A Message From the Chapter President - Fall 2019

It’s hard to believe that two years have passed and my term as the Chapter’s President has come to an end.  I’d like to thank the membership for providing me with the opportunity to lead and represent the Chapter.  I step down knowing that the Chapter is in good hands with Tessa Munekiyo-Ng as the incoming President and a committed Executive Committee to lead the chapter in the coming years.

One of the valuable aspects to serving as the Chapter’s President is having the opportunity interact with other chapters and learn about the programs and services they provide to members.  Despite the fact that we are a smaller chapter, I can confidently say that APA-HI provides benefits to members that are on par, or exceed, those provided by other Chapters.   Credit for this goes to our members who volunteer their time to serve on the Chapter’s executive and standing committees, and past leadership who laid a strong foundation for the Chapter’s operations.

You may know that APA recently adopted a Planning for Equity policy guide which provides best practices to promote equity and remove barriers in policies and regulations that perpetuate inequity.  In Hawaii, we take it for granted that our diversity helps to promote social equity.  However, we should periodically take time to pause and reflect upon whether the policies and regulations that govern our planning practices can be improved to facilitate more equitable outcomes.  Over the past year, there have been a number of projects that have engendered protests due to community members feeling disenfranchised or because of perceived social inequities. We should ask ourselves “Can we do more?” and “Should the rules be changed?”  Our laws and regulations should reflect our values of fairness and justice, however, values change over time while laws and regulations tend to be static.   So we should be vigilant to adjust our practices, and speak out if changes to laws and regulations are needed.

In closing thank you again for the opportunity to lead the Chapter, and I hope you all have a safe and happy Holiday Season and prosperous New Year!