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MIYASATO: Hold on one second. <br /> <br />HATA-FINLEY: You didn’t sign up. <br /> <br />BARLOW: I’m kind of hard of hearing. I’m having a hard time hearing anybody. <br /> <br />MIYASATO: Okay, do we have Ingrid Nishimoto, Ana Cahill-- <br /> <br />CAHILL A. (from audience): Right here. <br /> <br />MIYASATO: Would you please come forward? Ed Cahill and Bo Reipurth, please come <br />forward. Could you all please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on <br />this matter now before the Hawai‛i County Planning Commission? <br /> <br />CAHILL, E: I do. <br /> <br />NISHIMOTO/CAHILL A./REIPURTH: Yes. <br /> <br />MIYASATO: Each of you will have three minutes to testify. We’ll start in the order that I <br />called you up. Ingrid Nishimoto, could you please state your name and residence? <br /> <br />NISHIMOTO: My name is Ingrid Nishimoto, and I live in Nīnole, Hawai‛i. I’m here today <br />because of, of the land. It was designated as a Special Management Area, an SMA parcel. And, <br />this means that the land is to be held in trust for the people by the laws of the State of Hawai‛i, <br />and it was deemed to be special. Before my grandson was born, I knew he would be special. I <br />didn’t see him. I didn’t get to see his first smile before I already knew he was special. This land <br />is the same. It was special before anyone decided to come and buy it and develop it. There were <br />rules and regulations that were in place when the land was purchased, and yet the developer has <br />chosen to put in his own special ideas for that land. Trees were harvested and for a Special <br />Management Area, you can only cut down 50 percent. Most of the trees were removed from <br />that, that property. There were property lines and boundaries when he bought the land. He <br />decided to go against that as well, and now we’re here again, another day, to find out what he can <br />do so since he already put something in place, he’s trying to figure out how he can maneuver in <br />among the laws that we have set for him to follow. And he hasn’t followed them. And, I’m here <br />to say that it’s not the developer who’s special. It’s the land who is special, and that land, the <br />rules have been broken, and I don’t think that’s it’s fair for those of us, the people of Hawai‛i, to <br />have to sit back and see someone else come in with money, with ideas, and they take over and <br />put in place what they think should be done. It’s the laws in place already when that land was <br />purchased. At the end of yesterday—of Tuesday’s election—there was one commentary on the <br />news that said, that before it used to be a country where people elected politicians, but now it has <br />become the politicians and greedy investors who are coming in. And they are just bantering and <br />manipulating the laws to get what they want. And those people like us, the regular people living <br />along the Hāmākua Coast, we don’t have the deep pockets. We don’t have all the lawyers. But <br />we do have the laws of the State of Hawai‛i, and I think they need to be followed in this <br />development. Thank you. <br /> <br />2 <br />EXHIBIT C <br /> <br /> <br />