A Message from Kelly King
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2017 has been a year of turmoil on the national front, but it has also been a year of empowerment in local government. Fulfilling my number one purpose as your new councilmember, my office has been open, collaborative and responsive, and many of you have commented that you are now watching council meetings and seeing positive change happening. I believe 2018 is the year that an increase in voting will lead to Mauians, not politicians, making the real difference!
Following are some highlights of my first year and the important efforts undertaken by very committed and hardworking staffers who complete our office. Mahalo nui loa to Michelle Del Rosario, who was a major contributor but had to resign for personal reasons – she is awesome and will be missed!
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Key Legislative Initiatives Achieved to Date:
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- Ordinance passed to require a Native Hawaiian Cultural Expert position on all Planning Commissions (Maui, Lanai and Molokai), as well as the Hana Advisory Committee.
- Amendment passed focusing on the appointment of Community Plan Advisory Committees, to assure qualified, balanced, committed residents are appointed to each new community plan review CPAC; passed unanimously on second and final reading at the first 2018 Council meeting.
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- Keawekapu Beach parking lot next to Days Inn – hard paving will be averted. In discussions with the property owner, the community’s concerns were heard and respected, resulting in several extra parking spaces also being granted for public use.
- Councilmember King is working with the management of Southpointe’s homeowners association to rezone the property from Hotel to Residential to align with the community plan.
- Signs were installed in the park adjacent to Piilani Villages to help in the policing of undesirable and disruptive behaviors.
- Community meetings were held to discuss homelessness in South Maui and give the community an opportunity for input on how Ka Hale a Ke Ola should spend the $1.5 million funding designated for our district. From those meetings, other ideas arose that volunteers have agreed to address, including the creation of a Virtual Resource Center and finding a legal public area for overnight parking for those who have no permanent shelter option.
- The Business Rezoning Proposal for the wetland area south of St. Theresa’s Church was defeated by the council, so the site remains Residential and the Wellness Center request has been filed.
- A $25,000 grant was secured from the Office of Economic Development to fund the Kihei Community Association’s Ahupua`a and River Signs project, which will identify the sites and develop descriptive materials to further explain the significance of these South Maui landmarks.
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- County Manager - many Maui citizens are interested in developing a more focused, more efficient and less political county governance structure, and there is strong disappointment over the previous council’s failure to let voters decide on a proposed structure. Councilmember King is working with a group of Mauians who have done extensive research on various models of county governance, and who will be proposing a model they believe will function better than the previous proposal. The resolution to put this issue on the 2018 ballot is being reviewed and hopefully will be referred through an upcoming Council meeting, although staff shortages in the Office of Council Services may slow productivity.
- Transportation Infrastructure Funding Opportunity – late last year the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization, by unanimous vote, sent a letter to the Maui County Council requesting they consider enacting a GET surcharge of .5%, which was authorized by the State Legislature last year for transportation projects. In the MPO’s resolution, they specified intent that the money raised would fund the realignment of Honoapiilani Highway, the Paia Bypass and the Kihei North-South Collector Road, all of which could be covered under the 11-year tax surcharge. The matter was referred to the Budget and Finance Committee and must be passed by the end of March 2018 or the authorization will expire.
- Streamlining the Community Plan Process - the Planning Committee will be discussing ways to streamline the process used to review community plans so they can be updated within the scope of time required by our County Charter. The Planning Department has been working on a proposal to make the process more efficient, and the changes will likely require a Charter Amendment.
- Molokai Community Plan - the Molokai Community Plan review continues to be challenging, with the focus currently on hearing community concerns and prioritizing Implementation Action Items. As a new chair addressing an ongoing process, Councilmember King has taken extra care to meet with the Molokai community outside of official council meetings.
- Addressing homelessness in South Maui by creating a volunteer working group for community outreach.
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Visiting Father Damien statue during a town meeting in East Molokai
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With Jocelyn Victorino in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters
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On sail with Maui County Environmental Coordinator Rob Parsons to celebrate MNMRC funding
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In 2017 Kelly King attended every public meeting of the Kihei Community Association, as well as every quarterly KCA board meeting. "KCA is most appreciative to Councilmember King for many actions," said Mike Moran, President of the Kihei Community Association, "but mostly for proactively reaching out to us on countless matters to seek our input before taking actions." "We look forward to this continued positive relationship in 2018."
Kelly has also attended the first meeting of the new Maalaea Village Association and will be the guest speaker at the 2018 annual meeting of the Maui Meadows Neighborhood Association.
While the events attended have been too numerous to mention all by name, Councilmember King and her staff have participated in a broad spectrum of community meetings, activities and hearings, including testifying at the State Land Use Commission last October on the proposed “mega mall” project that was voted down unanimously.
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To learn more about becoming a member of KCA click
here
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Besides chairing the Council’s Planning Committee, Councilmember King is currently serving on the following state and national organizations:
- Hawaii Technology Development Corporation
- Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization
- Hawaii Energy Policy Forum
- Share Your Mana Board of Directors
- National Association of Counties Environment, Energy and Land Use (EELU) Steering Committee
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Susan Foley, Executive Assistant
With almost 40 years of administrative and marketing experience, Susan loves working with people and seeing them succeed in their dreams.
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Terra Malia Foti, Executive Assistant
Born and raised on Oʻahu, with careers in both hospitality and real estate, Terra enjoys her role here as it allows her to find her influential voice benefitting generations to come.
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CONNECT
WITH US
200 South High Street
Wailuku, HI 96793
808-270-7108
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