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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-12-14 Redistricting Commission Public Hearing minutes (Final 1 of 2) 2021 HAWAII COUNTY REDISTRICTING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 6:30 p.m. County Council Chambers East and West Hawaii CALL TO ORDER/ OPENING REMARKS: KOSSOW: Aloha and good evening, everyone. My name is Bronsten Kossow, Chair of the Hawaii County Redistricting Commission. Thank you for being with us this evening. We're calling the draft planning hearing in order. I'm in Kona. Commissioners joining me here are Mr. Lopez. Staff, can we get an update on who is in Hilo and on Zoom? KAUKA: Chair, thank you. We have Commissioner Yoshina here in-person in Hilo. KOSSOW: Thank you, Mr. Kauka. I see Commissioner Akamu, Commissioner Lui, Commissioner Yadao, Commissioner Hustace. Is there any other commissioners on the Zoom platform? You can speak up now. BATH: Commissioner Bath, zooming. KOSSOW: Thank you, Commissioner Bath. Anyone else? AH NEE: Commissioner Ah Nee, zooming. KOSSOW: Thank you, Commissioner Ah Nee. Anyone else? (No response.) All right. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC KOSSOW: Thank you, testifiers. The public hearing is an opportunity for you to provide your thoughts, views, and feedback on the draft plan that was selected on November 29th. We'll take all of the comments received and the Commission is then required by the Charter to submit our final plan by December 31st. You'll have three minutes to provide your testimony. When your time has passed, we will ask you to summarize then move onto the next testifier. Note, we will not be answering any questions during the hearing this evening or making any decisions. We'll be alternating testifiers between Hilo and the Kona sites, as well as the Zoom platform. Thank you. Let's begin with Kona. (Pause) You can go ahead and say your name for the record. Thank you. RICHARDS: Aloha. My name is Herbert M. Richards, III (the third), better known as Tim Richards. Thank you to the Redistricting Commission for allowing me to testify this evening. I come with a little bit of unique perspective on this. I am currently the sitting Council Member for District 9, North/South Kohala. I will not be seeking re-election to that seat. I wanted to voice my concern going forward because I come from a very unique perspective, having represented that district for the last five plus years. District 9 is very unique in my mind. And the fact that we have some very strong districts and very strong communities. And this is all about representing those communities. I always think of Waik6loa area, North Kohala, the whole district, and Waimea as three very distinct areas that have their own needs that tie them together. My concern in looking at these new maps, is that we are going to be stretching that out. In this new redistricting, Waimea for the most part, is going to be excluded from District 9, and moved to District 1. I see that as a problematic for the district as a whole and for Waimea, especially. Additionally, to pick up some of the population, we'll be picking up some of North Kona. Again, very special area, but it doesn't have a lot in common with North Kohala or Waimea or Waik6loa. So, again I see that as an issue. It is challenging to represent the district as a whole because each of these communities have their own needs. And the fact that we're removing most of Waimea from the district, where District 9 is truly Waimea, and that is the heart. I see that problematic. I see it a problem for the community being well represented. And I also see it a problem for the future council members, whoever they may be, to represent the districts. Because it's very diverse, very spread out and will be difficult to find and see the needs of all of those community. I appreciate your time and thank you very much for this opportunity to testify. KOSSOW: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Relley, let's go ahead and go onto the Zoom platform. ARACELEY: Thank you, Chair. Your first testifier is Ms. Francine Roby. Francine, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. ROBY: Thank you. I'm Francine Roby on Old Mamalahoa Highway in Honoka`a. Resident and property owner in `Ahualoa Homesteads. So, I would be Hamakua, District 1. I think that redistricting is an important part of our democracy and equal representation of our citizens. And I was honored to work on the 2020 U.S. Census, and see how that information, that I collected, leads to forming our State and County district maps. And I looked through Chapter 36 of the Hawaii County Charter, which seems very thoughtful and warns of ways that fairness could be endangered by improper redistricting. I appreciate the involvement of fellow County residents who serve in the nine positions on the Commission. And I appreciate the County's transparency in this process and providing multiple opportunities for community input, even during the COVID limitations. I don't think there are perfect answers, but it seems to me the proposed map moving Hamakua's northern line up into Waimea, to add the