Bloggers take note!
Before attorney Jesse Souki was appointed as director of the Office of State Planning at the end of this year’s legislative session, he was a land use attorney and author of the well-respected blog, Hawaii Land Use Law and Policy.
His blogging was mentioned by at least a couple of people who testified on his behalf, and also in the Senate committee report supporting his confirmation.
Mr. Souki has devoted his time to educate government regulators, land use planners, and fellow attorneys on the intricacies of Hawaii land use and planning laws, publish an award-winning land-use blog, and mentor realtors, colleagues, and family. Mr. Souki has volunteered as Program Chair and Chair of the Natural Resources Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association. Notably, Mr. Souki has worked at all levels of government — federal, state, and local — as well as in all three branches of government.
And, to top it off, he has continued blogging (albeit irregularly) and tweeting since assuming duties as the state’s chief planner, although you have to dig into the “About me” link on his blog to find a mention of his new position.
Proof that blogging isn’t a stake in the heart of career hopes any more.
It also makes me wonder if this administration has adopted a policy on blogging? Does anybody know?
And, given the amount of positive testimony during his confirmation hearing, I was quite surprised to see his “legal experience” described as just 6 years, nearly half of that as a deputy corp counsel with the city working on technical regulatory compliance to push the Honolulu rail project forward.
That sent me back to the committee report for the list of those presenting testimony. It’s long on co-workers in the corporation counsel’s offices in Honolulu and Maui County, includes several of his college and law school professors, quite a few lawyers, some unions that have been backers of rail, development consultants, and others. And Souki’s description of his “decade of experience in law and public policy” includes lots of things from his undergraduate and law school internships, including a stint in Senator Akaka’s Washington office and another in the House Clerks’ office at the legislature (which brought testimony in his support from House Clerk Pat Mau-Shimizu).
What I don’t see are any opinions from the environmental or progressive community, any background in planning as a discipline (as opposed to planning and regulatory law), and any discernible administrative experience.
Yes, I’m glad that the Abercrombie administration is pulling up young professionals into key positions, including those who have been bloggers. On the other hand, we can only hope that Souki, as planning director, has the right stuff to resist the political pressures from development interests outside and inside this administration.