Looking at wastewater through rose-colored lenses
Hawaii County’s battle against transparency continues. The Department of Environmental Management streamlined its March director’s Report. This new format has less information. Now a person cannot track the rate of progress on certain projects. We cannot see how many job positions are still open. This new format is less transparent than the original.
At the Environmental Management Commission meeting the new director told the Commissioners how far behind Hawaii Island is with repairs on our wastewater facilities. Now everybody must wait for him to speak at the meeting instead of seeing the data in his director’s report. It comes out a few days before the meeting.
Since there is no record anymore in print, the lack of progress is untrackable. Now we are looking at wastewater through rose-colored lenses.
Jerry Warren
Na‘alehu
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Transparency?
The case of the officer arresting a student just because of the dispute between his son and that student has no transparency. Even though the City and County of Honolulu is involved, and a settlement of monies was made, the city refuses to allow what punishment, or part carried by taxpayers was agreed on. This is one of the reasons distrust is still a wedge between the city, police and the public. We can do better.
David Macdonald
Captain Cook
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