Boards, commissions play important roles
Boards, commissions play important roles
This is a response to the letters from Richard Dinges (Jan. 26) and Neal Herbert (Jan. 23).
We are proud of and thankful for all the work our county board members and commissioners do for our Hawaii Island community. More than 400 Hawaii Island residents have answered the call to serve on boards and commissions since Mayor Billy Kenoi took office in 2008.
Each volunteer board member or commissioner selflessly shares a wealth of knowledge and experience.
We owe a debt of gratitude to all our citizens who serve, including Mr. Herbert, who recently completed a term on our Transportation Commission, and Mr. Dinges, who presently serves on our Real Property Tax Board of Review and is in the process of being appointed to the mayor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.
All of our boards and commissions play important roles in county government.
The Agriculture and Energy Advisory commissions provide guidance on our county’s efforts to keep our farms and ranches producing food for our community and reducing our dependence on imported fuels, respectively.
Their valuable input has assisted in our efforts to power the water needs of the Kohala Coast with wind power, and with the operations of the 1,739-acre Kapulena Agricultural Park, the largest such park in the state.
Members of the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission have done a tremendous job assisting this administration’s efforts to protect wahi pana, or special places, on our island. We have added 1,286 acres to the county’s land protected as open space islandwide. The Cultural Resources Commission provides further direction on preservation and perpetuation of historic and cultural resources on those lands.
Bodies with regulatory and oversight responsibilities such as the Liquor Commission, Police Commission and Water Board are all meeting regularly. We appointed the first commissioners to the independent Leeward and Windward planning commissions, allowing planning decisions specific to each side of the island to be made by people who live in those respective areas. Their decisions are informed by regional Community Development Plans, compiled by steering committees and sheperded by action committees.
These are just a few examples of the great work of more than 30 active county boards and commissions.
The Mayor’s Office regularly receives recommendations for appointments from our council members and the community. We welcome applications from community-minded people with experience and knowledge applicable to a particular board and commission, and a willingness to work collaboratively with fellow board or commission members as well as the public.
Pick up an application at the Mayor’s Office in Hilo or Kona, or at hawaiicounty.gov/boards-and-commissions. We look forward to hearing from you.
Charmaine Shigemura
Executive assistant to Mayor Billy Kenoi