The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0926.038 2018-2020 P/Crich Aim or.2. GOMH.q26 From: nico v Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2020 1:32 PM To: Poindexter, Valerie; Chung, Aaron; Lee Loy, Sue; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Kanealii- Kleinfelder, Matt; David, Maile;Villegas, Rebecca; Eoff, Karen; Richards, Tim; Council Testimony Subject: Testimony: Opposition to Bill 169 `w. COt7NTY CLERK COUNTY`"OF HAWAI"I RECEIVED Time 1:32 pm By deer-- M ay ..May 14, 2020 Date MAY-1 4 2020,-- Good 020 -Good afternoon Council Chair Chung and Hawai'i County Council members, I am writing to voice my strong opposition to Bill 169, which proposes a "Luxury Class" tax category on Hawaii Island residential properties valued at over $2M. I understand my testimony submission is late and I apologize for that. I chose to share this because it is something I feel very strongly about. The statement that those who can afford to should lookout for the most vulnerable is only partly true. In my opinion, they already do. But they just do it in another way. I am a current Hilo resident. I was born and raised in the Hamakua district of our beautiful island, attended Kalanianaole, then Hilo High, then Konawaena in Kona where I lived for 10 years, and currently live and own a home in the Waiakea area of Hilo. I've spent my career working with many of those individuals who this bill categorizes as falling within the "Luxury Class" to achieve their goal of helping support students and families here to achieve a college degree through the state's largest higher ed nonprofit organization. I can say that there may have been a point in time where I had the same impression that many people do. That these individuals don't give back much, that they come and they go and that's it and that maybe we should tax them higher. But I now know this is just not true and I feel strongly enough about this,that I am writing to express my concerns about this bill. 23 years ago, I worked as a fine dining PM server at the Four Seasons Hualalai Resort in West Hawai'i. Like many local kids my age who came out of Hamakua plantation communities at the time, I thought that working at a hotel was to be my life forever. I loved what I did, I made great money and I didn't think about going to college or see value in doing so. But, as fate would have it, that's not what happened. Two individuals who were residents and guests at these "Luxury Class" resort communities told me that they saw potential in me and they wanted to help me pay for my education. They told me that my education was something no one could ever take from me and that people Comm. No. ZAP• Ref.To: P R 6Un G Ref. Date MAY 2 0 2020 tvi,v k / can take your health, your wealth, and sometimes your happiness but they could never take your education away. They flew me and a local Kona halau to New York City so we could see what a city looked like; They opened our eyes to things we never seen before. They gave me a full scholarship to attend UH Manoa and asked for nothing in return except that I pay it forward for others who may have the same dreams one day. As a first-generation college graduate, the .opportunity to graduate from college debt-free was the greatest gift I've ever been given,`, wouldtnothave happened if not for the generosity of those two individuals. I'm not the.only'one..they helped. That same family who helped me 23 yearsago helped 5 other local kids just like,me:with full scholarships. And many, if not all, of the 350 residents who currently live at Hualalai have done the same in one way or another for another local family here on Hawaii Island. These part-time residents, or what many here call "Snowbirds" — they love this place, they love the people. They come for the beauty of Hawaii but they stay because of the people and our way of life. For the past 17 years of my career in the nonprofit higher education arena, I've had the pleasure of being able to help others do the same by working alongside these "Luxury Class" individuals who contribute to providing scholarships for higher education so that our island residents can achieve their dreams of educational attainment, contribute to improving the lives of local families, and hopefully move the needle on our island's poverty-reduction efforts. I've seen it happen time and time again and their commitment to this island is critically important, especially in our current economic climate. In my current professional capacity, I have the opportunity to help bridge the philanthropic aspirations of similar individuals with the needs and opportunities of our local families and communities who need support. These people don't tout what they do or how much they give. They just help people. There are so many out there like me who have been helped in the same way. They say that the product of philanthropy is a changed life and I've seen so many lives changed there are too many to count. I wish others could see what I've seen and read the thank you notes I've had the pleasure of sharing with donors who have helped catalyze change in someone's life. When you help someone in that way, you change not only their life but the lives of their children and their grandchildren. Many of these individuals do not live here year-round, they barely leave the gates of their homes and don't really even use our county resources but they find this island's charm and beauty of the people to be worth investing in. And they do invest. They give back. They donate to local nonprofits. They speak to university students when we've asked them to. They share their stories of success and how they made it from the classroom to owning a home at Hualalai. They provide scholarships and jobs and employment opportunities for the 2 community. And they don't just do it for the employees but also for the families of those employees. The contractors who work for them become like family to them. They help pay for the children of employees to have quality education by attending private schools or for severe medical needs if they can't afford to pay their medical bills. I've heard so many stories of situations where a homeowner will pay for their housekeeper's family member to get medical care after finding out that they have lung cancer or some terminal illness. They want to get involved and help the community here and they do. Those million-dollar properties might be vacant for a period of time, but they have created hundreds and thousands of jobs over the years for contractors, laborers, grounds keepers, designers, window cleaners, home maintenance professionals and everyday jobs that feed local families who need work and who can't find work outside of these luxury communities and who drive from Hilo, Panaewa, or Hawaiian Paradise Park all the way Ka'upulehu Ka' ulehu because they can't find jobs where they live. I've heard from so many employees who say things like "I love how I feel when I come to work here every day, I learn so much from these people and I take that home with me and share with my keiki, too." If you want to know just how big of a difference they make, perhaps reaching out and asking more questions of those who have benefitted multiple generations of residents here will help shine light on the truth of how much they give back. Yes. They can afford to give back, and yes, they do. I strongly oppose this bill. Respectfully, I feel it is poorly thought-out, reactive, disproportionately-biased and based on unfair presumptions rather than facts. It is akin to hurting the golden goose who is here to help, not hurt. Bill 169 sends the wrong message, is deeply concerning and could have lasting and unintended consequences. Why bite the hand that feeds us? Thank you for your time and consideration. Very Respectfully, Nico Leilani Schnitzler Verissimo 3