Town Association reminds Mililani homeowners: ‘Don’t forget to vote!’
MILILANI—Mililani Town is a tight knit community known for its well-maintained common areas and communal efforts to keep the town safe and family friendly. Mililani homeowners work together under the Mililani Town Association (MTA), which will soon be holding an election to fill the three vacancies on the board of directors.
The 42-year-old town association said in October that they were looking for candidates who are dedicated to serving the interests of MTA, and have time to attend the association’s monthly board meetings and serve as a member of the MTA standing committees. There are nine directors with three-year terms. Every year, three director positions open for elections.
Calvin Maeda, MTA general manager, says the positions and elections are open to Mililani homeowners only.
“The board directors help manage operations of MTA,” explained Maeda in October. “They oversee usage of our common areas, work with developers, total operations.”
The candidates for the vacancies include Melvin K. Apana, Robert Barrett, Roger Babcock, Michelle Kidani, Michael S. Mollohan Sr., Jeffrey P. Kim, and Gregory J. Sitar. Although the MTA has been seeking applicants since October, the election results won’t be announced until the 43rd Annual Board Meeting on March 16.
According to the association, current non-profit organization law does not permit spouses to serve on the same board at the same time. “We’ve run into this before, spouses both wanting to be on the board, but we advised them that they cannot,” Maeda said.
According to the MTA website, the association provides financially stable management with concern for maintaining property values and for the purpose of protecting the peace, health, comfort, safety, and general welfare of the owners of Mililani Town. The association also provides recreational activities at their seven recreational centers, six of which have swimming pools. A planned community of parks and walkways, schools, churches, and support organizations, Mililani has a distinct emphasis on family living.
The MTA is asking for homeowners to remember to vote. All votes must be received no later than March 14.
For voting instructions and an official ballot, Mililani residents click here
To assist Mililani homeowners in selecting their board of directors, the MTA has published the following brief statements and profiles about the candidates:
Community participation: Waipio LL Baseball—headcoach MTA Volunteer Board member, building and grounds Neighborhood board #12, Papakolea Community Development Corporation Vice President.
“My wife Lorraine and I lived in Mililani Mauka, 6 years in a unique planned community,” Apana said. “We have three sons, Mathew 40, Kimo 38, Kawika 30, three dogs, and two cats. We are retired and a caregiver for my 74-year-old brother John. I am born-again Christian and fellowship at Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor.
“I believe a candidate should continue in community service,” Apana continued. “I will be a leader with no limitations and work to inspire others. I believe in core principals and moral values like: confidence, strength, motivation, integrity, and accountability to serve as a good director. I have a passion to achieve these goals: 1) Reduce MTA fee by 30 percent 2) Reform Home Improvement Rules 3) Bipartisanship and transparency. I humbly ask for your vote.”
Community participation: Director for Mililani Town Association since 2005 (including one year as vice president and one year as treasurer); Chair of Mililani Middle School Community Council; Vice-chair of Mililani Ike School Community Council; Committee chair of Cub Scout Pack 864 Mililani Ike; Director of Mililani Hongwanji Board of Directors (Adopt-A-Highway volunteer, Dharma School co-director, secretary); Member of Mililani AYSO Region 119 Board of Directors; Head coach of AYSO Mililani U-8, U-10, and U-12; Head coach of Mililani Basketball Association 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-15; Manager of Waipio Little League Pee Wee; Board of Directors Village on the Green at Waikele (president, vice president, treasurer); Member of Central Oahu Regional Park Committee; Committee Chair of Hawaii Water Environment Association; President (current), president-elect, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, committee chair for the Hawaii Section American Society of Civil Engineers; Member of Army Restoration Advisory Board; Chairman of State of Hawaii Board of Certification of Operating Personnel in Wastewater Treatment Plants (7 years); Member of Association of Environmental Engineering Professors; Secretary of Engineers Without Borders-USA, Honolulu Chapter; Member of Red Cross Disaster Shelter Team, Mililani Ike School.
