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M. Kawasaki -4- good differetl'tiation of candidates. I shall now discuss the effectiveness of the power of my vote, over the County legislative process under this proposal . Issues may be settled by elected officials on the basis of goodwill or .charity. But the final , nitty-gritty, the bottom . line of decision-making in a showdown of conflicting interests is the power of the majority vote. For, as you are aware, in our democratic political system,•.. the decision is madebya majority vote. In a Council of 9 members , 5. votes passes the motion. Although I am sure that Councilmen are men of goodwill and charity, in the showdown on an issue which involves a decision on a way, of life, I would want to rely on the power of my vote. The population of East ,Hawaii centered in Hilo is far larger than the population of West Hawaii centered in Kona. Thus , ' on- the basis of population , the larger number, of Councilmen would come from the Hilo area and vicinity. These Councilmen would have the common interest of a common area and form a lasting coalition. In a Council of 9 members , all it takes is a coalition of 5 members to exercise control . The other 4 members have no power and at best are carpet movers--people who pull back thecarpetand scream and stomp at any pile: of dirt that the ruling coalition may sweep under. Because of the division of the County into two areas of • activities through geo,graphy and by tradition , and .the far larger population is in East Hawaii , under the plan to elect the Councilmen by districts, i would , as a Kona voter, most probably be voting for 2 d'arpet movers . My real power over the County legislative process is reduced to zero for I am not a constituent of a majority of the Councilmen. And where does the power go?