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Let me just say, right now, there is another level of assault on the CDP's, and I find that I'm
<br />trying to implement the CDP on this Design Review Committee, and I'm being told, no; no
<br />Action Committee, it's not enforced, it's really just aspiration, and all the things that
<br />everybody said before. So, I consider it important that that word, Community Development
<br />Plan, be added in some way in here. Let me just say, I know you have these deadlines; I'm
<br />going to write some things up, and I really feel that with your last public hearing being today,
<br />it shouldn't be a deadline of October 31st. It should be the next November meeting that you
<br />last listen to amendments. Otherwise, what is really the point? I just want you to really think
<br />about that; read Section 3 -15. The whole idea is to allow the community to dialogue, and to
<br />encourage that, and to get past all this fear.
<br />The second big theme - -and I'm really just sort of looking at the themes here that you are
<br />going to hear from the public - -is really on the whole issue of transparency and notice. I
<br />really disagree with the County Clerk Goodenow, and it's late, and we want to do this, and
<br />it's 11:15 p.m. There is a big issue in this County in terms of lack of trust that came about
<br />just over the past few months dealing with the Council issues. I feel that the positions, which
<br />Casey Jarman brought up, the difficult position that I see Counsel Ashida and Goodenow, are
<br />very political. Everything is looked at as political. So, if you are not -- -What the public is
<br />asking for is let's at least get notice. Not where things are signed up at 11:15 p.m. and on
<br />some board someplace. Do what is practical in this day and age, and that is have notice on
<br />the internet, on the calendar, or someplace where people can go; or go to the library and look
<br />up. I never knew where some board is located, but so something. The notice is not to
<br />accommodate the Clerk, not to accommodate you all; it's the one thing that we, the public
<br />have; it's the notice and transparency. Those two issues, I think, are really important on a
<br />time level. Looking at those conflicts of interest, whether the Corporation Counsel should be
<br />in the Mayor's cabinet and also representing the Council. I ask you to look at those issues;
<br />however you want to address them. If you don't address these issues, the CDP, you don't
<br />address the conflict of interest, the transparency, it's like you guys are not in touch with
<br />what's down here on the ground, on the dirt level.
<br />Lastly, I bring up that we look to you as the far - sighted entity. Day to day, everybody else in
<br />government - -and it's real--just work on a day to day level and confront things. I'm thinking
<br />of this in terms of all of the issues of Environmental Management and what do you do about
<br />agriculture, energy, food sustainability. No department wants something additional added on
<br />to it, and not have additional mandates or money to go along with it; same thing with
<br />Research and Development. You are not going to meet again for another 10 years. We are
<br />dealing with an island that is much more at risk; at risk in terms of emergency preparedness,
<br />at risk in terms of energy and agriculture and food shortages. So, right now there is no entity
<br />that is really handling that. I would love for - - -You can say we are going to give it to
<br />Research and Development or we are going to do it here, but I just think that's an issue that if
<br />you guys don't look at it and sort of say, we need to have some commitment to the
<br />environment and some commitment to the future of this island, long term, there is really no
<br />one else that is there to do it.
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