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

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unmute their mic by pressing *6, if they wish to testify. Again, the phone number ending withoh, seems like you've unmuted. So, if you'd like to provide your testimony, you have your three minutes starting now. SHANNON MATSON MATSON: Thank you so much. This is Shannon Matson. Aloha, Commissioners. I was unable to access the Zoom link last meeting, and also this meeting. I just keep getting an error code. So, I called in by phone. And I just wanted to start with, I was able to tune in and out at your last meeting on Friday as much as I was able to. And I really appreciate how diligently you are all taking that testimony that you received last week Tuesday and Thursday to heart. I could hear some of the deliberations. And I know that you guys are all trying your absolute best to meet all of the diverse needs of our island. So, I wanted to mahalo you all for that. And then I also wanted to draw your attention. I did submit written testimony. I also submitted,just because I think it's easier to see all of the things I'm suggesting on the actual map tool. I submitted a map that is COH SM those are my last initials SM-1. This was while you were doing the work that you were doing on Friday. So, before the map had gotten altered as far as you have gone at this point. It was based off of the map that everyone gave feedback on, the public map. And I also tried to incorporate all of the wonderful things that Commissioner Hustace has done as far as trying to do the least amount of changing by going with the current map. And I think I was able to accomplish both of those things. I know you're not taking any more public maps. So, I understand if you feel limited, that you can't go and look at this map and use this map. But I would encourage you to really look at it because the deviation is much less. I know you guys got toI think where you left off was a little bit over the ten percent. This map is, I believe above, seven percent deviation. It addresses most of those concerns I just heard from the Council Members in Kona. Except for Nani Kailua, I believe, is still in District 7 rather than 8. But overall, the lines are much cleaner. I believe it met some of those concerns that everyone was feeling about the Kona communities. I also believed that it did a really good job of addressing some of the concerns I and others had about the Puna communities, primarily HPP. I still was not able to figure out a way to keep all of HPP together, but the way that I see it being dividing on your working document, I think is problematic because it's like an upper part of HPP. And then there's going to be some connectivity issues in separating that out from the lower part of HPP. So, I just went straight down the road there and took some of the northern part of HPP and put it in Council 5 and kept the other part in Council 4. The HPP is being split across two council districts, but I do think that the way I am splitting is still allowing for really nice representation for those voices in HPP to have two representatives, two council people, in a way that will make sense for them. And still feel like their voices are being amplified, rather than diluted. Whereas with the current map that you guys are working on, I'm more concerned about the way that's being divided. Also, the most important thing that I took away from hearing all that testimony from the public was the importance of keeping Pana`ewa and Keaukaha areas together, and not diluting the native Hawaiian vote. And I was able to do that as well. I saw that you guys focused on that right at the beginning. And I again, I appreciate that, but because your deviation numbers are rather high, I think that the map that I put forward makes a little bit 5