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minutes 04-12-00Page 14 of 26
<br />comments on this.
<br />HERKES: I was surprised at the testimony against it. As you know, I voted for it and I was very much in favor of it because I
<br />want to vote for four people rather than just one, but it was so overwhelming. And I think a lot of it has to do with our elected
<br />officials using their lack of power and blaming other people, and so they blame other people so that makes it more difficult
<br />for government to function. You know how West Hawaii loves to blame East Hawaii for all their ills. And it’s too bad but
<br />I’m ready to give up on it if it’s going to be a deal breaker. And that’s where I’m worried about it.
<br />RAY: Sue.
<br />IRVINE: I think Marni’s quite perceptive. People were definitely calling it a total deal breaker. I think Bill Graham described
<br />it well as a ‘bad apple’. Others were less polite about it. But Peter Martin, from Kona, did -
<br />HERKES: Threaten.
<br />IRVINE: Okay. I read his written stuff. West Hawaii voters are a minority of county voters, and are projected to remain so
<br />for the next ten years and more. He was looking at the Hawaii State Department of Business and Economic growth. By 2010,
<br />East Hawaii is projected to have a 119,000 residents, while West Hawaii will only have 86,000, not all of whom will be
<br />registered to vote in this state. So, he was, more or less, saying that West Hawaii would not be that well represented under
<br />this, and I think he has a point.
<br />RAY: George.
<br />MARTIN: In fairness, I’d like to think that what we’ve come up with, to this point, are valid ideas and possibly could be sent
<br />out to the public as such, but when the individuals in Kona said you take this out or we’re not voting for anything you come
<br />up with. In my opinion, be a man about it. If you don’t like that one issue, fine, but to categorize everything that we’ve done
<br />to date and say it’s all bad because of this one thing, I’ve got a real problem with that. As far as this issue goes, whatever the
<br />body decides it wants to do with it, I go along with that.
<br />RAY: Okay. Daryl, you had a comment?
<br />KUROZAWA: Yes. Unlike Marni’s perception, I, kind of, had a strong feeling that we’d have a lot of opposition on this, and
<br />there’s no question, at least from the West side and Kona side, that there is a suspicion that if you have just at-large seats that
<br />everybody’s going to come from Hilo. And so that’s why I think a lot of the opposition. And the one statement that came out,
<br />that may have been a middle ground, was to have the three at-large people from the Senatorial Districts so it’s geographic.
<br />So, just to toss it out. We, kind of, talked a little bit about that in Waimea months ago, and I think if that were to happen,
<br />there might be some support. There’s no question that if it’s just at-large three, there’s going to be very little support,
<br />probably, for it, at least on the West side.
<br />RAY: Other comments? Okay. I don’t think we ought to overreact to the total deal killer type thing because I don’t really
<br />think people, because of one item, are going to vote against the whole package necessarily. But I do think that this is such a
<br />divisive issue that it’s just going to have a negative effect on the whole island. The reality is every mayoral candidate is from
<br />East Hawaii. I think West Hawaii is definitely going to look at this as a power play, or a power grab, by East Hawaii. I think
<br />that’s the way it’s going to be perceived by a lot of people. But, most importantly, I think this is giving one of the parties, the
<br />Green Party, just some incredible tools to divide and conquer. If I were the Green Party, I’d want to have this one there. It’s a
<br />great campaign tool. So anyway, I think we ought to really think this through also in terms of does it have a chance of
<br />passing. I don’t think it does.
<br />HIGASHI: I think we should just vote what we think is right, rather than trying to philosophize what’s going to happen to
<br />this, and, kind of, move on.
<br />RAY: Okay, but I think a strong majority believe in four-year terms, and we’re not going to put that out because we don’t
<br />think that makes sense based on how things have been voted. And in regard to this issue, most people have got it so set in
<br />their mind, and are confused on this, that we’re going back to the old at-large system. They won’t acknowledge that we’re
<br />not, that this is very much different. It’s an in-between type system. But I just think that’s the way people are viewing it.
<br />MARTIN: Perception, sure.
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