population evenness, makes good sense. With more commonality between the Hamakua area, than moving further south into the Hilo neighborhoods, which seems more urban. Less agricultural. Less ranching area. So, I support the proposed map that moves the southern edge of the district 2 up a little above Hilo and extends the district more fully into Waimea. Mahalo for all of your hard work on this. Thank you. KOSSOW: Thank you, Ms. Roby. We'll go over to Hilo. Mr. Kauka? KAUKA: Chair, our first testifier in Hilo is Amedeo Markoff. MARKOFF: Aloha, Redistricting committee, or Commission. My name is Amedeo Markoff. I testified last week; I think it was. I just wanted to thank you for what you're doing. I know it's a hard job. I think that some of the lines are problematic in regards to the line between Council 4 and 5. My position is the President of Mainstreet Association, which is like Pahoa's Chamber of Commerce. It's always been eased by the fact that we had two council members representing Pahoa town. And so, I really urge you to reconsider the way you've drawn the lines separating Council 4 and 5 and put it back to Pahoa Village Road. I understand that communities, like subdivisions, need to have continuity and be, you know, not separated. But, towns like Waimea and Hilo and Pahoa actually have a great advantage to having multiple council members. When I see the deviancy in the counts regarding a deviancy of 3.83 for Council 4 and—I just think that, you know, that's the socioeconomically most—the highest ALICE numbers and the most disadvantaged folks in that area. And by making the population great, it seems like we have less funds to go around to that population. I'm not as eloquent as some that will probably testify after me but having twelve and a half percent of the County Council vote, as opposed to twenty-five percent, is a huge difference. And having the funds be distributed based off of the population, so we're serving more people with the same amount of money, it seems like those lines should be redrawn and put back closer to the previous lines. But again, I do think that your job is incredibly hard, and I recognize that. And I thank you for your diligence, but there needs to be some changes to make this equitable for communities like Pahoa. Thank you. KOSSOW: Mahalo. Anybody else from Kona? (No response.) Okay. Let's go back to the Zoom. ARACELEY: Thank you, Chair. Kala mai. A little bit of indulgence. Is there anyone on the Zoom who is representing Kupuna Mo`opuna? If so, now is your time to present your testimony. (No response.) And if not, we will be moving on to Ms. Karen Eoff. Ms. Eoff, if you could unmute your mic, you have three minutes to provide your testimony starting now. EOFF: Okay. I think I'm unmuted. Good evening, Chair, and Commission Members. As you know, I represented District 8 on the Hawaii County Council for the previous well, eight years. And like Mr. Richards, I see a big problem with this current proposed map. I also served as staff to the previous Redistricting Commission, ten years ago. So, I completely understand the challenges that you folks have. Especially, with the census blocks and not being able to split those up in ways that would have made your job easier and the map better. So, the map is always going to have issues, but what's happened with moving District 9 all the way to Kaiminani, and scooping in so much of what is Kona, I 3 think you really need to take another look at that. And if you put us back in Kona, the Kalaoa area, that means you'll have a way to put more of the Waimea people back into the Waimea District 9. And I think that would ease a lot of the issues. For one thing, Kalaoa, we being part of Kona, all of the County services, the roads, the schools, the parks, any of the facilities that we frequent and utilize are connected to the Kona districts, 7 and 8. We do not, I believe I can speak for Kalaoa, as a past representative of the area, we do not utilize Waimea or Waikoloa very much. You know, we probably do travel that way sometimes, but there's about a twenty-five- or thirty-mile gap of vacant, you know, open space between Kalaoa and Waikoloa. There's maybe a little scattering of homes in there, but not many people. So, I would really, really urge you to take a look at that boundary between the north side of Kona and where you begin District 9 again. I think if that puts too many people in District 8-1 know District 8 has grown a lot. I think some of those people could flow into District 7. Districts 7 and 8 usually utilize all of the same resources, the same parks, and facilities, and the council members usually work together, and I think we would have a good representation by keeping District 8 and 7 more cohesive. So, please relook at that line between 8 and 9, and move it back so that Waimea is, as Mr. Richards has expressed earlier—District 9 would still be traditionally well represented. And I think District 8 would be in a lot better shape staying with Kalaoa being part of it. So, mahalo. Mahalo for your time and all of the work that you've done. Like I said, I understand what a tough job you have. So, thank you for reconsidering