The anxiety on Lanai has been high for months as residents awaited news about an expected sale of the island.

And last week’s announcement that David Murdock was finalizing a deal to sell Lanai to Larry Ellison, the billionaire CEO of Oracle, appears to have done little to assuage the unease. There have been scant details about what Ellison has in store for the island other than general comments about bolstering tourism. 

Like other residents of the island that is home to about 3,000 people, Butch Gima, president of local community group, Lanaians for Sensible Growth, found out about the sale through news reports. 

But with the deal expected to close Wednesday, the group is beginning to agitate for a seat at the table to discuss the island’s future. 

“There have not been any meetings with the community with Ellis or Oracle that we know of,” he told Civil Beat. “This is something that LSG will probably want to pursue.”

For now, the group is seeking to be included in deliberations on the transfer of the island’s utilities. Read Civil Beat’s coverage here.