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I am talking about Plan _B alternate 2. My concern there is two fold. One is with <br />Hamakua; I am a traditionalist and an historian, and I feel that Hamakua needs to expand <br />more to the mountains where you have moved it to the sea. The second thing is with Puna; <br />the young lady mentioned the fact that Kea`au is the center of Puna. Well, I grew up in <br />Pahoa, in Mountain View, and I think she is absolutely right. I think Pahoa is the center of <br />one portion of Puna, and Kea`au is another. When you separate Kea` au out, I think you are <br />dividing the common interests of a homogeneous grouping. I would like to thank you for <br />your wonderful work, I think the plans get better and better and better, and I am hoping to <br />see you again at the final meeting in which time we can see where we are going. Thank <br />you very much. <br />CHR. SIRACUSA: Thank you. Let's go back to Hilo and call Rich Warshauer. <br />RICK WARSHAUER <br />(At this time Rick Warshauer came forward via to address members of the Commission.) <br />MR. WARSHAUER: Good morning, I really appreciate the job you folks have been <br />doing. I am really glad to see so much community input, albeit in a lot of different forms. <br />I really feel that no matter what the outcome, this is going to be the best ever redistricting, <br />because there has been a lot more consideration of different neighborhoods, different <br />districts' concerns. I realize that you have had to listen to a lot of hysterical blogs, and <br />weekly whims, and people who come misinformed, and there is so much confusion in the <br />different plans, I feel misinformed and not up to date, currently. So, the one thing I am <br />going to address is the position of Volcano versus Kea`au in the plan. The district <br />configuration for Puna that showed Volcano earlier, had a peripheral Puna and a more <br />central core Puna as two separate districts, and Volcano fit quite nicely in that peripheral <br />Puna. Kea`au seems, these days, to be a suburb of Hilo, and I really don't feel that bad <br />about it being included in Hilo because I know the numbers have to balance. But <br />everybody feels that about their own area, so whatever happens, happens. I do want to <br />echo the thoughts of the first speaker; I thought he did a good job, just as you folks are <br />doing. So thank you very much. <br />CHR. SIRACUSA: Thank you very much Rick. We now go to Pahoa. <br />MS. LIVELY: Good morning, thank you Chair. We have Toby Hazel. She is going to be <br />commenting on redistricting plans. <br />TOBY HAZEL <br />(At this time Toby Hazel came forward via videoconference from Pahoa to address members of the <br />Commission.) <br />MS. HAZEL: Hi, good morning Chair, and all the other people who have worked so hard <br />on this. I'm not sure I understand all the details, but yes, indeed, the whole is greater than <br />the sum of the parts. All these parts, I'm quoting now from the previous speaker, <br />peripheral Puna. Okay, we really do need to keep our communities intact, and I hate to <br />lose either Volcano or Kea`au. Of course, I go through Kea`au more often, and stop there <br />5 <br />