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I'II go on to the summary proposal number 2. You do not mention the possibility of <br />increasing the County Council as a whole, but reducing it to 6 and having 3 at -large, <br />which I totally oppose for reasons stated at the last public hearing. However, I do feel <br />we should increase the number of Council members to 11, 13, or 15 member Council, <br />which would be far more representative. The Council members would be better <br />attached and in tune with their constituents. With only 9 members, the districts at -large <br />and council members are not likely to be known by the majority of their constituents. In <br />addition, it is far too easy to buy -off, pay-off, or influence just five members. It would be <br />far easier for the average person to run and get elected. In other words, it would not <br />take $30,000 or more to run a race. This would mean less influence by special interest <br />donations. It would also reduce the Council members' workload to a more manageable <br />level. <br />And on to Elections should be partisan. There is good reason for this. Political <br />parties are made up of people from the community regardless of what party they're <br />from. They give the candidate an instant base and an initial place to go for moral and <br />volunteer support. They are also a chance for people from the community to do a very <br />close examination of a candidate prior to him or her going to the public. Remove this <br />influence of the political parties and then you are left with only the influence of special <br />interest. <br />Thank you for hearing me out. Aloha. I'm a fourth generation kama'aina, born and <br />raised on the Island of Lanai, Patty Barry. <br />RAY: <br />HERKES: <br />Thank you. George Wallace. <br />Wait. Can we have comments? Do you want to keep going? <br />RAY: If it's anything new that we haven't covered before. I think that <br />testimony's been brought up and I think you've commented. Are you going to comment <br />in regard to more Council people? <br />HERKES: Yes, I'm going to comment really on the timing and the dates for <br />the Charter Review Commission. It seems to me having the Charter reviewed every ten <br />years, on the year before the census puts us out of sync. And it seems to me that we <br />ought to put some language in that maybe we go 12 years, and then have the Charter <br />Review Commission on the years after the census, because what is being brought up is <br />that, you know, in two years we're looking at a redoing of the Charter. So, I'd just like <br />to put that on the table as maybe a possibility. We don't have to discuss it right now, <br />but something just triggered me that we're all out of sync here, of this whole thing. <br />RAY: Yes, let's bring that up. Okay, George. <br />JIM OTTERSON: Can I say just a little bit? <br />26 <br />