Fred Blas Report Card

[Rob Tucker]

Barbara Lively is a good woman and has five kids to feed I believe. Both Barbara Lively and James Weatherford served as legislative assistants before. I would not be so quick to construe Barbara's motives, More disappointing to me was James Weatherford's crying, bellyaching and whining when he lost the primary. Not very dignified. James is as thin skinned as BIlly Kenoi is.

James ran a very skillful campaign but discovered the hard way that merely going to meetings and dispensing his wisdom did not make up for his lack of working in the community directly which Fred has done in spades. James is trying to make up for that now but he does not work well with others.

The council races for 2012 have potential for lots of entertainment.

First of the year I think I will revive the election forum.

[csgray]

Someone can be "a good woman" and still cut a back room deal that reeks of old boy Hawaii politics. I liked her positions when she was running, but aligning with Fred right after running against him as being incompetent to serve just seems opportunistic at best.

As for how someone responds after an election, I know from watching my mother unsuccessfully run for county commissioner when I was a kid what a roller coaster ride running for office is. She lost for a lot of the same reasons James did, even after 20 years in the community she was still considered an outsider due to her education, place of birth and gender. She too was called thin skinned afterward for expressing how it felt to lose for those reasons. The internet has just magnified the focus on those sorts of mid November responses. I don't think any of us can really know how we would respond in the same situation until we take that kind of personal risk and lose.

The ironic thing is my mother was begged by both parties to run for judge 15 years later after serving as both public defender and prosecutor in the county, and then served as many terms as she wanted afterwards, so James may grow from the experience and still successfully serve Puna. He is a good person who probably should have stepped away from the keyboard for a month or so after the election, until he processed the election, but he was only motivated by a desire to serve the people of Puna when he ran. That is to be commended.

I could never put it all out there on the line the way people have to when they run for office. Talk about a painful process, you have to either really want something out of it, or really care about your community. I just feel like Fred and his staff only care about some parts of the community, so I do question what they want out of it. I would love to see something different come from them, but I sure haven't seen any sign that they care about the concerns of the 30,000+ people in Puna who don't live between Pahoa and the bottom of the Hawaiian Beaches/Shores complex of subdivisions. I am not the only person who feels that way, if that is not the case, they need to make a real effort to reach out to the wider Puna community and let us know they care about our concerns. It wouldn't be that hard.

Carol

[wax]

Interesting that James should be thrown into the discussion focusing on Fred Blas and how he is doing. Makes little sense in that context. What positions they each take next year, IF THEY BOTH RUN, is a question for another day. Discussing whether Fred is better or worse than Emily and then refighting the last election does not help us move forward in our evaluations. The issue on the table now is how Fred is performing.

As to Fred, he has shown a particularly unusual tin ear to major economic issues that face Puna. This is a district with rapidly growing population that remains among the poorest, least employed and least served in the State of Hawaii. Most communities facing this set of circumstances seek incentives that would encourage businesses, services and jobs to move in. Puna with its plethora of affordable homes and lots in a state desperate for this has some reason to draw in businesses. Fred, however, has consistently voted for bills that would significantly increase the costs of those who would build homes or businesses here (i.e. impact fees). He has also been steadfast in supporting new building codes that most believe will have an impact on the cost of building. (It is noteworthy that Yagong, leader of the current majority, backed out of supporting both of these issues because of his belief that they would negatively impact particularly working class families. Fred did not take the hint from Yagong).

Fred's support for impact fees was based on a belief that this was the primary way to get needed infrastructure into Puna. Further, he spent unique geothermal funds to improve that part of the district that he lives in. The net result is that while Puna residents have historically - and continue to - contribute to infrastructure across the island these actions on his part have the affect of reducing the "payback" of those districts to now help Puna pay for its infrastructure. How this helps Puna is difficult to imagine in the big picture/long run. KEEP IN MIND that in districts with Puna's demographics, the normal solution - and one successfully used across the nation to great affect - is to create financial incentives to move jobs and services to where they are needed. What Fred did was essentially vote for strong DISINCENTIVES. Had Yagong not changed his stance Puna would have suffered.

