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How to vote if you want to eliminate cronyism

At the Kihei Community Association’s candidate forum held Oct. 18, one question put to the group was how citizens can combat cronyism in local government. Candidate Don Couch suggested the best way is to vote for a charter change that would give the County Council the ability to approve or disapprove mayoral appointments. He didn’t mention another more critical option: elect candidates to the council who are not cronies of the administration.

I was deeply involved in the Kihei megamall case where Mayor Alan Arakawa, Planning Director Will Spence and South Maui Council Member Couch did their best to force a huge, unvetted and illegal mega-shopping mall on Kihei, even in the face of a Land Use Commission order prohibiting it, a community plan that banned it and zoning that allowed for mostly light industrial use on the site. At a contentious KCA meeting held to discuss the matter in early 2012, both Spence and Couch stood before the audience and stated that our community plans are merely advisory (not true), that the project was fully entitled (not even close) and that there was nothing the community could do (wrong). Only because of civic activism by concerned parties was a case brought before the LUC, which found the mall project in violation of its lawful order.

Here’s the point: If you don’t want cronyism in government, vote for council candidates you can trust to work for you instead of political and economic interests serving others.

Mark Hyde

Kihei

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