Vaccination
scramble
It is so disturbing to see our so-called president contort in rage and denial on television every day. All the well-funded efforts by the GOP Giuliani/Trump machine have failed so far in canceling the results of our recent election. So sad to see a nervous collapse in progress. But here is a new tactic they have not yet tried.
They must request the U.S. Supreme Court to decree that only native-born U.S. citizens who can prove that they voted for Trump can get vaccinated against COVID-19, and the justices can also allow for voters in error to retrieve their ballots and change their vote. It will be required to present a birth certificate and a certified ballot which shows a vote for Trump.
This might result in a great surge of Biden voters who will change their original vote in order to get vaccinated, and — voila — Trump will be saved!
Far-fetched, you say? Maybe not, as there may be enough gutless voters around as shown by the rather small margin by which Joe Biden won the election in the first place. I had expected a much larger blue landslide.
Adrienne S. Dey
Hilo
Kern a bad choice
Although Zendo Kern deserves credit for his successful business and his contributions to the community as a volunteer, he does not appear to be the right choice for planning director.
He does not have experience in a government planning position, as required by our county charter. He would also be hampered in fulfilling director duties by the need to recuse himself from making decisions on a number of projects that he assisted through his business. In addition, he donated $2,700 to Mitch Roth’s campaign. This may pass muster with the Ethics Board, but casts a cloud over his appointment.
Mr. Kern has worked on projects that would negatively impact the community. One is Royal Kona Village, which recently sparked community concerns about traffic, school capacity, water needs and archaeological sites.
Another is the Hickey request for an after-the-fact permit to host weddings on agricultural land, in September 2020. The Planning Department did not support the proposal because of concerns about noise and light pollution; safety with visitor, staff, and truck traffic; inappropriate use of agricultural land; and nonconformance with the General Plan and Kona Community Development Plan.
Another dubious project is Fairview in Kona, which proposed a 40-room lodge on agricultural land in August 2020. A dozen testifiers opposed the project. The Planning Department did not support the proposal because of concerns about noise; safety with visitor, staff and truck traffic; invasive species; lack of water and wastewater infrastructure; and inappropriate use of agricultural land.
I urge Mayor Roth and the County Council to consider other names for planning director.
Martha “Cory” Harden
Hilo
