabbard, and Sens. Schatz and Hirono. Not one of them responded. Except for James Komata of Parks and Recreation. Mr. Komata, now deputy director of the department, stonewalled them, by saying that it was not legally possible to grant such an extension, unless by application to the Hawaii State Legislature!
What’s up with the double standard? Why was it legal to grant an extension for District 3 constituents, but not for District 1? If Poindexter had stuck up for her people as Lee Loy does, there never would have been the double standard.
To add insult to injury, the county then set the opening date for contractors to bid for the Kukuihaele job even before the comment period had ended! Clearly, someone was in a rush to make $5 million by encasing Kukuihaele Park with concrete, even if most residents preferred to “keep country, country.”
It is due to dirty tricks like these that forced the Kukuihaele Neighborhood Association to file a lawsuit, which is pending, even as the concrete slabs go in.
I never realized the tremendous importance of a decent councilperson until now. Seeing the huge difference in the courtesies granted to Lee Loy’s constituents compared to those denied to Poindexter’s has been a big wake-up call. If Madame Poindexter, in her new role as council chair, runs the council like she runs her district, God help us all. I pray she turns a new leaf under the new administration.
Koohan Paik is a resident of Kukuihaele
