RAM GAD POD

Hello Friends, 

This is just a quick update, so listen if you have the time or look below:

Dave DeLeon is a legend and that is the only reason you need to listen to this episode. This is easily the longest interview I've done so far, but it was well worth the time. Dave has had an incredible career in both journalism and politics, and he was kind enough to share many fun stories and thoughtful insights during our conversation. My favorite parts of this interview are when Dave talks about his time in the Arakawa administration, learning about his early career, and the rather candid discussion of current events we have toward the end. Two RAM GADs for the price of one in this episode, so give it a listen and enjoy.

Hello Friends, the theme of this update is "get involved!" This is a Tuesday episode, so largely just updates and rambling from me. Here are the highlights if you don't have the time to listen to the whole thing:

FY 2021 Mayor’s Community Budget Meetings: Mayor Michael Victorino will be hosting a series of community meetings to afford residents the opportunity to share their priorities and concerns in preparation for the 2021 Budget.

The Lahaina Injection Well Case: At 9:00 am, on Friday, September 20th, in the Council Chamber, the County of Maui will host a Public Hearing on the subject of “Authorizing Settlement in Hawaii Wildlife Fund, et. al. v. County of Maui, Civil 12-00198 SOM BMK, U.S. Supreme Court Case 18-260.” This will run concurrently with the County Council meeting that same morning. Here is a link to the Committee Report with the actual resolution, and here is a link to a recent radio broadcast discussing the issue further.

Haiku Community Association: Holding its third meeting of 2019 on Wednesday, September 18th from 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm at the Haiku Community Center. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food donations for the Maui Food Bank. For more information visit haikumaui.org.

Kihei Community Association: The KCA will be holding a public meeting at St. Theresa Church, at the corner of Lipoa Street and South Kihei Road, at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, September 17th. The meeting will feature Kevin Richards from the Hawaii Hazards Awareness and Resilience Program, and will focus on emergency preparedness. They will also be collecting non-perishable donations for the Maui Food Bank as well. For more information, visit gokihei.org.

Maui Climate Strike: Friday, September 20th at 4 pm there will be a youth-led rally and sign waving event at UHMC.

Beach Cleanup:  Maui Huliau Foundation is hosting a youth beach cleanup on Saturday, September 21st from 9-11 a.m. in honor of International Coastal Cleanup Day. They will be cleaning the beach along Kahului Harbor. Check out https://mauihuliaufoundation.org for more information and to RSVP. You can also check out Sharkastics.org for info on the Ka’ehu Cleanups on the 4th Sunday of every month (the 22nd)

RAM GAD POD: Available through most apps. Next episode will be with Dave DeLeon.

This is a bonus episode featuring a discussion on the Lahaina injection well case between Brian Perry, Communications Director for the Mayor, Scott Rollins, acting chief of the County of Maui Wastewater Reclamation Division, Albert Hahn, recycled water coordinator for Maui County, and myself. This audio originally aired on KAOI this morning (9/12/2019), and was shared with my by the amazing Jack Gist. This episode is worth a listen if you are even remotely interested in this case. Albert and Scott do a great job at breaking down how the 9th Circuit's decision will impact the County's water reuse program, and they clarify a lot of points that have been getting lost in the public discourse. 

I love this episode. I generally don't listen to a full interview after recording, but I listened to this one. In addition to being Executive Assistant for Council Chair Kelly King, Michelle Del Rosario is a REALTOR, a humanitarian, and a genuinely great person. Michelle was refreshingly honest and open with her ideas and opinions, and I am so happy that she is working for the people of Maui County. At the risk of sounding too cheesy, I felt inspired by Michelle when I listened to this episode. We get into some pretty heavy topics in this episode, and we also share some of our dreams for the future of Maui County. I am a fan of Michelle Del Rosario and you will be too after you listen to this episode. 

This episode is just a quick update with some of my usual rambling. I encourage you to listen to the episode, but here are some of the main points if you don't get a chance: 

Cost Of Government Commission Meeting: Thursday, September 12th, 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Mayor’s Conference Room on the 9th floor of the County Building at 200 South High Street in Wailuku.

Maui MPO: The Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization is having a Technical Advisory Committee Meeting on Monday, September 16th at 2:00 p.m., in the planning conference room at 250 South High Street. Agenda items include election of Chair and Vice Chair and discussions of the Hele Mai Maui 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan.

Kihei Community Association: Next community meeting is September 17, 2019, from 6:30-8:00 at Saint Theresa Church at 25 West Lipoa Street.

Wailuku Improvements: Phase 1A of the Wailuku Civic Complex project is set to begin in September. Updates on Wailuku construction, along with mitigation efforts that will be implemented during construction, can be found at www.WailukuLive.com. The County will be hosting its next meeting on changes to the Commercial Mixed-use Zoning district of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area Zoning and Development Code on September 27th: 250 S. High Street – Kalana O Maui Building, Planning Conference Room, 1 pm. (Maui Redevelopment Agency Meeting)

NFIP: Without Congressional action, the National Flood Insurance Program will expire at midnight on Monday, September 30th. NAR is working to secure long term reauthorization. To assist REALTORS, NAR has created a FAQ Sheet to address some common concerns.

Toxic Substance Control Act Reminder: Two real estate companies recently settled cases with the U.S. EPA for violating the TSCA by failing to provide proper lead-bases paint disclosures to buyers and renters of homes built before 1978 on Maui and the Big Island. The Disclosure Rule requires sellers and lessors of pre-1978 homes to provide prospective buyers and tenants with a federal brochure about lead-based paint, any information known about lead-based paint in the home, and a warning statement about the potential dangers of lead-based paint.

Mayor Victorino and the RAM GAD: Recently I had the pleasure of appearing on Mayor Victorino’s show on Akaku to discuss the Lahaina injection well issue. After the GET Committee’s vote on Friday to settle the case, Mayor Victorino has asked me to join him on KAOI radio this Thursday at 7 a.m. for further discussion. I will try and upload our conversation as a bonus RAM GAD POD episode this week.

RAM GAD POD: This week’s interview is with Michelle Del Rosario, REALTOR and Executive Assistant to Council Chair Kelly King.

This episode is a good one for all my REALTORS out there. Michele McLean is both knowledgeable and a great communicator, so this was an easy interview for me. In this episode we dig into Michele's past, learn about her commitment to service, and we also get to know more about the Planning Department and how it works. My personal highlights were going over some of the issues she gets the most inquiries about (e.g., "Ohana Bill") and learning how community plans are developed. 

Hello Friends,

This episode is just a quick update from me and the usual rambling. If you don't feel like listening to the whole thing, here are the main points:

This episode is an interview with David Belew, Chief Staff Executive for the REALTORS Association of Maui. It is hard for me to talk about this interview without sounding like I'm sucking-up to my boss, so I'll try not to talk it up too much. Nevertheless, this one is a really pleasant listen because David is a really pleasant person. The highlight of this interview for me were learning about David's hatred of free time, his thoughts on working for REALTORS, and his love of board games. I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

Mahalo!

Hello Friends,

Time for another GAD update, plus a nice little chat about the Lahaina Injection Well Case. I'm actually kind of proud of this one, so I encourage you to listen. Nevertheless, if you are only here for the update portion, here are the key points: