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AU: So how many people are on your board, or school board, or local board?
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<br />ELLIS: The Board of Hawai‘i’s Volcano Circus is nine.
<br />
<br />AU: Okay, so there’s nine board members and then there’s yourself. You know -.
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<br />ELLIS: Well, I’m, I’m the Chairman of the Board. There’s the ex-officio, Executive Director is Jena
<br />Way.
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<br />AU: Okay, so you guys represent 900 members. Your testimony was very passionate, very emotional.
<br />You know, you represent a lot of people and I like to hear that. You know, one thing that I do want to
<br />talk about is leadership. Okay? Your board, yourself, you represent 900 members. Okay, every
<br />organization is only as strong as their leaders. So what’s happening here, what I see is for 12 years you
<br />were in violation. So for me as my leader, you know, I trust my leader to be passionate, to be
<br />emotional and to follow the rules and the laws. So, you know, I mean I’m not saying anything -. I’m
<br />just saying that, you know, this is what I see right now. And that is what Ms. Self and our Director is
<br />really looking at. So, you know, we‘re going to hear a lot of testimony, a lot of emotional testimony;
<br />and it’s going to make us all probably cry. Okay? But the bottom line is you and the other 8 board
<br />members are the leaders for 900 people. So just remember that.
<br />
<br />KERN: You want to make a brief comment, Mr. Hong?
<br />
<br />HONG: Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. I think you are correct in terms of your initial assessment
<br />that we’re not here today to try and change the laws, because I think the frustration that not only the
<br />Planning Director has articulated but certainly from our side is, you know, you have this unique
<br />different type of organization trying to fit itself within the current zoning laws; and it’s a difficult, you
<br />know, fit. You know, it’s a square peg in the round hole. And, but that isn’t what we’re trying to
<br />consider here. What the Planning Director said, and what I appreciate about her willingness to go the
<br />extra mile, is that she is recommending that we be given more time to submit our special application.
<br />And my pitch to the Planning Commission is, you know, hold us accountable and, you know, we’re
<br />going to walk it like we talk it. We have started this process in August of 2011. I think we’ve pushed
<br />it farther than Graham has been able to move it to his credit. He is, you know, not well versed in the
<br />law or the regulations and he’s trying to move this as far as he could. Now he has our help and our
<br />guidance, with the opportunity to sit down with the Planning Director and her staff, to precisely define
<br />and meet those concerns that she has. We think we can meet the needs of the community and the
<br />school, and certainly alleviate the concerns that the Commission Members would have.
<br />
<br />So I would also echo the Planning Director’s comments that we be given the opportunity to submit an
<br />amended special permit application, hold off on any revocation and, you know, see what we come up
<br />with. Hopefully, well, not hopefully, more definitely within six months.
<br />
<br />KERN: Okay, any questions?
<br />
<br />ISHIBASHI: No question. I got -.
<br />
<br />KERN: Commissioner Ishibashi, for, yeah?
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<br /> EXHIBIT B
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