Check out recent WCA meeting video I posted on YouTube.

Margaret Wille channel WCA meeting January 12 2012 Councilman Pete Hoffmann, Senator Malama Solomon & Representative  Cindy Evans ...

Also of interest: previous video posted on my blogsite:

Nov 30 Presentation by Military for Basing of MV-22 & H-1 Aircraft-including use of Upolu & Waimea Airports: photos/video/clips

Audio best if you use earphones

Thanks to the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce for hosting the Hawaii Economic Summit 2012 .  I agree with those who suggested that a better educated workforce  should be the Big Island’s highest priority emphasis to improve the island economy.  Developer Steve Dunnington disagreed saying education is a long term goal but questioned whether education is the right focus for job creation.  Another suggestion was more tax incentives, however most tax incentives, as designed and as implemented,  have proven to be generally ineffective and most of the value goes out of state.   

We need more of these brainstorming forums – followed by Action Plans and Accountability Plans.

See West Hawaii Today 1-14-12 front page article: “Isle economic summit”        HERE

A number of months ago, Councilman Pete Hoffmann called  and asked me to stop to discuss some proposed ordinance he was drafting.  As the conversation about the ordinance was coming to a close, Pete turned to me and said -- I think you should run for my seat on the County Council next year  (he is now termed out).  Before that  I had not given considered running for this legislative office. I told him I would give him my answer by the end of the month. And my answer was yes.   Thereafter, the more I thought about being part of the council and working in the area of legislation and policy, the more excited I became.

County Council District 9 as now configured-- which basically includes North and South Kohala --- is a place of extraordinary potential with extraordinary people.  We are a place of great resourcefulness among ourselves.  

Here is what I have drafted so far about my candidacy:.

                     HELP ELECT MARGARET WILLE

   District 9 County Council: Seeking office for the benefit of our communities: Hawi, Kapaau, Kawaihae, Mauna Kea and Mauna Lani, Puako, Waikoloa, Waimea, and Waikii

 

Employment:  attorney practicing land use law in Waimea (previous employment included part-time teaching at Parker School, consultant for a state department of agriculture, and administrator of a state-wide volunteer program for the American Bar Association to assist institutionalized adult and youth offenders reentering society)

 

 Educational background:  J.D. Law; Masters Education; B.A. Anthropology

 

                        Core values: pono – balance and rightness; ‘ike loa – wisdom and knowledge                                                                           aloha ‘āina – love of the land;  and  ho‘omau – perseverance

 

         Focus as a councilperson will be:

Availability of good jobs and educational opportunities for District 9 residents; need-based and entrepreneurial solutions to crime and social problems; agricultural sufficiency and resiliency; implementation of a 511 traffic alert system; completion of the Kawaihae to Waimea bypass; opportunities for recreation and health; restoration of Pelekane Bay; low cost renewable energy; promote the wisdom and glory of the Hawaiian people and culture.

 

   Vision: Community First!  Let me help you make a difference.

 

         Efforts and Accomplishments as an active member of our community:

§  Margaret’s proposed redistricting plan (Plan 40) was selected as the final base Plan for the Hawaii County Council Districts. [Margaret drafted this Plan 40 in consultation with community members around the County to challenge the Commission’s previously preferred Plan that was lop-sided in favor of Hilo.]

 

§  Margaret submitted various amendments to the County Charter Commission, which as adopted by the Charter Commission, were approved by the voters in 2008. [The amendments she submitted included the original draft of the voter approved “public trust” Charter amendment.  The objective of the “public trust” Charter provision is to protect and preserve Hawaiian cultural sites and practices and environmental natural resources. The Charter Commission also adopted suggestions she made to provide internet notification about government meetings.]

 

§  In a pro bono legal action, Margaret successfully represented Waimea community members to force the County of Hawaii to require Parker Ranch to carry out its obligation to construct the Parker Ranch Connector Road as had been promised in the 1990s. As the result of these legal actions, the Parker Ranch Connector Road (2 phases) was completed in 2008.

 

§  In another pro bono legal action, while co-chair of the Waimea Planning and Design Committee, Margaret in collaboration with Parker School reached a settlement with the County and Parker School in the context of the school’s planned expansion. The additional permit conditions, as now being implemented, provide for increased pedestrian safety, and mitigation of traffic congestion in Waimea in the area of Lindsey and Kapiolani Roads.

