2022_11_15 Game Management Advisory Commission Minutes

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Dear Mayor Roth, After a motion that was passed, I am writing you in regards to the Mayor's Office changing of the Hawaii County Game Management Advisory Commission's meeting time and format. Beginning two months ago, the meeting was changed to 2 to 4 p.m. with no ability of the public to attend or testify in person. Testimony is now only via Zoom. Since 2014 GMAC has been meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. usually in the County Council Chambers. Evening public attendance and testimony has been a cornerstone of GMAC's mission and meetings. Many fishers, hunters and gatherers and their ohana tell us that the daytime working hours meeting time is impossible to attend. Kupuna tell us that they are not computer savvy and in-person attendance is a must. Still not understanding why the meetings were changed can you give us specifics reasons for the new format? Also, do you have alternatives for in-person meetings and evening time slots that help us serve our mission? Mahalo, Abraham Antonio GMAC Chairperson AA: Abraham, District—5— I think you should add on top of that letter the recent events that the Office of Management has gave powers or have given more powers to have control over these Zoom meetings when I've asked in previous meetings, after previous meetings, for us to have, for the Chair and the Vice-Chair to have training on these and one have been and now, magically, the last two meetings that they have taken control to the daytime, um, now they have, all of sudden they have powers to mute people and, yeah, basically to mute people and they have more control now, versus how prior we never had that control. SW: Deputy Corporation Counsel —Sylvia Wan. I think Chair is confused about the powers... AA: No, I'm not, Abraham, District—5. 1 am not confused about the powers. SW: The application has always been able to do that. It was a matter of staff. AA: It's still I'm not confused about it. They always had staff even our night times meeting. The staff were always there. SW: Yeah, but the person who is doing it right now... 11