Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-11 Redistricting Commission Public Hearing minutes (District 2) 2021 HAWAII COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 PUBLIC HEARING Portion of South Hilo Monday, October 11, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Hilo Council Chamber 25 Aupuni Street, Room 1401 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 CALL TO ORDER: HUSTACE: Aloha and welcome to the first public testimony for the County of Hawaii Redistricting Commission. Today is Monday, October 11th. My name is James Hustace and I am your Vice-Chair. I`d like to start off with a notice annoucement that I will read here. Because of the Coronavirus Emergency and State and Federal guidance on large meetings or gatherings, and pursuant to the Mayor's Proclamations regarding COVID-19, the Redistricting Commission meetings are currently not open to the public to attend in- person until further notice. Members of the public may view or provide oral testimony via the Zoom platform by requesting for this information as noticed on our posted agendas. Thanks for your understanding. I will now call this public testimony to order and the time is 6:04 in the evening. Since we are not conducing business, I don't believe we need to call roll call. This forum is strictly for hearing testimony from the public specifically from District 2 and at this point I will welcome anyone here this evening with us either in person in the Hilo Chambers or online with us virtually to provide testimony regarding our work and any sort of guidance that the public may offer for redistricting of this particular district or the entire County. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ARACELEY: Thank you, Vice-Chair. This is Relley Araceley in the Hilo Chambers. I just wanted to inform that we do not have any testifiers currently in the Hilo Chambers. We have a Mr. Jacob Aki in the Zoom room who will be viewing the meeting. Mr. Aki, if you feel like, or if you have any testimony you'd like to provide, please feel free to chime in at any moment. HUSTACE: Welcome, Mr. Aki, and welcome, Commissioners that joined us here this evening. Mr. Aki, if you have any testimony, you're welcome to provide some now if you'd like. (No response.) And Relley, what's the protocol for the time to wait for anyone from the public to join us this evening? ARACELEY: I'd like to request that Corporation Counsel provide that guidance if possible. HUSTACE: Thank you, Relley. MELLON-LACEY: Good evening. I think it would be reasonable toI was thinking 30 minutes, but I think 20 may be sufficient if we have no one else entering the Zoom room because there's no one that's appeared here in person wishing to testify. HUSTACE: Thank you, Diana. So,just to repeat, recommendation is 20 minutes minimum to wait for any testifiers to join us this evening. So, Commissioners, please be at the ready if we have someone to join us. Thank you. BATH: I have a question on that? HUSTACE: Ms. Bath. BATH: Yeah. What happens if somebody gets off of work at 6:30 and thought that they could get here? Is that—will there be a problem with that? MELLON-LACEY: I don't believe that we published a specific end time, and testifiers were asked to register so that we would have some idea of how many people would be coming. And I believe there were only two people that signed up and asked for the link and so, I think we would be okay. But I also think that since we'll be doing these virtually, as well as in-person, anyone, if someone does miss it, and I realize the weather is kind of nasty tonight, would be able to testify at any hearing. You're not just limited to your district area. HUSTACE: Thank you, Diana. Mr. Lopez, do you have a question? LOPEZ: Excuse me, this is District 8. HUSTACE: Yes, Mr. Lopez? LOPEZ: I cannot hear whoever that was at the microphone. I can hear the people at the dais okay, and I can hear you okay. But I think that was Corp Counsel, was not speaking loud enough into the microphone. Please. Thank you. HUSTACE: Thank you, Mr. Lopez. LOPEZ: I don't know what she had to say. 2 HUSTACE: Just that, I'll repeat as far as I recall, that we had potentially two people sign up for this evening and to answer Ms. Bath's question about if people showed up late, we didn't have an agendized time of end, end time, for this evening but people were encouraged to sign up so that we'd knew kind of a proper,possible head count of people that may have showed up. And furthermore, because it's also being in a virtually setting in all of these nine meetings, that there is possibility we may have others from other districts jump in at those times too. I think that encompasses most everything there. So, thank you, Commissioners, we'll just be at the ready here and if anyone joins us for the next 20 minutes or so here and thank you for your patience. Thank you for joining us this evening. Please note that during this time, Commissioners and support staff were on stand-by. ANNOUNCEMENTS / CLOSING REMARKS HUSTACE: It is now 6:30 p.m. I just want to check in with Relley to see if we have any members from the public attempting to join us this evening. ARACELEY: Vice-Chair, we have no one who is on the Zoom room who would like to testify and no one in the public Chamber. HUSTACE: Question to the Commissioners, are we okay to close for this evening? BATH: I'm fine with it. LOPEZ: Good in District 8. YOSHINA: This is Dwayne. I'm fine with that. HUSTACE: Okay, I'll just make a couple of announcements before we close then. For those viewing this later on, and for the general public,just a couple of reminders. The deadline to submit plans to the Commission is Thursday, October 14''. So please, reach out to the Commission if you're looking for support and using that website to create and document a plan and then submit to the Commission. Furthermore, on Thursday, October 14'', the Redistricting Commission will be holding a full meeting at 9:30 a.m. And then subsequently later that day, at 6 o'clock in the evening, we'll be holding a public testimony for Council District 1 at Honoka`a Gymnasium. I think that's all the announcements I have here. So, unfortunately, we have no one join us this evening and we hope that others can join us at the forthcoming meetings. So, with that we will close tonight's meeting. Mahalo, everyone. YOSHINA: Thank you. 3 Respectfully Submitted, Nicole Bello, support staff to the Commission 3 4