Baxa, Deleon and Moikeha among Charter Commission Nominees

By Wendy Osher

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa today announced his nominees to the 2011 Charter Commission.  The 11 member list includes Linda Kay Okamoto, Stephanie “Stacy” Crivello, Artemio Baxa, David Deleon, Wayne Hedani, Yuki Lei Sugimura, Flo Wiger, Clifford Hashimoto, Frank De Rego Jr., Susan Moikeha, and Joshua Stone.

Arakawa said he is pleased with the slate of individuals nominated, saying, “They come from diverse backgrounds, are very community minded and are committed to helping make Maui County a better place for us all,” said Mayor Arakawa.

The Charter Commission, which last met in 2001, is formed every ten years and is made up of community members nominated by the Mayor, and approved by the Maui County Council.

The Council’s Policy Committee will be considering the nominees at it’s March 2, 2011 meeting beginning at 9 a.m. in the Council Chambers.

The list of individuals and their backgrounds are as follows:

• Linda Kay Okamoto, is the owner of Okamoto Realty on Lanai and a retired public school teacher.
• 

  Stephanie Crivello, file photo.

  Stephanie Stacy Crivello, is a long-time Molokai community advocate and retired Molokai/Lanai manager for GTE Hawaiian Tel/Verizon.  She currently serves as Chair of the Maui Fire and Public Safety Commission, a term which expires next month.

• Artemio Baxa, is a county deputy prosecuting attorney and retired circuit court judge on Maui.
• David Deleon, is a Government Affairs Director for the Realtors Association of Maui and a former executive assistant under Mayor Linda Lingle and Mayor Alan Arakawa.
• Wayne Hedani, President and General Manager for Kaanapali Operations Association, is a former chairman of the Maui Planning and Maui Police Commissions.
• Yuki Lei Sugimura, is a public relations/marketing firm owner and a former Office of Economic and Development Specialist under Mayor James “Kimo” Apana.
• Flo Wiger, is a recently retired Dean of Instruction at UH-Maui Community College and Director of Teaching and Learning for the University of Hawaii Community Colleges.
• Clifford Hashimoto, a retired member of the United States Marine Corp., also served as former Executive Director of the Hana Cultural Center.
• Frank De Rego Jr., is a Program and Education specialist for the Maui Economic Development Board.
• Susan Moikeha, is a self-employed bookkeeper and project manager for Na Hale O Maui.
• Joshua Stone, owns a restaurant/small business, and is a former professional athlete.

Charter Commission members are responsible for reviewing the current charter and considering proposed amendments.  If they decide to do a complete overhaul and introduce a new charter, their proposals would be submitted to voters at a general or special election to be determined by the Charter Commission.

Charter Commission meetings are open to the public.  Dates, times and locations of meetings will be posted on the County website and at the County Building.