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of the project to extend a small portion of it into the jurisdiction of the other Planning <br />Commission, if it that commission was more favorable to the project. Such a developer may <br />be able to muster the votes to ram the project down the throats of the people who would bear <br />the brunt of the impacts even if most of their Planning Commissioners were on their side. <br />The majority that approves the project that straddles both jurisdictions should have to include <br />a majority of each Planning Commission. I don't see a proposed amendment to address this, <br />but it would be very simple to insert language to accomplish this, and I urge you to put such a <br />measure on the ballot. Thank you. <br />CHR. HAITSUKA: Thank you very much. <br />MS. HANANO: Mr. Chairman, the next testifier here is Terri Markovich. She is speaking <br />on CA -15, in support. <br />TERRI MARKOVICH <br />(At this time Terri Markovich came forward to address members of the Charter Commission.) <br />MS. MARKOVICH: Aloha, and mahalo for all your work on the Commission. I am on the <br />Open Space and Public Access and Natural Resource Preservation Commission. There are <br />all these other issues that are all very important, but this one has been a very important issue <br />to me, and one of the main reasons why I live here on the Big Island. I lived on Maui and <br />Kauai, I have been in Hawaii since 1973, and I have chosen the Big Island. One of the big <br />reasons is because it is open space, and we have access. I believe that is one of our greatest <br />attractions. By putting this into a Charter Amendment, we make a statement, we make a <br />stand. We say we want to preserve our open space and our land and keep if for generations, <br />in perpetuity. We are always going to have budget emergencies; that just goes with <br />government. I believe that we really need to make a commitment to keeping open space, <br />especially at this time since land prices are a little more affordable at this time, and hopefully <br />we will be able to acquire more properties. We try, as Commissioners we try to make the <br />best choices and the most important. We also have all these matching funds; with our <br />County making these commitments to this 2% of our budget, then other entities look at us <br />and go, "That County is serious about preserving their land." So I believe this is really <br />important to have this be a priority; like Nancy Crawford said a high priority. Land is a high <br />priority for us, and development has to have its place, but we also need the open space to <br />balance the development. In accepting more development, I believe we need the balance of <br />the open space just to keep our island desirable for generations, and for our people, and give <br />us all a place to go and for our citizens to have a reason to be proud of a County that values <br />open space and natural land resource preservation. Thank you for this opportunity. <br />CHR. HAITSUKA: Thank you very much. Next we have Mr. Rob Tucker. Good <br />afternoon, sir. <br />ROB TUCKER <br />(At this time Rob Tucker came forward to address members of the Charter Commission.) <br />20 <br />