Smart growth for Maui nui
My years long experience in business, sustainable energy solutions and community organizations has resulted in a vision for Smart Growth for Maui nui. As public servants, our first responsibility is to look after the long term well being of the people who live here now, which includes proper stewardship over the aina and the kai.
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That requires a balanced approach that bridges the gap between the world that exists today and the world we want to leave for our children and their children. We know that just about anything we build today does not fully address the need for long term sustainability. However, we can't change overnight, despite the global need to do so.
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Smart growth means balancing investments that provide for our short and long term economic needs in the form of jobs and a diversified economy with things that determine the future of the world around us..the very place that our current and future economic needs depend on.
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...and what it protects
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We must ensure and adequate and safe water supply. Clearly, the drought conditions that have required the Mayor's request for water conservation in West Maui and upcountry have made that need more visible.
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The need to protect the reefs and water quality of the beaches we love so much was hightlighted by the recent Lahaina Injection Well case the United States Supreme Court ruled on recently.
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Shoreline erosion and the Hawaii State mandated urban retreat plans caused by sea level rise and changing conditions are things my Climate Action and Resiliancy Committee focus on.
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Employment for our current construction capabilities can be
focused on affordable housing, clean solar and wind energy. Development and management of a new focus on agriculture
that will reduce our dependence on the mainland for imported
food that places our very welfare in the hands of others is
another opportunity for smart growth.
A myriad of opportunities exist for new careers for people
currently in the workforce as well as young people still in
school, needing to find good paying jobs.
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I am committed to the need for Smart Growth on Maui nui.
I ask voters to support me in establishing a healthy balance that will ensure our security today and for the generations to come.
Smart Growth - What it looks like
A vision for the future
Planned growth and infrastructure
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Community Planning is the overarching issue. We need to respect the work that went into these plans, and use our Countywide Policy Plan as a guide for decision-making. South Maui’s infrastructure does not support the amount of development currently in the works and we need to revisit the requests for zoning changes.
Traffic, water, parks and ocean pollution are all issues for South Maui as well as most other Maui communities. Development doesn’t have to be a dirty word, but it does have to be good for our community.
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Our community values are expressed in our Community Plans, developed with extensive input, and these goals and values should be guiding all County Council decisions. The Vision and Core Principles our County adopted in 2010 were created by citizens advisory groups, elected officials and county Administration staff and employees.