1999-02-20 Charter Commission Minutes

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INTRODUCTION OF COMMISSIONERSPage 22 of 29 to work. And I don’t know if we need a lot of people around to work. But by the same token, is it in the budget, and can we take this lawyer, and can we take this secretary in like, to my moku, meet with people and educate. Because it’s easy to go out there with what we’re doing, but most people haven’t got a clue what this Charter is. We’ve got a lot to learn about this Charter. And so to me, it’s actually, can we go out as individual commissioners and work with a smaller group to educate and then when it comes time for some of our work, then if we went out they’d know what, cause we can educate and bring back to this body. We have work to do and I’m wondering, just the symbology of going out with the meeting sounds good, but could we go about it a little bit different? Where we didn’t require every commissioner to come to Kau. Now certainly any commissioner who would want to could, but I wouldn’t mind going with staff, and letting that staff do some education and then getting input and bringing it back. RAY: So what you’re suggesting is as with say the General Plan - Planning Department, the Councilman invites the Planning Department and then gives community updates on what the process is going to be like. So, that’s a separate.. BALOG: In general, though, with what John said, I feel uncomfortable because as far as money and budget and stuff, all of us travel from x point to x point and it’s immaterial. You’re going to spend the money whether you travel from Kona to Hilo or if you travel from Kona to Waimea and the guy from Hilo, instead of travelling to Kona now goes to Waimea, the guy from whatever. The money side is immaterial. I just think that like John said, to build the public’s confidence, that’s what we should be doing. And part of it is the learning process. But we need to do our job. To expect me, to go into my community and say okay, Kevin, you go, you be the heartbeat of Honokaa, because I got a next door I’m lucky. George is from Laupahoehoe and he’ll pulse rate them and bring it back to us and share the information. How much of that I could do on my own time is shaky. So I’m just saying that I believe in this and it goes into our next subject, when will we hold meetings and the time. So I served on a commission, like the rest of the County that said you will meet during the day, you will do X, I laugh when I see the TV camera and there’s two heads that you can see in the audience, but they’re all playing to that camera. So I know that they’re still doing their business and that’s what we’re talking about , doing our business. But I think I can be big enough and do it in front of anybody, and whether they understand it or not, they want to raise their hand for a question, then that’s alright. But not just to, I just can’t see just meeting here and here….. HERKES: I’m not sure what you said. I’m confused. I have every intention of holding meetings in North and South Kona on my own on explaining what the Charter is. RAY: Can you explain what you mean? Is this wearing your Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce hat? HERKES: No, wearing my Charter Commissioner hat, I’m going to write articles for the newspaper from the minutes of the commission. I intend to hold meetings on what’s in the Charter as well as get suggestions, and then the Charter Commission holds meetings to take formal testimony. RAY: Do you feel that that effort should be coordinated with this body? HERKES: Yes. I think it has to be coordinated with this body. But I’m the representative from North and South Kona, so I need to bring their mana’o into this commission, therefore I need to get it first. Rather than taking this commission’s mana’o into the district. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 2-20-99.html7/1/2011