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HAWAII COUNTY CHARTER COMMISSIONPage 9 of 51
<br />two half days or one day a month, plus reading, and possibly special meetings? Because, if I remember
<br />correctly, you were one of the people who always looked for people to come on, so you had the seats
<br />there so they could learn, right? So, I just don’t see the people out there, myself, and that’s kind of why
<br />we tried to stretch out the term a little so we could make sure that people were up to speed. I don’t think
<br />you could honestly say that there’s a hundred people waiting in line to serve on Commissions, unless
<br />I’m mistaken.
<br />TANAKA: That’s true and I don’t know what the list looks like. I don’t know how many people are on
<br />the list but, yes, you’re correct in that some of us have made recommendations. We’ve gone into the
<br />community. For myself, I am a Director with the Hawaii Island Contractors Association. I have given
<br />my spiel to the Board. People have come forward and filed papers, but how extensive that list is, I don’t
<br />know.
<br />BALOG: So, that’s what I’m saying. It’s ongoing and -
<br />TANAKA: It’s ongoing.
<br />BALOG: Myself, personally, when I was sitting on that Commission, I had personal knowledge of
<br />people who were told, we’re going to send your name, and when they found out what that entailed, they
<br />said, ooh, wait a minute. That’s just a little bit too much. And they came to meetings, like how you said,
<br />eh, we’ll come, check it out. So I was one of the people who went for that 90 days partly because Board
<br />of Appeals, knowing they’re short handed and going to be possibly crippled at the end of the year if they
<br />don’t get help. And in your own Commission, if you don’t get another appointee, and two of you go off,
<br />out of nine people, that leaves you with six. If someone doesn’t show up, and someone has to recuse
<br />themself, how can your Commission operate?
<br />HERKES: Automatic approval. 164.
<br />BALOG: No, I’m just saying -
<br />TANAKA: I guess my comment to that would be, yes, you’re right. For us, the consensus was 90 days
<br />was kind of long, but if it was decided by the Charter and the people, that it be 90, we are public
<br />servants, and we would serve whatever time, but the resolution needs to come with getting those
<br />vacancies filled, and yes, there are going to be times where you can’t find anybody, but hopefully, the
<br />emphasis is not so much the 90 days but let’s go find the people. You know what I mean?
<br />RAY: Marni.
<br />HERKES: When your terms expire is not a surprise. You know the day you’re appointed, when your
<br />terms are going to expire so you know, outside of an emergency, enough to resign earlier, when they’re
<br />going to expire, so I don’t think the 30 days is unreasonable because you know when they’re going to
<br />expire.
<br />Now, I want to ask Chris a question while both of you are here. I know that we had such a battle taking
<br />the minutes, or having the minutes transcribed. We have to have a hundred and so many pages of
<br />minutes for each of these meetings. On these Boards and Commissions, on the other side of the island,
<br />the view is that they’re Hilo-centric. Is video conferencing or teleconferencing possible for some of
<br />them? Like Hawaii Island United Way is doing a lot of teleconferencing. Big Island Business Council is
<br />doing teleconferencing. Not for every meeting, but for a lot of them. Is that something that government
<br />is up to speed with yet?
<br />file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 9-29-99.html7/1/2011
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