2021-12-21 Redistricting Commission minutes (11th Session)

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is Brenda. If this is Ms. Brenda Ford, this is your opportunity to provide testimony. Please unmute your mic and provide your testimony starting now. BRENDA FORD FORD: Thank you very much. This is Brenda Ford, member of the public. I would like to comment on District 8 and District 7. I gave a lot of thought to this over the weekend. District 8 has been described, with all due respect to Mr. Lopez, as a bedroom community. Let me explain what is currently in District 8, and will continue to be in District 8, under the plans that you have. It has the new industrial center, which includes Costco. It has the airport. It has the Civic Center. It has the courthouse. It probably will have the old industrial center. And therefore, it is not a totally bedroom community. It is a bedroom community up on the slopes of Hualalai. But the father downhill that you go, the most more industrial and commercial it becomes. District 7, the only commercial district that's really in it, is Kailua Village, and possibly some parts of Kealakekua. And that includes the Villages of Honalo and Kainaliu. It is definitely much more of a bedroom community than District 8. Therefore, it is my opinion that Kailua Village should not be divided the way it is currently divided. And the bottom of it, along the shoreline, along Alii Drive, and probably not above it for some of those subdivisions that are split. I respectfully ask that the Commission redo District 7 and 8 to include the comments that I have made. I will be here for the duration of the meeting. Thank you for your time. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony. Chair, the next person in your Zoom room is Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba. Mr. Inaba, if you plan to provide testimony, you can unmute your mic and provide your testimony. You'll have three minutes. HOLEKA GORO INABA INABA: Aloha kakahiaka, Commissioners. Holeka Inaba. I am the Council Member for District 8, north Kona. And just wanting to circle back on my testimony from last week. And it's to request that all of Kalaoa, north Kona, remain in District 8. It really doesn't make sense to separate the makai side of the highway into 8, and the mauka side into 7. And in addition to that, to make sure that we have Alii Drive all in one district, in District 7. And with that and any adjustments need to be made due to the numbers in north Kona and Kalaoa, I would recommend perhaps that the Nani Kailua, Aloha Kona subdivision, which is currently in District 8, be moved into District 7. And because it's located so close to the rest of District 7's neighborhoods and communities, I think this would make the most sense. So, with that, I just want to mahalo you all again for your work. And please just do what is sensible for Kona. And it would perhaps mirror what's happening in Hilo with keeping District 2 as the central town area, and that would be District 7 here in Kona. And then having District 8 be more similar to District 3, the outskirts, not necessarily the downtown areas of Hilo. So, mahalo nui and have a wonderful Christmas, and Happy Holidays. Aloha. 3