   

 

§  As a member of the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee, Margaret recently suggested the construction of a regional transit hub on Lindsey Road extension adjacent to the Waimea Post Office to provide for a multi-modal transit hub and information facility.  With the support of Councilman Pete Hoffmann, in December 2011, the County Council unanimously voted in favor of placing this project on the County’s Capital Improvement Project List.

 

§  While participating in a meeting concerning traffic safety at the Waimea public schools, Margaret proposed the original idea of an intra-Waimea shuttle bus service from Lakeland to Kamuela View Estates, which with the help of Parker School representatives, the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee, and Councilmember Pete Hoffmann, this bus service is now a part of our island-wide hele-on service.

 

§  As part of the Parker Ranch Connector Road settlement, with the help of the Trails and Greenways Committee and members of the Kenoi administration, Margaret negotiated for additional easement land to be given by Parker Ranch to the County at no cost for the Waimea Trails and Greenways project --so that the trail would not be fenced up against residential lots.

 

§  While a Director on the Waimea Community Association Board of Directors,  with the help of innumerable participants  from federal, state and county agencies as well as many non-government entities and individuals, Margaret facilitated a community meeting on Emergency Preparedness and Resiliency.

 

§  As co-chair of the Conservation Subcommittee of the Community Development Plan Committee, Margaret, along with Bob Hunter and other Waimea residents, successfully lead the effort to remove the one-acre zoning across the face of Waimea’s Hōkū‘ula pu‘u.

 

§  While participating in a community meeting addressing issues relating to the proposed County agricultural plan, Margaret organized the participants in an effort to draft and lobby in support of county legislation to address the frightening problem of the little red ant invasive species spreading across the island. With the help of Councilman Pete Hoffmann, the resulting County Council resolution passed 9-0.

 

§  As a member of the South Kohala Community Development Plan Steering Committee, Margaret drafted many provisions that are now part of that Plan enacted into law in 2008, such as on issues relating to increasing higher education opportunities in South Kohala and increasing the authority of the SKCDP action committee.

 

§  Over the past decade Margaret has testified many times at County and State legislative and board hearings on issues affecting the welfare of our communities and has often informed affected community constituencies about important issues so that others could participate and make an impact on the government decision-making process.

 

               MARGARET WILLE NEEDS YOUR HELP

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR JUST TO SAY YOU SUPPORT HER CANDIDACY, CONTACT MARGARET:    margaretwille@mac.com;  887-1419; Friends to Elect Margaret Wille  P.O. Box 528 Kamuela Hi 96743

                                                         and visit her blog site: margaretwille.com

 

 

The most interesting State legislative hearing I ever attended was when the Lingle Administration made its presentation to the Senate Ways and Means Committee - Spring 2009.

On behalf of Governor Lingle, her Finance Director Georgina Kawamura recommended the Legislature agree with Lingle's plan to squeeze $278 million out of government workers and also cut service programs as the means to address the anticipated budget shortfall.   In response one of the Senators (I think it was Senator Chun)  asked Kawamura what revenue measures she was suggesting in addition to these "belt-tightening" proposals.  The response was that her cost savings measures  dealing with the  state and county government employee unions (with which at that time she was refusing to communicate), was her revenue initiative.  She was then asked whether she was endangering receiving federal funds including federal education  funds.   The response was, in effect,  that Lingle  could deal with the federal bureaucrats (Like how she could strong arm the unions, I suppose). I was shocked by this response.  In my view, her attitude foretold] a perilous decline in our economy, abdication of the requirement of good faith bargaining with union employees, and possible ineligibility for federal educational funds. It was clear to me then (as I blogged at the time), that Lingle's priority agenda was solely to gut the unions even at the expense of long term harm to the welfare of the state and that she saw the economic downswing as a great opportunity to pit public sentiment against our public servants, casting them as a greedy special interest group. (And if I recall correctly, in the fall of 2008 Lingle  was not even here in Hawaii much of the time, but was instead off on the mainland stumping for Republican candidates -- such as for Norm Coleman of Minnesota.) In a March 5, 2010 West Hawaii Today associated press article Governor Linda said she was not surprised Hawaii had then failed to  qualify for federal "Race to the Top" grant funds (and given her attitude, her lack of surprise was understandable). 