Further one has to ask how active Fred is in discussion and proposing creative solutions at the Council level. Does he take the perspective of the District and its issues and propose changes and solutions that would help Puna - and the rest of the island? I have never heard any from him. This is not to say he is a bad fellow. He is in fact a good fellow and very well meant. The question is how this has translated to his current position. The notes above about his interaction with those who wish to talk with him - who he does not know - is telling and disturbing.

[JerryCarr]

Since posting my last comments about Fred, a several other points have occurred to me. First, other than enabling the expenditure of Geothermal Fund money in Pahoa and Hawaiian Beaches, what pieces of legislation has Fred gotten passed or even initiated? (The other Councillors happily supported the Geothermal bit because it leaves more general appropriations funds for their districts.) He has an experienced legislative aide working for him, so it's not like he doesn't have any help. It would be nice if our under-served and economically neglected district were designated as an Enterprise Zone or otherwise incentivized for economic development through business tax abatements or other measures. Fred has not even suggested this, never mind introduced legislation to enable it. Even if such legislation were not passed, the mere proposal would be a positive step.

The second (and related) point is the "vision thing." Fred seems to function in the nuts and bolts realm of human endeavor, such as building bus shelters, cleaning up vacant lots, and repaving some roads. Those things are good, and they need to be done, but Puna needs a Councillor who can articulate a comprehensive, integrated plan for a better future. I don't see Fred being able to do that. Piecemeal feel-good projects are not going to erase decades of neglect. We need someone to represent us with a bigger plan than what we have seen from Fred.

Third, I would take Carol's excellent comment about Fred's focus on Pahoa and Hawaiian Beaches a bit farther. That focus reinforces the position of Pahoa as one of the few "have" locations in Puna vs. quite a few "have nots." Now don't get me wrong, all of Puna is underserved, but Pahoa-Hawaiian Beaches already have a Community Center, new police station, new fire station, a public swimming pool, and other amenities the rest of us only dream about. So what does Fred do? He spends a year's worth of Geothermal money there, leaving the rest of us out in the cold.

Finally, like Wax, I don't see what bringing James Weatherford into the conversation at this point accomplishes. When we know the exact district boundaries and see who is in the running for the next election, we can comment on what other candidates have done or might do. Meanwhile, Fred is fair game as the incumbent, and he has a lot of broadening of his perspective to do. Unfortunately, I'm not convinced he can do it.

[Rob Tucker]

It is my understanding that James has announced he is a candidate. I got an invitation to a "talk story" with candidate James Weatherford. Therefore I thing any discussion on the 2012 district races are fair game.

None of Weatherford's dire predictions of Fred being under the thumb of Hilo have come true. On every key vote I have watched Fred has voted for Puna's interests.

While I have know James Weathford for along time and worked with him on the PCDP process it has been damn discouraging to see him piss and moan when he does get his way. Most recently at an Action Committee meeting when he didn't get his way and was actually dressed down by a committee member for failing to deliver HPP community input he stomped out of the meeting muttering "we've been screwed again!".

Very bad form. James' way of thowing a pencil across the room. More like Emily than I had thought possible.

Is Fred perfect? Nope, who is? I don't have any particular "in" with him, He always listens to me when I talk to him. My assessment is that so far he has been better than Gary Safarik and much, much better than Emily Naeole.

[james weatherford]

Well, I better say my piece here.

First, Rob is coming very close to making personal attacks. Unfortunate and counter productive.

He has his right to his individual opinion.

In my opinion, "not working well with others" means not agreeing with him.

A more important matter that I want to get out in the air:

Fred Blas does a lot of nice things in cleaning up roadsides and the like. Good. That is service to the community and I applaud it. Cleaning up roadsides is what he does well, so, let him do it.

Service to the community takes on many forms.
In recent years I have used my own time and resources to successfully advocate for matters that were good for the entire island community. Two prime examples: First, I spent two years researching and exposing a highly flawed proposal by the County to borrow $125 million dollars for an incinerator that would not have resolved our waste problem or generated any significant electricity, yet would have left us with unprecedented debt. That flawed proposal failed as the public became aware and let the Council know of their opposition. Next, beginning in 2004 with the Puna Regional Circulation Plan, I advocated for, and brought to the fore, information regarding roundabouts as a safer, lower cost intersection treatment for our dangerous roads. In 2011, those efforts are paying off with greatly increased community awareness and support and, at last, some roundabouts on the drawing board in our community.

