Among the intersection improvements that many members of the public are seeking prior to the opening of Woodland Center is the opening of Kahakai Boulevard (on the left) out onto Highway 130 (on the right). Photo by Tiffany Edwards Hunt. All rights reserved. Use with permission only.

Open letter to Roxanne “RJ” Hampton, legislative assistant to Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole-Beason, and Planning Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd:

Sometime yesterday someone dropped off at the surf shop correspondence between the two of you on July 22 regarding Woodland Center. I’ll transcribe it below… I would like to offer you a chance to elaborate.

From Roxanne Hampton, Thursday, July 22, 2010, 10:19 a.m., to Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, entitled, “Words of Wisdom”

We the undersigned recognizing the potential danger for personal injury to both motorist and pedestrian traffic at the intersection of Old Pahoa Village Road and Kahakai Blvd., are requesting the County of Hawaii enforce the concurrency ordinance requiring the Woodland Center project to complete necessary traffic mitigation and infrastructure improvements prior to issuance of certificate(s) of occupancy for Longs Drugs, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken in Pahoa.

I saw this in a coffee shop no name of any responsible organization for individual yet I would never sign a petition if I could not know here the info was going

I am concerned that the public is in need of accurate information concerning the Planning Commissions direction and requirements for the extension of Woodland Project I could sure use some intelligent comment to where the County is at with all of this.

See I kind of know what’s up cause I know how these people work so I am always ready to find out from the thick skinned people how to spin it. Read the rest of this entry »

Polly Becker illustration courtesy of Stanford Medicine Magazine. To Read, "Golden Needles, Vaccines For Seniors," click here.

I’ve just read Puna Councilwoman Emily Naeole’s latest resolution urging state and federal lawmakers to amend laws to include medical, religious, and philosophical exemptions from vaccination programs.  I am mystified Auntie Emily and her staff are taking on one of those topics that triggers strong opinions and debate. It is such a hot topic, I find myself slowing down my typing to carefully choose my words.

Auntie Emily’s two-page resolution will be taken up at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009 in the Human Service and Economic Development Committee she chairs. (Unable to link, full copy of the resolution follows the commentary.)

“In the wake of potential harm to the individual and the public from vaccinations, and the vacillating interpretation of “vaccine science,” it is in the public’s best interest to amend the vaccine laws, to include the right of medical, religious, and philosophical exemptions from mandated vaccination programs,” reads one paragraph of the resolution.   Read the rest of this entry »

Emily Naeole

Did you see today’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald letter to the editor from Hilo resident L. Baker urging constituents to recall Emily Naeole? That stinging letter made me wonder if this is the predominant sentiment about the newly throned Vice Chair of the Hawaii County Council. 

Like a Hawaii Tribune-Herald editorial that appeared in Sunday’s newspaper, L. Baker’s letter rips Emily for her tent legislation, saying, “Tents! Are you kidding me?  We all have experience with people being given an inch and taking a mile. What Councilwoman Emily Naeole is proposing will become a permanent homeless shanty tent city, bringing all property values down even further for everyone.” 

L. Baker objects to the recent Council reorganization that replaced her with Pete Hoffmann as Vice Chair:  ”She got the job because she cried? Come on. Enough with this woman already. She is the most unprofessional person we have ever encountered serving in such a position. Now she is ‘yelling’ at other board members who disagree with her?”  Referring to Gary Hoff’s recent cartoon, L. Baker said, “The cartoon showing her as a Frankenstein’s monster was dead on.”

L. Baker doesn’t stop there. Read the rest of this entry »