Anyway more recently  Hawaii  did finally qualify as one of 11 states to receive "Race to the Top" federal education grant funds. Yet we are now the one state that is on the "at risk"  of losing the remainder of the grant (71 of the 75 million awarded).  Read "Education Department Takes Action Against Hawaii For Race to the Top Stumbles" HERE  (which article includes a link to the letter sent to Governor Abercrombie advising the state that it is on probation at risk of losing all of the remaining federal funds. )

Clearly a large part of the reason for the current situation is the wake of Linda Lingle's gutting of the State economy, leaving Abercrombie to deals with the battered unions.  Thank you Linda Lingle .... Thank you very much.... and amazing you believe you deserve to become a senator of this State.

NOW the appointed Board of Education was supposed to make a difference....  Yet I worry about that ... the Board can't even manage to tell Mayor Kenoi to enforce the School Impact Fee law....Enforcement of that law is a litmus test.... Let's watch and see if the Board considers education a priority and forces Kenoi to implement this state law (Or just watch if Kenoi seeks to have this law gutted in the next legislative session.  Wanna bet?)

HERE ARE EXCEPTS FROM  MY BLOG POSTINGS ON THE LIKELIHOOD THAT LINGLE'S "ANTI GOVERNMENT WORKERS" POLICY WOULD CAUSE HAVOC IN THE FUTURE SUCH AS POSSIBLE LOSS OF EDUCATION FUNDS  (As I say in the following blog "She will be long gone . . .   while the wake of her anti-union sentiment continues to take its toll here.")   

FROM M Wille blog of MARCH OF 2010:: Tired of Hearing Anti-Union Chatter From Our Divisive Governor Lingle Whose Anti-Middle Class Attitude Is Harming Our Economy: 

 

There are problems with the unions in Hawaii – such as excessive banking of vacation and sick days paid off in a big lump sum at retirement, lack of flexibility in job definitions, “bumping” of better qualified folks to accommodate less qualified employees, and so it appears the HSTA has a fear of Charter schools, and therefore unfortunately has opposed new Charter Schools. But by gosh none of those issues lead to the insidious failure of our state education system masterminded by Governor Lingle.  To be sure Governor Lingle has not rallied to address the above union issues.  No instead her narrow focus has been on how to cut out government workers, including teaching days, the “furlough or fire” government employees approach. Simply put, Governor Lingle has been willing to sacrifice the future of our state and its most precious resource -- its children and their education to pursue her anti-union agenda.  She will be long gone – looking for some classy position in some Republican administration far from Hawaii – while the wake of her anti-union sentiment continues to take its toll here.

 It was not the state government unions that blocked early and constructive discussions about union contract concessions. This was solely at the insistence of the Governor. She directed the State and County executive negotiators to delay all negotiations.  Clearly she wanted to hold the contract negotiations until the 11^th hour of the legislative session so the unions would be up against a wall—so union employees would cave in to a virtual annihilation of previously negotiated union wages and workdays, or alternatively, be held up to ridicule in front of the media. For example, she dangled in front of the Counties' Mayors her professed support for County retention of the current TAT (Transient Accommodation Tax) revenues BUT only if they would support her “furlough or fire” approach to union negotiations. Fortunately all of the Mayors bucked her overtures, and by standing united against her anti-union chatter – they were able to retain the TAT revenues and retain the good will “together we can” spirit among county workers. (Given this difference in attitude, no surprise that this year the Counties fared far better financially than the State.)  

 Standing back from the chessboard and taking a look at the bigger picture, what appears is a politician who wants to take a populist anti-union stand (against workers who make more than other workers) even though the harm will be to the residents including its school children.  Certainly you have not seen Governor Lingle taking a position that would impose a substantial burden on the elite special interests that have supported her and who she will want support from in what ever political arena she chooses to enter upon leaving office as Governor. For  example, why hasn’t she proposed a state inheritance tax on the high end of multi-million dollar estates?  Consider that doing so would have upset her friends in the Campbell family when its 800 million dollar estate was settled here a few years ago --- and there was no state inheritance tax in place then or now.  (You don’ t even want to think about all the revenue we are foregoing  because we do not have a State estate tax in place for high end estates.) 

