12-05-2016, 10:57 AM
So the Kenoi years come to an end. I am willing to give Billy credit to handling the lava emergency and hurricane response rather well. In all other areas he was a big disappointment.
Coming into office with a recession Billy faced a number of challenges. He stayed true to his school and was able to protect the incomes of county employees and associated contractors, consultants and vendors. While services too a hit and taxpayers took a hit the union employees and their pensions had nothing to fear. Billy was there for them.
Billy also continued the tried and true plantation habit of rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. If you were on his donor list you had access. If you supported anyone else you were out. Very old school, local style. The beat goes on.
For Puna itself, Billy's home district, the intractable problems and issues of water, roads, crime and lack of zoning saw zero improvement. Even given an opportunity to accomplish something Billy worked against the Fuel Tax Revenue (FTR) effort apparently because a political adversary -Dominic Yagong - was supporting the effort. So Billy chose to screw Puna rather than risk supporting Councilman Yagong. Very deep philosophy there. Thanks for nothing Billy.
Coming into office he promised to streamline the building department. Since the retirement of Nani Masaki however the building department is a total mess. Citizens regularly leave that office feeling like victims. In the hearing for my ethics complain the building officials basically said "four years after the code changes we are still trying to figure out what were doing".
The planning department remains the same. I have one friend who has been trying to get his special use permit for seven years now. Still waiting. Still getting excuses and invented obstacles.
Billy did manage to run up $100+ million in county debt. A substantial portion of which went into the overcharging pockets of local contractors. We got a rather uninspiring piece of park in Pahoa for which about 3x the cost was paid. What really is disappointing is with all that debt Billy did nothing, absolutely nothing - for economic development on the island (excluding Hilo) much less for Puna. Even simple things like streamlining zoning for our CDP community business areas.... nothing. Things that cost no money - like making local cottage industries legally viable in AG zoning - nothing.
Allowing the tens of thousand so AG lot owners have the same right of ohaha dwelling units as Hilo residential lots - something which might mean the difference of making your mortgage payments or facing foreclosure - did not happen. The county still seems to blame Puna lot owners for the illegal subdivision of 80,000 "AG" lots.
Basically on any measurable front Billy abandoned the taxpayers for the benefit of his supporters in the unions, contracting and vendor fields. They all did quite well.
And then there was Billy's habit of using the county as a personal bank. He took a mild hit on that. His reputation may have been permanently damaged as far as higher office goes.... but don't bet on it.
So if you want to I am willing to listen to all the ways Mayor Billy Kenoi made your lives better. Maybe there are things I am completely unaware of.
Coming into office with a recession Billy faced a number of challenges. He stayed true to his school and was able to protect the incomes of county employees and associated contractors, consultants and vendors. While services too a hit and taxpayers took a hit the union employees and their pensions had nothing to fear. Billy was there for them.
Billy also continued the tried and true plantation habit of rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. If you were on his donor list you had access. If you supported anyone else you were out. Very old school, local style. The beat goes on.
For Puna itself, Billy's home district, the intractable problems and issues of water, roads, crime and lack of zoning saw zero improvement. Even given an opportunity to accomplish something Billy worked against the Fuel Tax Revenue (FTR) effort apparently because a political adversary -Dominic Yagong - was supporting the effort. So Billy chose to screw Puna rather than risk supporting Councilman Yagong. Very deep philosophy there. Thanks for nothing Billy.
Coming into office he promised to streamline the building department. Since the retirement of Nani Masaki however the building department is a total mess. Citizens regularly leave that office feeling like victims. In the hearing for my ethics complain the building officials basically said "four years after the code changes we are still trying to figure out what were doing".
The planning department remains the same. I have one friend who has been trying to get his special use permit for seven years now. Still waiting. Still getting excuses and invented obstacles.
Billy did manage to run up $100+ million in county debt. A substantial portion of which went into the overcharging pockets of local contractors. We got a rather uninspiring piece of park in Pahoa for which about 3x the cost was paid. What really is disappointing is with all that debt Billy did nothing, absolutely nothing - for economic development on the island (excluding Hilo) much less for Puna. Even simple things like streamlining zoning for our CDP community business areas.... nothing. Things that cost no money - like making local cottage industries legally viable in AG zoning - nothing.
Allowing the tens of thousand so AG lot owners have the same right of ohaha dwelling units as Hilo residential lots - something which might mean the difference of making your mortgage payments or facing foreclosure - did not happen. The county still seems to blame Puna lot owners for the illegal subdivision of 80,000 "AG" lots.
Basically on any measurable front Billy abandoned the taxpayers for the benefit of his supporters in the unions, contracting and vendor fields. They all did quite well.
And then there was Billy's habit of using the county as a personal bank. He took a mild hit on that. His reputation may have been permanently damaged as far as higher office goes.... but don't bet on it.
So if you want to I am willing to listen to all the ways Mayor Billy Kenoi made your lives better. Maybe there are things I am completely unaware of.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Punaweb moderator