(BIVN) – John De Fries will serve as the Executive Director of the newly formed Maunakea Stewardship Oversight Authority (MKSOA).

The MKSOA members voted to approve the hiring of De Fries during a hybrid meeting on Thursday that took place, in part, at the DLNR building on East Kawili Street, and also online via ZOOM.

MKSOA members and the public at the DLNR building on East Kawili Street in Hilo

MKSOA Chair John Komeji informed the board that De Fries will be under a three year agreement, with a salary of $200,000 per year. There will be an annaul review of the executive director’s performance.

De Fries in 2016 served as Hawaiʻi County’s Director of the Department of Research and Development under former Mayor Billy Kenoi. Most recently, from September 2020 to September 2023, De Fries was the President & CEO of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

The selection of De Fries was divisive, testimony shows.

De Fries garnered support from noted Hawaiʻi names like Nainoa Thompson, Claude Onizuka, Kamanaʻopono Crabbe, and John Waiheʻe, as well as organizations like Hualalai Realty, Hawaiʻi Green Growth UN Local2030 Hub, and the Maunakea Observatories.

“One of John’s most admirable qualities is his ability to bridge seemingly disparate perspectives and foster collaboration among stakeholders,” wrote Kūhiō Lewis, the CEO for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. “In a landscape often marked by polarization between culture and science, I believe John will demonstrate a steadfast commitment to finding common ground and promoting a harmonious coexistence of interests atop our sacred mauna. His inclusive leadership style and dedication to aloha ʻāina embody the spirit of mutual stewardship advocated by the legislature.”

There were also numerous comments in opposition to the selection. Many took issue with De Fries’ time as a President & CEO of 1250 Oceanside Partners and the heavily litigated Hokuliʻa development in Kona.

KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, wrote a detailed testimony concerning De Fries’ prior statements on the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope project, which stalled due to massive community opposition in 2019. From KAHEA:

In a 2019 interview, De Fries was asked: “How are you looking at Mauna Kea and where we are at today?” He responded: “I believe Mauna Kea has the power to convene exactly what is happening on the mauna right now. And in fact embraces that activity. I also believe Mauna Kea embraces modern astronomy and the construction of TMT.”De Fries takes a dangerous position, which imagines Kānaka Maoli organizing against the TMT can be reconciled with TMT construction. The latter negates the first. This position does not reconcile the issues, but sides with domination by the State.

De Fries has problematically suggested a genealogical relationship with industrial astronomy development, stating: “Over past 50 years, Tutu Maunakea has hanai’d 13 moopuna haole – 13 telescopes.”

DeFries’ problematic approaches to Mauna Kea demonstrates his failure to understand the issues raised and sustained by Kū Kia‘i Mauna. De Fries would thus be challenged to “[d]evelop[] and maintain relations with stakeholders, government agencies, and other groups; deals with consultants, Hawaiian and other community leaders, legislators, government officials, and other parties[.]” MKSOA position description, Part III.A.4.

“When I started to look more into Mr. De Friesʻ history and experience I found a person who is willing to sit at the head of controversial projects that divide our communities and will pay apologetic lip service, but plows forward anyway. And I don’t mean that as a compliment,” wrote Shelley Muneoka. “Someone who doesn’t respect a community’s ‘no’ should not be at the helm of decisions for Mauna Kea, a sacred mountain, who is loved so deeply by so many. The leader of this organization shouldn’t be someone practiced at taking the karmic hit of splitting communities and even families in the service of business as usual. His hiring itself re-creates this well-worn fissure.”

“My role is not as an advocate of TMT,” De Fries told the MKSOA members on Thursday. “When I decided to apply for this role, what I was becoming was an advocate of was Act 255. Astronomy is one section that.”

Act 255 was the State legislation that created MKSOA, with the intent to transition the management of the mountain away from the University of Hawaiʻi over the coming years.

“Then the role of the board will be to decide its position on TMT, and then your role will be to carry out that position?” asked MKSOA member Benjamin Kudo. 

“Correct,” answered De Fries. 

The membership of the Authority voted to approve the hiring of De Fries by a 7 to 2 vote. MKSOA members Kalehua Krug and Lanakila Mangauil voted “no”.

MKSOA already faces legal challenges. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has filed a lawsuit seeking to judicially dissolve the newly formed authority.