I have received a few inquiries regarding the recent appointment to the County Water Board. Yes, I was one of six council members who confirmed Syngenta spokesperson, Beth Tokioka to the County Water Board, In short, I don't believe in condemning people because of their affiliations or philosophy, even if my ideals differ. It was a difficult decision as I would have preferred the mayor appoint an environmentalist, or irrigation specialist, or a cultural practitioner, however, In the years I've known the candidate, she has proven to be very competent as well as a person of high integrity. Her many years of exemplary community service makes her a good candidate to any board or commission. The appointee has shown to be objective and a person who sees further than one issue. She sees clearly the issues this current water board faces in providing infrastructure needs to our island and the FRC challenges our housing crisis is facing. As I said in my testimony, I don't pass judgement on the at risk youth I work with who come from a bad home or who's family has a bad reputation. I take them at what they say or agree to and what they follow through on. Call me naive and I realize its only a matter of time when I'll regret my decision to trust someone on their word, but I believe trust is gained and built in no other way but by allowing trust to occur. Beth made a promise to recuse herself from decisions specific to conflicting situations where pesticides or Grove Farm (Syngenta's leasor) were involved. I will hold her accountable to those promises and so will the public record. If she veers from it I will know and I will not support her further involvement. I saw this as an opportunity to take a step towards breaking down the silo between factions. A much needed step to accomplish our collective goals.
3 Comments
Cherisse Eguchi
7/24/2016 12:42:32 am
Wow, sounds like leadership to me!
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Lonnie Sykos
7/26/2016 05:49:07 pm
Aloha Mason
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Ricky Cassiday
10/24/2016 12:37:55 pm
As a father whose children have put me through the fire of growing up, (and, smile, vice versa) I can relate to your words about trust having to be given before it gets earned. Malama pono
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AuthorI find that sharing viewpoints on a blog is difficult because of the complexity of each issue being discussed and the potential loss of objectivity that can occur through anonymous comments which often lead to online bashing. I am an advocate of face to face interactions where clarity has a greater opportunity to thrive. However, I've put a blog together to offer a venue to share and discuss the many important points of view on issues because I believe it is an important medium to begin dialogue on our most pressing issues facing us today and in the future. I will reserve the right to eliminate negative comments that do not bring us to increased understanding and clarity with aloha. Archives
July 2016
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