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• • government is going ',6E frequent intervals and feel like their vote and their opinion is having some impact. We think also it would be' worthwhile to recognize the contribution of citizens to government. We pay all these taxes and nobody ever says , thank you. Maybe you could just once in awhile ask our opinion on whether you should overspend the county budget or not. A real easy way to do that would be through voter approval of bond issues. That would be a minimum thing, I would think. I just want to leave you with one thought. The work you guys are doing right now, like they all say, has got to stand the test of time. There are a lot of people here with a lot more wisdom. than I have. They have had a lot longer experience. I especially liked some of the things Mr. Tyler said about efficiency and review and setting goals and reviewing whether or not you have reached those goals. . .p How much did it cost you to investigate that crime five years ago versus how much does it cost you to investigate. that same • crime now? But, more important, the work. that you guys are doing is not just going.;�.oorbe rthe next two years, . or four years , or even ten years. But you are setting up a govern- mental system that is going to . have a big impact on the youth of Kona, CoOfL�Kohala for a long ' time to come. And if you decide to get them more involved as they become of voting age the whole county is going to benefit from it. If you decide to remain in the position where they feel alienated, then the whole county is going to lose from it. Thanks. CHAIRMAN SAKATA: Thank you° very much, Mr. Taylor. Next we would like to call on MasayAki Kawasaki . • MR. KAWASAKI : Mr. Chairman and members of the . Charter Commission. My name is Masayuki Kawasaki. I am' a resident of Captain Cook , Kona and I speak for myself as a . voter with the power of one vote in the election of' the county council. I' $„M here to defend and enhancethe power of my single vote and ' the votes of thousands of other Kona voters , whose only claim to power over the county legislative process . is the power of their votes-. Previously, Hawaii County was divided into two areas. During the pre-charter days of the board of supervisors , there were three supervisors for East Hawaii and three for West Hawaii with the county chairman, who was elected at-large, ;! , • holding the ultimate power balance between the East and the West. And it is the reality of history that even though the population of East Hawaii was far greater than's-the population of West Hawaii , West Hawaii had an effective voice in the county legislative process because the at-large office could be won or lost by the few thousand West Hawaii votes. Old- timers will recall that about 30 years ago, one election was won and lost by one vote. The at-large 'elected official balanced the fulfilling of the needs of the East and the West -37- •