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CHR. SIRACUSA: At this point, because most of the Commissioners are in Kona, and you have testifiers there and we don't have any testifiers here, I am going to turn the chairmanship of the meeting over to Dru Kanuha in Kona. Take it away, Dru. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS MR. KANUHA: Thank you, now we will get to the statements from the public; we have one testifier here in Kona, Ms. Margaret Wille. MARGARET WILLE (At this time Margaret Wille came forward to address members of the Commission.) MS. WILLE: Margaret Wille, from Waimea. I do have an agenda item about maps, but I also wanted to make a general statement about how to handle competing criteria for the redistricting boundaries. This has come up repeatedly through the various considerations. I just thought I would throw out what I see as sort of the organized way to do this. Looking at what are the legal principles in terms of where you see a potential conflict between criteria, I just want to say a few things. Based on the hierarchy of laws, the criteria that are in the Charter trump any conflicting Code conditions, and if you have two conflicting provisions, that you try to interpret to avoid conflict; you go with that interpretation. The general principles of representative government to take into account the public input that you have. The three key Charter criteria, other than getting into theory, are the equal populations, compactness, and where possible keeping communities of interest together. The criteria in the County Ordinance are communities of interest, and where practicable socio- economics together, groups together. I just want to stress that where you see potential conflict, as you are going through this that the Charter criteria would trump any Code criteria and interpret potential conflicts in a manner that is not conflicting and when we look at compactness as a third criteria, it would trump negative deviation for high growth areas. Therefore, having a negative deviation for our large, low population areas, say Hamakua, District 1, I think would be appropriate. For example, I think it would be wrong for District 1 to cut into Hilo over the Wailuku River, or into Waimea, the town center. And it would be wrong to establish a North Kohala to Kukuihaele, Honoka` a District. I just wanted to go through some of those legal principals and looking at the generalities and where you do see a large district, with low population and it's on the low deviation side; I think the Charter provisions of compactness and continuity would prevail and that would not be a wrong decision. MR. KANUHA: Thank you for your testimony. Are there any testifiers in Waimea? MS. HANANO: Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Kanuha, we don't have any; but if anyone comes in, I'll let you know. MR. KANUHA: Thank you very much. Are there any testifiers in Hilo? CHR. SIRACUSA: No. 2