Oh, my! Yesterday’s post concerning Governor Ige’s nominee to head the Department of Land and Natural Resources has stirred up a tempest, including a long, thoughtfully heated reply from my friend, Bart Dame (click here for the original post & comments).
Bart interpreted my post as “castigating” those who have gotten out in front of the issue and called for the nomination to be retracted. Others apparently have felt I’m speaking in defense of the nomination.
It was not my intention to attack those who see the obvious reasons to oppose this nomination. What I wrote was that I’m not there yet, primarily because, as I have tried to say, I would very much like to hear the Ige administration’s reasons for thinking this appointment makes sense, and further how it fits into their developing policy perspective when it comes to resource management and environmental protection. A lot of people voted for David Ige, and I doubt that I’m the only voter who looks at this and wonders, “WTF?”, and hopes that it’s not as bad as it looks.
So tell us, Governor Ige, why you believe this nomination makes sense, and why it shouldn’t be dismissed as a colossal and dangerous mistake.
Can Ige do that? I don’t know. It very well may be that the administration won’t be able or willing to make the case because, behind it all, they’re so tone deaf that this opposition comes as a surprise. Or perhaps it was meant as a poke in the eye to voters who don’t want to see a continued sell-out of the public interest to the highest bidders. Either would, indeed, be a very bad signs, an indication that we’ve jumped directly from the Abercrombie frying pan into the Ige administration’s proverbial fire.
And should that be the case, I hope the members of the Senate will see the wisdom of turning down this nomination and asking the governor to come forward with a less contentious and confrontational nominee for this important position.
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t
When I wrote:
“Careerists within those divisions made policy affecting the whole state seemingly based on personal preference and/or prejudice. The Legislature had serious concerns about his tenure…”
The problem being referenced is that at DLNR division heads have been running the show for years. A key Rep told me last week “…perhaps we’ll get something built that’s not a fence…” referring to facilities for people to use rather than to keep them out. Bill was seen as a preservationist, not an administrator.
DLNR is a damn big bureaucracy and needs a really strong administrative team to run it. With Bill Aila in charge look at the turnover in First Deputies, 4 in 4 years. The comment I heard was that says more about the Chair than it did about the Gov.
Bill was always nice to me. I like him personally. That job was way too big for him though. It was the Peter Principal at work. The fact that he skipped two steps to reach that height was not his fault and I think he did the best he could to survive at that level.
Will Ching be up to the task ? I don’t know, but it’s on the Governors head. Why was he elected anyway, as a change agent or a return to the status quo ?
I certainly hope the former….
It appears the current administration is pro-development as was its predecessor. We may get additional glimpses of the Governor’s stance when it chooses the new HCDA board members.
Hawaiino –
Thank you for clarifying and for being honest. I will leave it to viewers to draw their conclusions.
Aloha,
t
I’ll go along with Hawaiino on the poor job by Aila. He had a few meetings with the leaseholders in Kahana Valley. I remember early on his saying he would always do what the government lawyers told him to do. I’d sum up his tenure, as far as Kahana goes, as opportunities lost.
It appears Ige is completely porchlight out. “I did know that whoever I appointed would split the community”.
By casting off the very folks who voted for him, he just removed a big voting block of his own supporters and he hasn’t even left the gate. He obviously is getting very poor advice from those around him.
I too am getting the feeling the new gov is in over his head.
If you want to know why , “The Big Island,” would never support William Aila, as DLNR Chair again, then try to find out how, he and his minions, tried to shove regulations, down our throat. Talking about putting development ahead of the Public trust, Ask about “Keauhou Bay,”
There are multitudes of Local hunters, fishers, gatherers, boaters, who despised the handling of our aina, and the way they tried to bully and most times, ignored our perspectives and input.
We were treated like we were from a different country. He had no respect, for the people, who paid his salary. He forgot what his job was about,
Everyone has a right to say , what they feel.
I have family on The “Big Island” an I know they were satisfied with decisions that was made by Bill Aila. So don’t represent the Big Island , speak for your self.