CHC 1979-05-01 PH - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

at-large and five elected by districts in the following manner: One by the voters of the 1st State Representative District, two by the voters of the 2nd State Representative District, one by the voters of the 3rd State Representative District, and one by the voters of the 4th State Representative District. Council members elected at-large shall serve for staggered four-year terms beginning with the 1980 general election. Council members elected in the respective State Representative Districts shall serve for two-year terms. . . .and of course, if the commission will complete that portion of the section. This combination plan is not new in concept or in application. The members of our state legislature, for example, are elected. The representatives are elected according to districts, and the senators are elected at-large. Also, the members of the United States Congress are elected under this combination plan. Our congressmen are elected by representative districts and our senators are elected at-large in the state. I support this combination plan, very strongly, for the following reasons: 1. Pure or direct district representation is established, while at-large representation is retained. May I stress my personal viewpoint that regardless of what plan of electing our councilmen is adopted, at-large concept should be represented. Simply for the reason that the problems that we face today in Hawaii Island, the energy crunch, the survival of the sugar industry, the development of the tourist industry, inflation, these are not only island wide problems, state wide problems , but certainly national as well as international in scope. What we need to encourage among our voters and our elected leaders is a perspective from the island wide standpoint , at-. 1east. Advantage No. 2 of the combination plan , the council districts coincide with the State Representative Districts. Thus, our county government is relieved of the task and the expense of reapportioning the districts affected by population changes and shifts. 3. With staggered four-year:= terms for the four council members to be elected at-large, some continuity is assured in the organization and workings of the county council. 4. With four council members elected at-large, adequate flexibility is provided for population changes and shifts among the districts. And, finally, advantage No. 5 , interest and participation in the county elections will be enhanced with seven of the nine council members being elected every two years. Thank you, members of the commission, for this opportunity to express my views and I wish to thank you for your tireless efforts and the many long hours you are spending. -4-