Big Isle Council seeks to
By Rod Thompson
embrace all three parties
Star-BulletinHILO -- The Democratic majority of the Hawaii County Council is proposing an organizational structure that shares power with Republicans and the Council's sole Green Party member.
The organization includes accepting Hamakua Democrat Dominic Yagong back into the fold after Yagong unsuccessfully attempted to engineer an alternative coalition of slow-growth members from all three parties.
Yagong would have become chairman, replacing Jimmy Arakaki, if the attempt succeeded.
The line-up is expected to be approved Dec. 7 following inauguration ceremonies.
Continuing in their present posts are Arakaki as chairman, Al Smith as vice chairman, Aaron Chung as finance chairman, and Bobby-Jean Leithead-Todd as planning chairwoman. Yagong will continue as public works chairman.
Two new committees will be created. Republican Leningrad Elarionoff will head the Human Services and Economic Development Committee, with Green Julie Jacobson as vice chairwoman.
The other new committee will be Intergovernmental Relations and Hawaiian Affairs, to be headed by part-Hawaiian Curtis Tyler, who has become noted for voting against almost every measure that comes before the Council. Jacobson will serve as vice chairwoman.
Newcomer Democrat Nancy Pisicchio, who made her name opposing an upscale residential community in Kona, was named to chair the county Housing Agency.
