MAUI COUNTY COUNCIL FINAL MEETING OF 2019 THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT 1:30 PM

12/24/19 #kihei
Just when you thought the county legislature was pau for the year, a “special’ meeting was announced at the end of the day last Friday, 12/20/19. We are hearing that numerous residents, not only from our district, are planning to attend this afternoon meeting to express support for Chair King wearing green attire.

Of course this meeting agenda was published soon after the ‘bombshell” announcement to the media in a press conference and telecast live on Akaku by Council Chair Kelly King, that she was resigning as chair and that member Alice Lee would be the chair in 2020. We posted the information a few minutes later – SEE https://gokihei.org/government/kelly-king-yields-chair-to-alice-lee-for-2020.

Over the weekend we were peppered with inquiries, the most frequent asked: WHY? We do not have that answer. Another concerned the process of who decided on the new chair? Doesn’t the full Council have to vote for the chair as was done in the first meeting of this year? SEE https://gokihei.org/government/county-council-2019-inauguration-ceremony-and-organizational-meeting

You see King was elected unanimously.

Now we see that is the process as this is one of just four items on this Friday’s agenda: https://mauicounty.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=753855&GUID=73E60A55-8A69-432C-A84A-EA75238BFE87

This is the third resolution, but somehow there is no election, just stating that the county charter requires one, but somehow someone already decided the result. Color us confused.

We believe all four agenda items are important to the entire county:

• a modified list of the eight standing committees
• the leadership and membership of each one
• electing the council chair (even though there is no election)
• and the single communication, the mayor’s veto of the council’s newly decided tax classifications. Some expect the Council will muster the needed six votes to override the veto, based on prior voting on the matter

So what are you doing Friday afternoon? Do you have a green shirt?