There are new projects coming through the pipeline. There is a long history to this location.

Looooong Story very short. Here’s my take on this current situation:

Developers are going to do what they’re going to do. It’s corporate behavior. Developers will implement every tool in their tool chest to achieve their agenda.

What we the public expect of our governmental leaders and bureaucrats is to protect the public good and public interest. We want the Mayor, DPP Director, City Council, City Council District Representative, the State Transportation Department, and those employed by taxpayers to be akamai and to leverage for us the residents and taxpayers who will live and pay for the impacts.

To me, at issue is how the City and County of Honolulu is going to mitigate the 1986 Unilateral Agreement from then KDC – Kuilima Development Corporation. Here is the attached Unilateral Agreement with good explanations.

How are the Mayor and the City Council going to ensure that these community benefits and agreements to infrastructure and impacts on this region going to be met?

Too often, we have out-of-state interests come, exploit, and destroy our island home to their benefit. Then, they go back to where they come from with their profits. They leave behind the liabilities and impacts that the local residents have to carry. They increase gentrification. They use the right buzz words like “affordable housing”, “jobs”, “conservation practices” and so on.

It’s not lost on us the Utah-based Arete Collections has been very resolute in laying the foundation for their agenda, preparing its projects and trying to get favors. It’s their right to do.

It’s not lost on us that the current Chair of the Ko’olauloa Board, Pane Meatoga III, is also the Chair of the Honolulu Planning Commission ( nominated by Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Laie Community Association Board member, representative of IUOE Local Union #3 know as OPERATING ENGINEERS UNION.

Also, Pane Meatoga III, as part of his employment, testifies often at the State Capitol and City Council on his employer’s behalf. We are all entitled to Free Agency; we all choose the paths we wish to take.

All we’re asking is that there is fairness and no conflicts of interests. We expect our elected representatives to all governmental positions to advocate on our behalf for the public good and public interest.