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FROM M. WILLE BLOG OF  JULY 10, 2010:

Throughout this year’s state budget debates, Governor Lingle has focused solely on cutting labor costs: the “furlough or fire them” paradigm. Not an iota of her effort has been put into how we can together raise more revenue to promote economic activity so as to minimize the need to cut valuable programs or reduce work hours. Based on her actions, clearly gutting the employee unions was for her the silver lining of this recession/depression. 

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FROM M. WILLE BLOG OF  MARCH 6, 2010:

It’s time to stop getting angry at Governor Lingle. Her lack of leadership and her attempt to castigate others recklessly continues unabated. This is the sad story of a desperate politician– steering the economy downward and tossing out valuable programs and ideas as we descend.

To date, Lingle’s only revenue initiatives have been to reduce government services (through furloughs) and now to grab the Counties’ revenue sources (the Transient Accommodation Tax).  Dear Lady Lingle those are not new revenue sources. Basically her plan is cannibalism...eat away at oneself.... (or doesn’t see see state services and the Counties are as part of the Hawaii “us”?). No, instead she is busy chastising the legislature for considering income producing initiatives. SEE 3/26 West Hawaii Today "Governor Lashes Out at Lawmakers" HERE . Proposing the budget is her responsibility as Governor and yet she has not offered one outside revenue alternative....neither last year nor this year. Lingle will depart in nine months and we as a state will be left with empty coffers and eroding federal funding because her administration has repeatedly put federal funding in jeopardy.  

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From: Futurecast: How Superpowers, populations, and Globalization Will Change Your World by 2020” by Robert J. Shapiro. Copyright 2008.

“Developing nations that remain largely closed and don’t invest seriously in their infrastructure and education . . . will slip further behind.” (at page 316). Well what comes to mind is the Lingle administration’s poverty of ideas to address the economic challenges in this state. The Lingle administration's answer was just what Obama warned against – cutting workers/services and cutting valuable programs – like education. Sounds like Hawaii should be put in the “developing nations” category, not the “advanced nations category”. 

Public comment period for the proposed expansion of military training operations in Hawaii ends December 27th --email to Alan Crouch Public Affairs Officer Marine Corps Base Hawaii at alan.crouch@usmc.mil   So if you want to make a comment -- do so quickly.

On November 10, 2011, the Department of the Navy began the 45 day period for comments on the Environmental Assessment for Massive Increase in Military Training Operations in Hawaii including on the Big Island  for the routine use of 24 MV-22 Osprey Helicopters and 15 AH-1 Cobra  and 12 UH-1 Huey attack helicopters. The Big Island military training excercises will be located  not only at the Pohakuloa Training Area, but also at the Upolu community airport in Hawi, and also with the option for use at the Waimea Community airport. 

 At the December 1st community presentation, North Kohala residents expressed their dismay forcefully --explaining that they have no problem for emergency use of the Upolu airport in Hawi -- but made clear there is no way that the community is going to agree to regular routine use of this airport for these military exercises.  They explained -- with eloquence and with conviction - that regular use of their community for these military exercises -- regardless of whether staged in the day or at night would be antithetical to preserving the quality of life in North Kohala. They also explained that a primary breeding ground for whales is adjacent to the shoreline where the Upolu airport is located.    SEE VIDEO HERE at previous BLOG about this proposed military action  --- it is well worth watching.   There are also clips of conversations that took place before the main presentation and question and answer period -- the sound is not so good -- due to all the background noise - but also interestingHERE

I made the same points with regard to the Waimea community airport:  that no one wants our servicemen to be untrained when they are engaged in military operations, but there is no justification for expanding regular (non-emergency) military operations beyond Pohakuloa, into North and South Kohala communities. Upon inquiry I was told that Waimea airport may be used, possibly only for night training. I explained that the noise and lights from such operations in Waimea would have a significant impact on the quality of life in our town. I also pointed out  that although Waimea airport is a designated airport on the Marines' poster sheet presentations, BUT, is not mentioned anywhere in the EIS.

