LIHUE — Shawn Smith, general manager of land investment company Falko Partners, LLC, withdrew his nomination to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources Wednesday, state officials said. Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s spokeswoman Christine Hirasa said the decision was made
LIHUE — Shawn Smith, general manager of land investment company Falko Partners, LLC, withdrew his nomination to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources Wednesday, state officials said.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s spokeswoman Christine Hirasa said the decision was made for “personal reasons.”
The withdrawal came only hours before Smith’s confirmation hearing before the state Senate’s Committee on Water and Land on Wednesday afternoon.
Smith, an interim BLNR member, was appointed to the seven-member board in June to replace Ron Agor and tapped to become a sitting board member by Abercrombie soon afterward.
His nomination, however, came under fire by some community members and legislators who criticized his involvement in the Kahuaina Plantation subdivision project in Waipake, which is owned by Falko Partners.
Smith, a former Kauai Chamber of Commerce board member and Kauai Police Department officer, also serves as Kauai’s representative to the Department of Transportation Advisory Board and the vice president of the Kauai Police Activities League.
He did not return messages from The Garden Island Wednesday.