these maps and doing some more work. Aloha. KOSSOW: Thank you, Ms. Eoff. Mr. Kauka, Hilo? KAUKA: Our next testifier in Hilo is Mr. Jon Olsen. OLSEN: Good evening, Commissioners. I want to start off by thanking you for wading into this. This is no small task. I recognize that. My concern with this is the deviations that we find in District 4 and 5, in particular. Three (3) maybe not quite so much, in the fact that it's almost four percent deviation in 4. We know that historically population under counts in the Puna district have been traditional. People who don't want to be found don't get counted. Our population tends to be largely lower income. You start talking about Federal dollars, and fewer Federal dollars will flow in that direction based on that under count. The continuity of the area, under the old system or the system as it is currently, you have District 4, which was to the east of Highway 130. District 5 was to the west. You have a large percentage of lower sized lots in 4. In other words, basically the one acre and under. And then on the other side of the highway, are two to three-to- five-acre parcels going to the west. So, the change there is (Please note, there was an audio interference at this time.) What was that? Okay. Anyway, and those are my concerns. I would hate to have us end up in the situation whereby the over count—Again, getting back to the subject of Federal dollars flowing into the community to assist with our low-income situation. We have almost four percent under this process. So, that's my concern there. But thank you for your work. KOSSOW: Thank you. We'll go over to Relley. 4 ARACELEY: Thank you, Chair. Your next testifier is Stacie Burke. Stacie, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. (No response.) Stacie, you are up for your testimony. I've just sent you a message requesting that you unmute. If you could unmute your microphone, and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. (No response.) Kala mai, Chair. It seems like Stacie may be having some difficulty, so I'll move on to the next testifier and we can circle back around. The next testifier on your list is Michael Konowicz. Michael, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. KONOWICZ: Aloha! My name is Michael Konowicz and I'm a full-time resident of Waikoloa Village, currently located in District 9. Thank you very much for this opportunity to address the Commission. First, I want to thank all the members of this Commission for their tireless work today. You have a very challenging and extremely important task before you. And I'm extremely grateful for what you're doing. As someone from the Waikoloa area, I'm growing increasingly concerned about the tremendous growth underway along the Kohala Coast. Beyond the construction of the new, large shopping plaza and new hotel, right in the middle of Waikoloa Village, we have other workforce and affordable housing projects progressing along. Work has started on the Waikoloa Heights project, which has a plan build out of about 2,400 units. While it appears the Villages of `Rina Le`a should have several hundred affordable housing units coming online next year, and perhaps a few thousands other residential units coming on in the years ahead. In the Waikoloa Beach Resort area, there are discussions with County officials on their plans to expand the resort with a considerable number of timeshares, affordable housing units, and single-family homes. These projects will each produce a very unique set of challenges, opportunities, and issues for the Kohala Coast in the resort corridor, extending from the Four Seasons at Hualalai north to the Mauna Kea Beach Resort. And this goes for Waikoloa Village too, nicknamed by locals as the largest cul-de-sac in the nation, with just a single road in and out of the community. As I think about the future of this region and the needs it will have from the County, it is probably in this region's best interest to have a district the encompasses this entire area. Versus the current district, which splits some of the resort corridor away from District 9. Your latest plan, which would consolidate the Kohala resort coast and Waikoloa Beach, while also severing most of Waimea, is one that I support very much. The future councilperson for District 9 should focus on the common issues of this region and its constituents. And I would hate to see those needs diluted by having multiple boundaries and council people there. So, I believe Waikoloa Village has more in common with Waikoloa Beach and the rest of the coastal community. And that is why I believe your current redistricting plan for District 9 is a good one. Thank you. KOSSOW: Mahalo. A friendly reminder, once you finish testifying, go ahead and mute on your Zoom. We're going to come over to Kona. We have Mr. Childs. If you want to go ahead and state your name for the record. And then three minutes. (Pause) Go ahead and turn on the microphone, on the bottom there. There's going to be a button. CHILDS: My name Colin Keola Childs. I am a constituent of Council 8. I live very close to the boundary between 7 and 8. And over the decades, the line between 7 