“I have proudly served as a MTA Director for six years; this past year as treasurer,” Babcock said. “As a Board member and resident, it is my desire to maintain Mililani as a safe and desirable community in which property values are sustained. By serving on this and other boards, I have learned about community governance, fiduciary duty, covenants and restrictions, finances, working with employees and contractors, and how to maintain reasonable association fees. I have been a professor at the University of Hawaii for 15 years and I am also a licensed, practicing Civil Engineer. My wife, Jill, and I and our children, Nicholas, Evan, and Xander have lived in Mililani for 7-and-a-half years and we are proud to call Mililani home. I would be honored to continue to serve on the MTA Board to promote and advocate for our common goals of maintaining and improving our community.”
“I am the President and co-owner of Coastal Windows, Inc., a family owned and operated vinyl window and door manufacturer in the Waipio-Gentry Business Park, since 1990,” Barrett said. “We employ 40 plus people and many of them live in the central Oahu area. My wife, son, and I have lived in Hawaii for 20 years. We spent the first 16 years in Ewa Beach and have called Mililani home for the last 4 years. We find Mililani a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I enjoy coaching my son’s soccer and basketball teams, working in the yard and I am chairman of our church’s Pastoral Council. I would like to help the board stay focused and on point with fiscal responsibility. I would be honored to be considered for one of the vacancies on the Mililani Board of Directors.”
Community participation: Currently serves as the State Senator representing Mililani Town and a portion of Mililani Mauka, elected to the Hawaii State Senate in 2008. A homeowner since 1974, Kidani participated in other community activities such as chairing and coordinating teams for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in the Wahiawa, Mililani, and Waipahu communities. She served as a member of the Mililani/Waipio/Melemanu Neighborhood Board for 10 years, and as a precinct poll officer in Mililani. She is a former board member of Festivals Hawaii and is a former board member of the Honolulu Community Action Program (HCAP). A former administrator for MedQuest Customer Services Branch, Kidani also served as the Executive Assistant for the Honolulu City and County Neighborhood Commission Office.
“I find that serving as a volunteer MTA Director compliments the work I do in the State Senate for the community,” Kidani said. “For the past 12 years, it has been a privilege to serve on the MTA Board to work towards solving our communities’ issues. While this service requires participation in many monthly meetings, the dedicated efforts by all MTA Board members ensures the best quality of life for our Mililani community. My participation in Mililani community activities began in 1980 serving as a manager and board member of the Mililani-Waipio Bobby Sox League. I have served on the Mililani High School PTSO and their Student Board of Appeals. As an alumni of the Hawaii Leadership Academy, I have gained valuable leadership skills, and I firmly believe that helping others is a key core value. I would be honored to receive your vote of confidence.”
Community participation: Director, Board of Directors, AOAO Island Classics.
Kim said: “I’m not a Lawyer, but in my ‘limited legal interpretation,’ I believe Sections 5.05(a) (Powers and Authority of Association), 5.07 (Liability of Member of the Board), and 5.08 (Exclusive Powers of the Association) of the MTA-DCCRs collectively comprise a ‘Writ of Assistance’ or a ‘... general search [warrant] that [does] not expire.’ Such writs have been ‘postscribed’ since the American Revolution (late 18th century) because ‘... [a]ny place could be searched at the whim of the holder, and searchers were not responsible for any damaged they caused[;] [t]his put anyone who had such a writ above the law.’ According to Wikipedia: ‘Controversy over these general writs of assistance inspired the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which [forbids] general search Warrants in the United States.’ If you’ve been victimized by the MTA-DCCRs as I have, I invite you to join me in The Crusade Against Facism & Oppressionism at http://www.cafoomta.com.
Community Participation: Associate Board Member, Board of Governors, for Shriners Hospital for Children in Honolulu; Volunteer Youth Sports Coach for the Boy Scouts.
“As a father, husband, community volunteer, and homeowner with both experience and education in business and management, in addition to over 25 years of military leadership experience, I have the background, ability, and commitment to represent the diverse community and ohana that makes Mililani special and worth serving,” Mollohan said. “I would like to bring to our Town Association a fresh opinion that every member is equally important and that what we do to help our neighbors individually or collectively is what makes Mililani the best community in all of Hawaii nei.”