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Ms. Rohr: <br />Thank you. I'm Claudia Rohr. I'm gonna tell the truth. I made a <br />request for information from the Clerk to get the actual minutes of <br />what Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz test... ah stated as her <br />statement of...into the record of the Council. But I did re -listen to <br />it. The video and I don't believe that she has actually admitted to <br />understanding the nature of the favoritism. That she would be <br />partici...that she would be participating in. And number one...she <br />was chairperson. She wasn't...(phone ringing). I'm sorry, I <br />thought I had that on...let me turn it off, hold on. She wasn't just a <br />Councilmember. She was the chair of the committee. That meant <br />she was in control of the hearing. The hearing, the discussion <br />veered from the agenda item. She didn't correct that. She didn't <br />hold the other members to the agenda item. And she doesn't <br />appear to admit to the type of favoritism that would occur here. <br />The Council is being asked to amend a zoning ordinance. It's the <br />construction deadline in a zoning ordinance that expired 19 years <br />ago. And this was for a new project. But what's being considered <br />now is just amending the construction deadline so that the <br />landowner, Suisan and this is a quote by their representative that <br />the landowner is Suisan. He stated that first thing at...at the <br />hearing. Anyway they want...what was being discussed was going <br />ahead and amending the ordinance even though nobody's <br />supported the Pi'ilani water bottling plant. But they just wanted to <br />amend it so that Suisan could have permanent useful...a useful <br />zoning ordinance that allowed for industrial zoning rather than a <br />zoning ordinance that had expired 19 years ago and was a nullity. <br />What she didn't admit to, is that they did this on the basis that <br />there was a lack of...there was a...lack of fee simple industrial <br />properties in Hilo. That implies a scarcity. And anyone who <br />checks the tax records will see that industrial zoned properties are <br />worth at least a third...at least 50 % more than a commercial <br />property. It means a lot of scarcity may mean that its...has even <br />more value and it's been admitted that Suisan's selling this <br />property. So the Council is being persuaded to facilitate a real <br />estate deal. This real estate deal was disclosed. But they're being <br />encouraged to facilitate a real estate deal which is an option to <br />purchase the land if they get the rezoning ordinance amended. <br />That means it will have more value. The proper procedure, Mr. <br />Goodenow, Vice-Chairman...the proper procedure is to... Yeah, I <br />like it when people listen to me. Okay...so they were...being <br />encouraged...or certain members like Aaron Chung were <br />encouraging other Councilmembers to facilitate a real estate <br />transaction. And to make this property more valuable than it <br />would have been if the landowner had used proper procedure <br />which is to put in an application to repeal the ordinance in its <br />entirety. That's the proper procedure. Repeal the ordinance in its <br />4 <br />