Acting mayor vetoes property-sale bill

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Mayor Jeremy Harris' administration yesterday vetoed a bill that would restrict the way the city sells property, but the City Council is likely to overturn the veto.

City Managing Director Ben Lee, acting as mayor while Harris is on the Mainland, said he vetoed Bill 8 because it is "infeasible to implement due to its vague language and convoluted provisions and requirements."

The bill, sponsored by Councilman Gary Okino, would require the administration to provide the council with a marketing plan and details about how a property would be used, before putting it on the market.

The measure was introduced in response to concerns about the city's sale of a downtown parking lot known as Block J, and a proposal to sell several apartment buildings that include many low-income tenants. The council later rejected the apartment sales.

The council unanimously approved Bill 8 on April 14, and chairman Donovan Dela Cruz said the veto will likely be overturned unless the administration is able to provide some new and convincing information.

The veto was the administration's second this year. In March the council overturned Harris' veto of a zoning change required for a Best Buy consumer electronics store to be built near the Pearl Harbor shoreline in Waimalu.