and 8 has 5 jumped one side of the other by maybe a thousand feet. That's all good with me. From my past personal experience, twenty-five years ago or so when I was once a council member for District 7, I found that council members for District 8 and myself, Jim Rath at the time, worked together very well in the common interests of Kailua, central Kona in particular, North Kona in entirety, on common issues like swimming pool, County building funding, infrastructure. We are different in other ways, but we shared a common focus. And we had two council members representing collectively, Kona. So, I know a split boundary can work. I would like to echo the concerns, however, of Councilman Richards and Karen Eoff, with regard to both Waimea and the Kalaoa area being severed. I would like to suggest one possible way to resolve that problem. I don't know the limitations of following census tracks. So, I don't know if this is possible. But my suggestion is to reconfigure the line so that the residents mauka, roughly—Use this as a conversation point only. Mauka of Mamalahoa Highway, running up to north of Palani Junction, in the Honok6hau area. Put those into District 7. And for portions in Captain Cook, you already have the line at approximately Kiloa Road, it looks like from the map that's been handed out. You've already severed—You put all of H6naunau, and part of the Captain Cook community into 6. I'm suggesting by running this line along Mamalahoa, you could put in more of mauka Kona, as we commonly call the area, running up towards Kainaliu, Honalo, into District 6, also. So, where they all, with the people of H6naunau, as well as far south and all the way around, share those common concerns, interests, and voices, the people in District 8. If the district boundary runs further north of the highway for 7, then that gives room to add population north of Kaiminani, Coastview Subdivision. And embrace the existing low moderate-income housing with hundreds or thousands of residents. As well as the forthcoming residents of Palamanui, where the university campus is located. So, the concept is run north-south line to put mauka residents in District 7 and in Captain Cook within District 6. And that would allow integrity of the dense population of homogenous middle income, for the most part, in north Kalaoa, you might say, to be all together. And that would allow Waimea to be all together. I realize that requires balancing in the Puna side. I don't have any solutions for that to propose. Just suggesting how Kona could be better combined. Thank you. KOSSOW: Mahalo, Mr. Childs. We'll go over to Mr. Kauka in Hilo. KAUKA: Thank you. Our next testifier in Hilo is Mr. Ed Miranda. MIRANDA: Aloha! My name's Ed Miranda, former district chairman over here, for Hilo, for the democratic side. Also, Hawaiian homesteader for [redacted personal information], Hilo, Hawaii, 96720. Going over these boundaries, you know, the whole process, granted it is a process, but it could be likened to a rubber band kind of situation because every ten years more population falls over there. Then either the borders get stretched or reduced. That's pretty much the mathematical thing that's going around here. I don't know how—You know, I kind of liked the old way where the watersheds were defined because that definitely defined an area. But that's probably a lot more down because, you know, I'm looking at our map, as compared to what it was before. I still can't understand what is this cut over here because these maps don't really show a really 6 good thing. Not unless you're really good at ArcView, I guess. But I think, you know, looking at the numbers on this present map, and correct me, Dennis, if I'm wrong about it. Seven hundred fifty-nine (759) is the new people that came into our district. Is that basically what it's telling me? (Mr. Kauka, speaking away from the mic) Yes. Well, over the criteria? Or coming into our district? (Mr. Kauka, speaking away from the mic) Okay. What is that ideal total? (Mr. Kauka, speaking away from the mic) Twenty-two thousand (22,000). And where do we stand? So, we stand at seven hundred and fifty-nine (759) over the total. Oh,jesus. I mean, seven hundred and fifty-nine (759). You know, I don't know how that—Until I find out what is the cosmetology of these people, then you know, then I can come up with one better idea. Whether it serves as a disadvantage or an advantage to our district. I kind of liken this to a civil rights issue. Where, you know, it's not going to be servicing the people of our district. Or the concerns will not be taken seriously if people within our district at present, get moved over to another one and bring up that issue in that district, and it doesn't get attention. You know, and that's why, you know, I agree with what was said earlier by our president of our association, the Keaukaha Association. Which we haven't been meeting for some time. But, yeah, I mean, you know we've been fighting a lot, Hawaiians like that. I mean, we are getting a little bit of displaced here. You know, I like the idea that we can bring some sort of a political say when everything's pretty much been taken