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Hawai`i County Charter Commission -10 April 25, 2019 <br />no support from the County to supporting this program, when my first few <br />meetings expressed itself this way, some... a non-profit came in and they needed <br />to get funding for the next year. They hadn't gotten funding for the prior year, but <br />they still needed to apply for the following year, and I needed, coming from my <br />perspective, I am very strict oversight and if I don't see a final report from the <br />preceding year, I am not going to okay funding. But I was urged by the attorney <br />and Corporation Counsel and many people, like everyone else there, "well no <br />because everything is backed up and they still need to get their funding, so we are <br />just going to, you know, look at their proposal for the next year." And that really <br />rubbed me the wrong way. So what is ending up happening is like the staircase <br />fiasco, we are like committing all this money but we are not able to see the <br />performance because number one, there is no staff. The people...okay, well this <br />actually relates to staffing processing which is why it is super important to get <br />Finance Committee to be doing administration. Because what was happening was <br />when it was under Parks and Rec is that they were so backed up with so many... <br />they are the hugest department... it was too much for them. So it would be <br />wonderful to get Finance, and we actually had a little hui about it, like what are <br />we going to do about this and the gentleman to my left who so wisely suggested <br />"let's get it under Finance and we will go directly to the source." And we said <br />"yeah, let's suggest this to you folks," and that is how that got to be a suggested <br />amendment, a proposed amendment, but getting back to CA -18, you know, in <br />1994, the plantations were going out of business and Inouye, Senator Inouye was <br />lobbied by Monsanto and the GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) companies <br />that we've got the solution to agriculture in Hawai`i and that's this new thing <br />called genetic modifications. So they created an office called the Agro Business <br />Development Corporation. That office was basically what we are asking for for <br />support for our program. So they have this staff and it has been going on since <br />94, to help accommodate agro business and Monsanto and the GMOs. We need <br />to keep our money like staff salaries or the non -profits that would get jobs, why <br />not support open lands as we have supported GMOs and Monsanto by offering <br />these paid positions for you know, I am really strict with oversight for specific <br />tasks that were done to support open land so that we can function smoothly and <br />not spend all of this money on four staircases and not really get anything done. <br />Thank you. <br />CHR. ADAMS: Thank you. If I could ask, I am sorry. Okay. I would like to <br />ask Jesse Keone Potter please to come to the table. <br />Mr. Warshauer. <br />RICK <br />WARSHAUER: Proposal No. CA -18, commenting. <br />MR. WARSHAUER: My name is Rick Warshauer. I have been here a few times <br />before. I am glad to see you are still working on it. Mahalo for your service. I see <br />there are new additions all the time so you are busy at it. And I wanted to <br />Page 14 <br />