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CHR. HAITSUKA: Next up, we have Barbara Kahn - Langer to testify. Good afternoon. <br />BARBARA KAHN - LANGER <br />(At this time Barbara Kahn - Langer came forward to address members of the Charter Commission.) <br />MS. KAHN - LANGER: Thank you very much. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before <br />you, and I've been here once before. Specifically, my name is Barbara Kahn - Langer, I live <br />in Hawaiian Paradise Park. I am a member of Friends of Puna's future. I am testifying here <br />today specifically on CA -25. All of the other comments that I wanted to make, Rob Tucker <br />has amply taken care of them, so I have no need to go and further talk about those. <br />Chairman Haitsuka, and Charter Commissioners, my comments address CA -25, the <br />amendment proposal to incorporate Community Development Plans (CDP's) in the County <br />Charter. I was one of the initial members of the Puna Community Development Plan effort <br />in Hawaiian Paradise Park, one of the first homes that people came to as part of the initial <br />process of getting people involved in the CDP. We opened up our home to people as well. <br />We have been involved in it for a long time. I am pleased that the County Council approved <br />Mayor Kenoi's selection of the nine - member Puna Community Development Plan Action <br />Committee. The appointment of Barbara Bell to that committee illustrates the need for an <br />Action Committee to be appointed in a timely fashion, and functioning within six months. <br />From the time of Barbara's initial application to her selection and subsequent approval by the <br />council, she and her husband embarked on a road trip through the mainland and according to <br />the coconut wireless, will be next traveling to Australia. I see Bobby Jean is here, and you <br />may want to check on that. <br />MS.LEITHEAD -TODD: They are back. <br />MS. KAHN- LANGER: That's great, thank you. My second comment underscores Bett <br />Bidleman's testimony of November 3, 2009. To keep Community Development Plans <br />comfortably open and broadly representative of the community, a mechanism is needed to <br />foster participation by ordinary citizens who must live daily with the end results of <br />community planning. Puna is a word of mouth community. It doesn't fit a generic <br />communication and decision - making model. Whatever mechanism is created, it needs to <br />keep interaction flowing between the action committees and the people they represent, and it <br />needs to have language that fosters that interaction. Mahalo, for your consideration. <br />CHR. HAITSUKA: Thank you very much. Next we have Brenda Ford. Good afternoon. <br />BRENDA FORD <br />(At this time Brenda Ford came forward to address members of the Charter Commission.) <br />MS. FORD: Good afternoon, Commissioners. Thank you for holding another meeting that <br />allows us great latitude in speaking to you on several different issues. I am going to talk on <br />most of these items, and I will be very brief on most of them, so you won't be here for days <br />listening to me. I'm sure that is not your intent. <br />W <br />