away of. And everybody knows the true history, but some don't like to admit it. But I'll leave it at that. Because you guys got to live with you guys' own lies and conscious and stories. But I'm telling you this, if we find out that there's any disadvantage, the kind that brings upon the Hawaiians here, you guys are going to be looking at a really serious kind of situation. You know,just make sure that it is really thought out. Because when the next ten years come around, and the census, you know, I mean, a person already said it already. Some people don't want to be found. And we have a problem probably in our districts that you know, the Hawaiians are not voting a lot. So, how is this kind of stuff like that? It's going to create more voting for our kind, our community. Which we need to do. Which the whole process, the democratic process is about that. And if we don't get them involved then, you know what? They're not going to be at the table like me over here. Okay? And you know what? You really didn't accomplish anything by helping the people. You only accomplished by satisfying the process. Believe me. Yes, I going. But thank you. That's all I have to say. Thank you. Mahalo, Redistricting Commission. KOSSOW: Mahalo, Mr. Miranda. We're going to hop over to Relley. Thank you. ARACELEY: Thank you, Chair. Your next testifier on Zoom is Ms. Brenda Ford. Ms. Ford, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. FORD: Thank you very much. I'm Brenda Ford. I represented District 7. I was a council member for six years in Council District 76 for two years. So, I am familiar with the problems that are going on. I'd first like to speak about the split of Hawaiian Paradise Park. We all know our work on this. How difficult it is to work on Hawaiian Paradise Park, keep all of it together. However, I'm a little concerned that somebody's not speaking to that. Also, it appears to me, and you guys needs to work this out, the 7 Pana`ewa Hawaiian Homelands has been split between Districts 3 and 5. That seems a little problematic. I agree with Ms. Eoff and Mr. Richards, that the southern border of District 9 is just a nightmare. There is no community of interest between the Kalaoa area and anything in Kohala. So, that needs to be corrected. Also, in Kohala, District 9, it appears that the Kohala Watershed Forest Reserve has been split. And for what reason, I can't figure out. So, you need to take a look at that. Then in regard to Kailua-Kona itself. I realize that the borders between Districts 7 and 8 are difficult. However, what has happened is you've split the Kailua Village. And that is all part the entire Kailua Village is part of the Business Improvement District and needs to remain as one district. So, that needs to be rectified as well. Looking at Council District 6 and 7, you've got a lot of area in District 6, in the upper, upper mauka areas of District 7 and District 6. You might want to check with Pat Nakamoto because those areas don't have any people in them. And they could only be accessed via District 7. So, it seems to me they should not be part of District 6. Additionally, I think some of the lines would straighten out out there, up there in the mauka area. And make it a little easier for the staff to talk about and justify how the lines are going. So, to do that, I think that would be a really good thing to do. Also, on this map, that printed it off. You need to correct the colors of the water areas, the bay areas around the island. Because you've got the colors associated with other districts, and District 8 and 7 for sure. If you have any questions about the areas that I'm referring to, I've written down some of the geographic numbers of those census blocks. And if you want to call me, not tonight, but if you want to call me and have me give you those numbers, I would be glad to help you with that. And I think that's about it. Please correct the Kailua Village. And you could also pull some of the area out of District 3 and put it back into District 5, over there. There's no reason to put so many people in Hilo, when you have a large positive number there. And District 5 has only 0.9. You can straighten out those numbers dramatically. I see no reason for that blip to be there on the southern border of District 3. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time. KOSSOW: Thank you, Ms. Ford. Mr. Kauka, is there any other testifiers in Hilo? KAUKA: Chair, we currently have no more testifiers in Hilo. I will let you know if anyone comes before we conclude. KOSSOW: Thank you, Mr. Kauka. We'll hop it over to Relley. Thank you. ARACELEY: Thank you, Chair. Asking for a little indulgence. The next seven testifiers are from the same Zoom link. So, I will be calling on Patrice Macdonald. Patrice, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes. And you should be followed by Jordan B. Thank you. MACDONALD: Thank you, Commissioners. We're looking at Districts 4 and 5, and actually part of 3. In the data that we could find on the census, it said that Orchidland had 3,165 population for 2,490 lots. Fern Acres, 2,000 lots, 1,990. Then you get to Hawaiian Acres, it says, and correct