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minutes 03-11-00Page 11 of 17
<br />IRVINE: Yes.
<br />HERKES: Look where our Senators come from now. I proposed that and John pointed out where Kona Senators come from
<br />now, or where they live. John, can I say that they told me this is not the appropriate time to bring this up. There are 14,000
<br />people in each Council district now. I think that’s too many. I’d like to see Council people representing 10,000 people. We’re
<br />doing a census. We’ll do a reapportionment and that is maybe the time that we’d look at how many people - I think there’s
<br />going to be 15 or 16,000 in each Council district when we do our reapportionment, so how many, and that’s what I’d like Bill
<br />Graham to look at - How many people should be in each Council district? Should we have more than nine people on the
<br />Council? Should we have more than six single member districts? Should we have 10,000 people in each district? Can a
<br />person represent 15 - 16,000? That won’t come up for two years, until we do the reapportionment, till we see where the
<br />Council districts - but the Reapportionment Commission is certainly the one to handle that, and that’s where I’d like to see
<br />some change. But, this is not the time to do it.
<br />RAY: Sounds like you’re kind of arguing against your vote for the six districts.
<br />HERKES: No, no, no.
<br />RAY: Because that’s exactly my argument why the nine districts make a lot more sense, and the dynamic on this island is
<br />more geographic than population. I think the difficulty, when you create these larger districts, and especially when you come
<br />from West Hawaii, and you have to work in Hilo, and then represent an even larger district, that it just becomes about
<br />impossible to physically service that community, especially when you get the larger districts. It’s not nearly the issue in Hilo.
<br />It’s easy. These guys work in Hilo. Geographically they represent a relatively small district. So, it’s a fraction of the time in
<br />terms of commuting, just to get around and all, but anyway.
<br />MARTIN: One more thing, if I may, Bill, that you made mention of, and I’d like to thank you for coming out and dialogue is
<br />great, and I think we need more of this to stimulate us when we do go back and, if in fact, we’re going to change anything,
<br />ho’omalimali what we’ve got here. But I’m a mechanic by trade and I went through a journeyman program with four years as
<br />an apprentice, and you made mention about the jump off for this at-large to go to Mayor. I think it’s a great opportunity for
<br />the public at-large to look at the potential runners that possibly would be Mayor down the road at some point in time. So
<br />actually, again, to me, it’s a win situation. That’s just my opinion on that.
<br />RAY: Okay. Fred Holschuh, come up.
<br />HOLSCHUH: Thank you. I’m Fred Holschuh from Honokaa and I wanted to make a comment about the Fire Commission, if
<br />I may. But John, with your permission, may I just make three other quick comments? Is that legit?
<br />RAY: Oh, sure, sure.
<br />HOLSCHUH: First of all, I want to thank you folks for what you’re doing, on behalf of all of us. Quite honestly, it is
<br />relatively shameful that there’s not more people here today, but I really think you’re doing a terrific job with this.
<br />Secondly, how would the Environmental Services thing be if you just called it Department of the Environment, because that,
<br />sort of, leaves you with this good sense of being the environment, encompassing all these things including, as you folks
<br />suggested, the recycling initiatives. And I just throw this out as a thought.
<br />And the third thing is we are, I presume, when this is done and voted on, going to rewrite the book, the Charter book. Will
<br />that be rewritten? Okay, because that’s fairly cumbersome with this stuff all stuffed in it and so forth.
<br />I wanted to make a comment about the Fire Commission, and I’m speaking in favor of this proposal. I’ve been involved as an
<br />Emergency doctor for 28 years now, on this island, working with many Fire Chiefs and paramedics and fire people
<br />constantly. And it’s a great group of people, and it’s a wonderful organization we have here on this island. I can’t say enough
<br />about them, and quite frankly, I never, ever want to see EMS separated from the Fire Department in Hawaii County. I think
<br />it’s just a wonderful marriage. However, I’ve often felt, going back to the late ‘70s, all the years I’ve been on the EMS
<br />Commission which I have been on continuously since the ‘70s, the Fire Chief should actually be appointed by a Commission.
<br />The political nature of this appointment, and this in no way is meant to be disrespectful to any previous or current Fire Chief.
<br />Many of them have been good personal friends of mine. It just doesn’t make any sense to have this be a political appointment
<br />in my estimation. I think this is a great idea to do it this way. I had two comments, if I may. I don’t want to say any more
<br />about it. I like what you’ve done. The underlined things are additions, I presume, this language is additions. I was just
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