The Hawaii Community Development Authority has a new board in place, allowing the state agency overseeing development in Kakaako to once again decide permit applications and policy decisions.
The state Senate recently voted 22-0 with three senators excused to confirm all nominees offered by Gov. David Ige.
An almost entirely new slate of HCDA directors was needed because of a state law enacted last year that terminated seven of the agency’s nine core board positions at the end of February as part of an effort to reduce the power for a governor to shape the HCDA board.
Ige nominated five people to fill core board seats. Two other directors were automatically installed earlier given their positions in Ige’s Cabinet. The governor has yet to nominate anyone for the two remaining empty seats, which need to be filled by a cultural specialist and an at-large representative.
The new directors for HCDA’s core board, which makes decisions for Kakaako matters, are John Whalen, Tom McLaughlin, Jason Okuhama, William Oh and Steven Scott.
Six other board members were nominated and confirmed to help govern HCDA land-use affairs in two other parts of Oahu: Heeia and Kalaeloa.
Directors for Heeia are Donna Camvel, Amy Luersen and Brett Nakoa Prejean. Directors for Kalaeloa are Michael Golojuch Sr., Shirley Swinney and Dean Capelouto.
Previously, a governor had sole discretion picking six of HCDA’s nine core board members: four Cabinet representatives, an at-large representative and a cultural specialist representative.
Three others were selected by the governor from a list or lists of candidates recommended by the City Council.
All members except for the Cabinet representatives were subject to confirmation by the Senate.
The new procedure gives the governor sole discretion to pick only four members: the directors of the Department of Transportation and the Department of Budget and Finance or their designees, the at-large pick and the cultural representative.
The two former Cabinet seats are now selected by the governor from candidate lists submitted by the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House.
There are also two new nonvoting members added by last year’s law. These members are the director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting and the chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.
