Full name:? Margaret Dunham (McCain) Wille
Age:? 64
Occupation: attorney
Political affilation: Democrat
What compels you to run for public office??
I had not planned to run for public office. Councilman
Pete Hoffmann asked me to run. (He is termed out.)
After giving this opportunity some thought, I grew more
and more excited about running for public office ?
thinking about all I can accomplish to help my District 9
communities and our Island-wide community. ?
What qualifications and attributes do you have that?
would make you successful on the Hawaii County?
Council??
1. My academic background provides me with a
foundation for legislative office:
B.A. Cultural anthropology; Masters in Education
Juris Doctorate ? Law (admitted to the Bar in
Washington D.C., Maine, and Hawaii, now active as a
sole practitioner in Waimea)
2.? Experience as a small business law firm
specializing in land use matters for 30+ years: including
real estate, matters, subdivision developments, and
other land use permitting; more recently here in
Waimea I have also focused on cultural and
environmental issues.? Prior to working as a sole
practitioner I was employed in a legal services office,
and supervised a state-wide program providing legal
services to agricultural workers.
3.? Experience in all three branches of government:
I have a good command of how government works and
how the three branches function. My government
experiences include: an internship in federal appellate
court in Washington, D. C.; employee of a state
department of agriculture drafting rules and training
staff; drafting and lobbying legislation on the federal
and state levels, as well as following County of Hawaii
council legislation for the past 6 years. I regularly
testify before the council on many different issues.
I have also worked with our State representatives and
the Mayor on state legislation that affects our island ?
such as helping Mayor Kenoi preserve our County?s
Transit Accommodation Tax revenues.
4. I am already knowledgeable about key county?
issues.? I will not have to spend time ?getting up to
speed? on the various complex and challenging issues
now facing this County.
What do you believe is the single most pressing need?
for the area you are seeking to represent? ?
The most pressing need is to increase revenue to our
District and the County generally.? With more revenue
we will be able to increase meaningful jobs, provide
more educational opportunities, provide a better safety
net for those in need of food and shelter; be able to
expand parks with an emphasis on health and fitness
opportunities for those of all ages, and focus on cultural
issues such as preservation of our communities
historical sites and sense of place. I have many ideas
how we can raise revenue without increasing taxes.
In terms of a single pressing area of need here in this
District: food and shelter for those in need combined
with better and more educational opportunities.
What will be your first piece of legislation and why??
I don?t know what will be my first.? I have a list of
important legislation in mind. For example: 1)
Simplifying some of the land use permitting processes to
make them more of a check list procedure (streamlining
but not overlooking legitimate environmental and
cultural issues); 2) Establishing a County level cultural
commission. (This will enable us to qualify for far more
federal funds.);? 3) Helping the mayor to address the
island-wide solid waste and recycling issues
comprehensively; 4)Working on ways to empower more
home rule community oriented commissions and
committees, such as strengthening the Community
Development Plan Action Committees; 5) Engaging in a
review of the real property tax program based on the
April 2012 consultant?s report.
I intend to work collaboratively? with the Mayor and
other Council members on these and other issues.
What is your position on geothermal??
I support geothermal ? but with the first step of
addressing the welfare, health, and safety concerns of
those in the immediate area of the geothermal sites.
How do you propose to address the County?s?
persistent solid waste problem??
By taking a comprehensive look at all of the options
from the perspective that solid waste is our most
valuable resource. I could give you a list of so many
current practices that are being done wrong, but the
point is we are spending a lot of taxpayers money on
solid waste, whereas we should aim to be paid by those
who control this waste stream.
How do you intend to stimulate economic?
development/job growth in the area you seek to?
represent? ?
I am good at bringing in funds from many sources. I am
also good at putting together public ? private
partnerships. For example, I recently masterminded a
federal ? county ? private landowner partnership to
construct a new million dollar county road in
Laupahoehoe.
What are your thoughts about cannabis/marijuana?
and constituents seeking to have it?
legalized/decriminalized??
I am open to some controlled legalization program such
as in being carried out in other mainland communities.
One of my daughters has been very ill (lyme disease),
and while going though a period of severe pain, only
medicinal marijuana abated the nerve pain.? She
previously did not use and did not like marijuana.
