LIHU’E — After nearly four more hours of sometimes downright acrimonious exchanges, the Kaua`i County Council finally passed the amended Chapter 7 of the 1987 General Plan update Wednesday. The vote was six to one, with Councilman Gary Hooser casting
LIHU’E — After nearly four more hours of sometimes downright acrimonious
exchanges, the Kaua`i County Council finally passed the amended Chapter 7 of
the 1987 General Plan update Wednesday.
The vote was six to one, with
Councilman Gary Hooser casting the only nay.
The verbal acrimony was
primarily in exchanges between voluble community activist Andy Parx and several
of the council members during yesterday’s council meeting.
“Sure it’s just
a coincidence I saw an awful lot of campaign contributions” to voting council
members “from developers and their families,” Parx said. “There’s no corruption
on Kaua`i.”
He also said the council, by being in “a rush” to pass the
amended plan, is “giving developers an early Christmas.”
In response,
Councilman Jimmy Tokioka talked about growing up in a small house on Kaua`i
where, because of termites and other small creatures, the ground was visible
inside the home.
“My parents raised me to do better than that. I sit in a
meeting and hear people tell us, `You guys are getting paid off by all these
developers,’ and I really get (angry),” Tokioka said.
“It’s not about being
a crook. I have a reputation as the most efficient fundraiser. It’s a matter of
public record. But there’s not any quid pro quo,” said Councilman Ron
Kouchi.
Before the vote to approve the revised plan, there were also
spirited discussions about two proposed last-minute amendments.
One passed
and one didn’t.
Outgoing Councilman Billy Swain, in his final council
meeting after losing his re-election bid earlier this month, proposed an
amendment redesignating 40 acres northwest of Kilauea town from agricultural to
residential community on the land-use maps within the 2020 General Plan update.
In addition to the 40 acres, 10 more acres would be reserved for park use.
Swain, who once lived in Kilauea, is a strong proponent of more athletic
facilities for children.
The measure passed five to two, with Hooser and
Kouchi opposing it.
“I don’t believe we have engaged the community enough,”
Kouchi said.
Hooser then proposed an amendment to change the residential
community designation for the Princeville Mauka Village to residential
community. The amendment failed, with only Councilman Daryl Kaneshiro and
Kouchi joining Hooser in voting for it.
“I don’t believe anyone has been
disenfranchised by what we’ve done here,” Swain said.
Kouchi, beginning his
19th year on the council, closed with some oblique and not-so-oblique
references to Parx’s comments about an early Christmas for developers.
“Are
you really reaching someone by calling them a crook? I’ll be able to comb my
hair tomorrow,” Kouchi said.
The council’s approval of the revised Chapter
7 is almost the last step in a nearly three-year process which saw a citizen
advisory group and the county Planning Commission wrestle with the nearly
200-page document. It now goes to Mayor Maryanne Kusaka for her signature, a
step in which no difficulties are anticipated.
Staff writer Dennis
Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and dwilken@pulitzer.net