What else have I “volunteered” to do?
Four years as a volunteer in the United States Navy, including 2.5 years of “foreign and sea” duty that included being on a minesweeper hunting ordinance and rescuing pilots from their planes shot down in North Vietnamese waters.
Two years as a volunteer in the United States Peace Corps, working with subsistence farmers in the Philippines to increase their family’s financial situation and food security.

From this point on, we need to keep the discussion focused on issues and the future, and stay away from personal attacks and chest puffing about what has been done for the community.

[wax]

James,

Amen! At least we should be able to keep our discussions issue oriented.

[JerryCarr]

The subject line of this thread is "Fred Blas Report Card," not "What Fred's Past or Future Opponent Has Done." And no, I am not shilling for James Weatherford. I will decide whom to support when the field of candidates is more filled out. So instead of heading farther off down that tangent, I would like some of Fred's supporters to respond to the following:

Why does Puna still rely on Geothermal Funds to get what other districts get out of the general appropriations process?

Why does he use that Geothermal money to make improvements in the one area of Puna (Pahoa-Hawaiian Beaches) that is blessed with County facilities compared to the rest of the district?

Why does Fred not understand the most fundamental facts regarding private roads in Puna subdivisions, one of which comprises over half the population of his district?

Why has Fred failed to initiate any legislation to support economic development in Puna?

And where is that "vision" thing?

These are questions that we should not have to even ask.

[Rob Tucker]

Hi Jerry, I can't speak for Fred But I can offer this regarding the Geothermal / Community Benefit Funds...

It is my understanding that when Emily Naeole gained access to the Geothermal Relocation funds and had it broadened to include "community benefits" that the area to derive community benefits was defined as a certain radius of the PGV plant. Not sure precisely what that radius is but it does not include the whole of the Puna District.

As for James Weatherford's defensiveness to my comments: He should be defensive. Some of his behavior has been less than flattering to him. When Wesley Owens, on the AC committee, spoke to the lack of performance and conflicting positions on the HPP PMAR Committee, in Which James plays a major role, All James could do was be quite rude and leave the room in a huff. That is a prime example to me of "not working well with others". James doesn't have to agree with me on things and I don't expect him to, or anyone else for that matter. I can row my boat and so can he. I am just pointing out what I feel are legitimate concerns which may well reflect on his future performance on Council should he be elected.

So while I hear criticism of Fred being focused on areas most familiar to Fred (H.S. and Pahoa) I also see James having his own centric point of view regarding HPP..... which is fine.... he lives there. But it may well be just as parochial as Fred is accused of being.

[csgray]

However, Fred was elected to represent ALL of Puna (which he doesn't even attempt to do), while the 2 new Puna county council positions will each be representing about half of Puna, and HPP will make up over half of one of those districts. There is a big difference between solely focusing on an already better served area like Fred's neighborhood, with far less than even 25% of the district population, and looking out for the concerns of half of your constituents who happen to live in one neighborhood.

HPP has been a source of ever increasing tax revenue for Hawaii county, and has seen little in return. The issues that needed to be worked out concerning a park for HPP were resolvable, if there had been leadership shown by our county council representative. Instead, he saw those issues as being an excuse to grab the money for his pet project in his own neighborhood. I was very disappointed that Fred made no effort to help work things out, but instead publicly advocated using the money elsewhere, before the HPP board had even met to discuss handing over 20 acres which is jointly owned by all the lot owners in HPP. That is not leadership or working well with the people who pay his salary, and his office staff's salaries.

Now that Puna will have 2 council seats I hope we get the kind of effective representation that can help counter the Hilo centric perspective that has dominated the council in the past. The growing population of Puna needs jobs and well planned commercial development here in Puna, not a continuation of the narrow perspective that everyone in Puna should just drive to Hilo for work, play, education, and shopping. We need county councilors who can work well with the whole council and ALL of their constituents to see we get that.

Carol