Two part question: Is there any legislation currently?
on the books that you are going to seek to repeal?? If?
so, which one(s) and why??
I have been frustrated representing clients going
through the permitting process and would like to help
streamline some of these permitting procedures. For
example why should obtaining a water catchment
system require a variance. The law should be simple,
you meet the clear requirement and you get a water
catchment permit ?simple and no discretion involved.
I would reconsider the various laws that require
developers to build a percentage of single family (?low
cost?) homes. I would focus instead on multiunit
apartments, transitional housing, combined with an
upgrade in the island wide bus system.? There are many
problems with the way the affordable housing
requirements are implemented that need to be
addressed. Also we need to find our way out of all the
lawsuits involving the various affordable housing
criteria.? There are no winners in these protracted very
costly cases.
What is the County?s operating budget amount??
Can?t tell you without looking it up.
How many projects on the Capital Improvement?
Project list pertain to your district, specifically??
My recollection is that it was close to a dozen that one
way or another affected District 9.? I would have to look
up the exact number listed specific for District 9 ? that
information is readily available in the budget handouts.
What Capital Improvement Project currently not on?
the list for your district do you propose to be added? ?
I have a number of projects in mind. One in particular
that I thought important was for a regional transit and
information hub, that I thought should be located in the
area of Waimea?s post office.? With the support of the
South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee and with help
from my councilman Pete Hoffmann, I was able to get
this onto the CIP list for the current budget year. There
are federal funds available for this type of facility and so
I wanted to get this onto the CIP list as soon as possible.
I also worked to pin down Department of Recreation
funds to be sure those funds are for North Kohala park
improvements.
With respect to adding projects to the CIP budget list, I
want to stress that the affected areas Community
Development Plan Action Committee is supposed to play
a key role. See Section 16-6 of Ordinance 08-159,
setting forth the role of the Action Committee in
recommending county priorities for the CIP budget.
What are your thoughts about the Building Code? ?
I believe our building code should be contoured to
Hawaii island needs and materials with an emphasis on
addressing the lack of adequate housing.? At the same
time we need to address federal and state standards, so
that homeowners are not inadvertently disqualified
from flood or other insurance programs. ?
What do you think about efforts to establish an?
alternative building code? ?
I am supportive.
In a few sentences, what are your thoughts about the?
Zoning Code? ?
There are a lot of problems with the zoning code. The
Code is also rarely enforced. Clear violations are cited
without any consequences. Those who do comply with
the zoning laws are therefore disadvantaged.
We need to simplify the zoning and rezoning laws and
make them more readily enforceable. The fines are so
low in some cases, that they are disregarded as a
minimal ?cost of doing business?. In contrast Shoreline
Management Area violation fees are high but then
?negotiated? down to a pittance.? The result ? lack of
respect for the law and lack of respect for the County as
the protector of our County?s land use laws.
Have you read the County Charter? If so, what?
section pertains to the Hawaii County Council??
Yes I have read the Charter in its entirety. It is our
County?s constitution.? Article III sets out the legislative
powers of the Council, however numerous other
sections affect the operation of the Council, for example
Article 10 on Financial Procedures is key to the
budgetary process involving both the executive and
legislative branches.
I drafted what is now Article? 13, Section 13-29
?Conservation of Natural and Cultural Resources?. As
edited and approved by the Charter Commission, this
Charter provision was overwhelmingly approved by the
voters in 2008. This Charter Provision also affects how
decisions should be made by the Council.
Should you be elected, how will constituents measure?
your success two years from now? ?
My success will be measured by how effectively and
responsibly I have governed in the spirit of aloha for our
District ohana and for our island-wide ohana.? In light of
the increasing number of legislative state and federal
matters that directly impact our District, I expect they
will also look at how well I have collaborated with our
state and federal public officials.
Why should constituents vote for you??
I will represent all interests fairly and with much aloha.
Based on what I have already accomplished as a private
citizen and while campaigning, I am far more skilled,
knowledgeable, and effective than the other candidates.
I don?t avoid controversial issues and am good at
attaining common ground solutions from divergent
interests.? I will work collaboratively with
the other councilmembers and with the Mayor.
Where did you have your campaign material (e.g.,?
pamphlets, bumper stickers, yard signs and banners)?
designed and printed??
Both on-island and mainland sources.
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