I also mentioned that just a couple months ago, there was a separate presentation for a major upgrade of the facilities at Pohakuloa which the community was told would not involve any increase in personnel. At that previous EIS presentation, the community asked whether this really had to do with an expected increase in personnel..... and would we soon be presented with such of proposal.

. Regarding live fire operations at Pohakuloa, I inquired about the designated nene protection zone, and asked if that protection zone was not observed, what recourse would we as citizens have to challenge those military actions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION READ THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR IN WEST HAWAII TODAY (12/24) HERE

Perhaps the marines should do a presenation before the North and South Kohala Community Development Action Plan Committees to discuss consistency with our regional planning objectives, and how to mitigate forseeable negative impacts on our local communities.

We are in a crisis ....not just moving towards a crisis.   Think about it --- when 20% of our island population is without adequate food, there is a crisis.  Certainly all who can need to contribute food or funds to address this crisis through one or another of the food banks. 

And yes good that the County Council just passed a resolution encouraging the Kenoi Administration to give $500, 000 to the Food Basket to help sustain the current level of food distribution over the next several months. [This was Council Resolution `192-12 Communication 499, which passed Council vote on December 21, 2011. The Resolution is now passed on to the Mayor. Since it is a "Resolution" urging action by the Executive Branch (not a "Bill") it supports executive action but does not legally require compliance by the Mayor. 

BUT  we must also stop and ask how do we decrease the number of unemployed and those without food, so they have the ability to purchase food on their own. Certainly for starters, we need a "work available for all" program that coordinates with non-profits that are now distributing food. Likewise we need  an island-wide vocational educational program so that these folks are not just getting by on temporary or makeshift employment, but are able to find  long-term gainful employment.     In other words, short term solutions are just that, short term. Gotta think long-term solutions as well.  How about at night and on weekends  turning our public schools and or other public buildings, into vocational and mentoring centers -- in combination with one-stop resource centers-- like the pilot program now underway in Honoka'a.

Are you willing to be a mentor about something you know how to do, that would be helpful to someone looking for employment?

Other ideas?

The "Onish curve" incident  was very unfortunate .....   casting a negative perception on the County of Hawaii's Redistricting Commission's work.   Commissioner Poindexter said she felt slapped in the face........ We the public felt the same way.  (By whom Poindexter felt slapped by I am not sure -- West Hawaii Today, or ?)  This was certainly a sad ending to a proceeding that was otherwise concluding with good will and compromise around the island in an effort to create a map that was as fair as possible.

The scenario that unfolded was a kangaroo court of sorts.... However to be clear, it certainly appeared as if most of the Redistricting Commissioners did not understand what had taken place.... at least those Commissioners who were not from Hilo.  But clearly Commissioner Middlesworth was not up front with his fellow Commissioners. That point is indisputable.   Both he and Councilman Onishi should have been called before the Commission to answer the obvious questions of all the circumstantial evidence concerning  the last minute redistricting map being drawn so that the Hilo incumbents would not have to face each other.   And certainly the Redistricting Commission should have had an independent attorney other than one in the Office of Corporation Counsel under Lincoln Ashida -- who is a major player in Mayor Kenoi's political cabinet. Instead all of the other Commissioners each offered various reasons why nothing wrong had happened or they discussed some other unrelated aspect of the Plan, but none of their statements discussed what really was going on  --- that Middlesworth switched 29 census blocks from one district to another, moving some 3758 voters --- so as to move incumbent Councilman Onishi into a different District from incumbent Councilman J Yoshimoto.  According to today's West Hawaii Today article "Commission signs off on map" (12/23) Councilman Middlesworth finally admitted to what he had done, now with a completely different explanation for the change, from his previous innocuous explanation of why he "shifted the 2 and 3 boundary a little bit".   You really have to study the different versions of the maps to understand what a major manipulation of the Plan was undertaken to achieve this. I felt badly for the other Commissioners who were not party to these shenanigans, and had to blindly defend the Commission without any understanding of the change that had been accomplished by a slight of hand.  Now you gotta hand it to them, really, the GOBs (the Good Ol' Boys) are good at what they do.

LInk to the West Hawaii Article 12/23 "COMMISSION SIGNS OFF ON MAP"  HERE.