me if I'm wrong, 2,991. And the population is actually between 6,000 and 8,000. So, our issue with this map for District 5 is that Hawaii Paradise Park is in the district of Kea`au. And is urban like the town of Kea`au, and is 8 only a couple of miles from Kea`au. All of which is owned by Shipman. Which last time was redistricted, they had their choice of where they wanted to go. But, District 5, we actually use Pahoa town. They have the only DMV. They have the only fire station that services upper Puna. And since they opened this `Ainaloa roundabout, we get about 30,000 of their traffic. So, the services for District 5 are actually better served by Pahoa town. And I don't I cannot access the maps and testify at the same time. My apologies. So, I don't know how that affects the population. But one thing that we all noticed that was never really brought up, was Wao O Kele Forest Reserve. Which has no population. Is only the backyard of Hawaiian Acres and Fern Acres. And you put it in District 4. Since that's my backyard, it's very important for us that we keep our conservation easement in Wao O Kele Forest Reserve. Which I don't think affects the population whatsoever. But we think this could be cleaned up by putting HPP with Kea`au and giving us back part of Pahoa town. And that's all I have. Thank you. ARACELEY: Thank you, Patrice. If you could put Jordan B. on for the next testimony. He or she shall have three minutes to testify, followed by Ashley. MACDONALD: They cannot access it. They were trying to use my link and we can't hook them up. They sent in written testimony though. ARACELEY: Okay. So, Patrice, could you inform me if Kass, Luana, Margie, or Michele will be testifying? MACDONALD: They can't link up. I have the only Wi-Fi available. We tried and they did send it written testimony. ARACELEY: Okay. Understood. Thank you so much for your testimony. MACDONALD: Thank you. ARACELEY: Chair, those are all the testifiers listed with Patrice Macdonald. So, I'll go back to you. KOSSOW: Go ahead, Relley. ARACELEY: Understood. Thank you. Chair, you next testifier is Cynthia Evans, to be followed by Patti Cook. Cindy, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. EVANS: Here we go! Can you hear me? ARACELEY: Yes, Ma'am. EVANS: Okay. Great. All right! Thank you! I just want to affirm the comments of Brenda Ford and Tim Richards and Karen Eoff. I think council members that have had to deal with how lines impact their ability to represent all their constituents. I think, for 9 example, you know, District 9, if you have your councilman being down in North Kona, they're focusing on the beaches, the roads, the parks, and all the things that are happening all around Kona because the people on Kaiminani and that area use those kind of County facilities. But think about all the facilities they have up in Kohala and Kapa`au and Waimea and Waik6loa and Kawaihae Harbor. There's just so much going on and it just, you know, the focus. Keeping the councilperson really focused on the County facilities that are being used by their constituents really represents them really well. So, I really encourage,just take that into consideration when you're looking at the lines again. You know, I heard the comments about the people down in Puna. And you know, there is something to be said about, you know, taking that community and you know, empowering them by making sure that, you know,they have the equal, kind of the equal vote, feel like their voices equal to the other ones on the island. But I know it's a really hard thing that you're doing. But you know it's gotta be done. So, thank you for your efforts and there it is. That's all I got to say. Thank you. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony. Chair, your next testifier is Patti Cook, to be followed by Eileen O'Hara. Patti, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. (No response.) Patti, I just sent you a message to unmute your mic. If you could click on that message, you'd be able to unmute your mic. And if you're unable to do so, we can move on and come back to you. (No response.) Okay. I just got a message from Patti saying that she has no mic so we will move on. Our next testifier, Chair, is Eileen O'Hara, to be followed by Margaret Wille. Eileen, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. O'HARA: Thank you very much, Commissioners. It's a daunting task. Especially given the census was a daunting task. I delved into that and did a bit of work for the census this time and ah, challenging! So, our figures are not the best and I think we all need to recognize that. But they're what we have to work with. And I have lived in Puna for over forty years. I previously had done a lot of survey work in the subdivisions. I worked for HELCO back in the nineties. I'm very, very familiar with the layout of both upper and lower Puna. And I'm a little distressed by the divisions that are being created by the working map. I realize that District 6 is largely unpopulated, most of it is the Hawai`i's Volcano National Park. Yet still, if you look at it on a map, almost half of the geographical area of the Big Island is in a single district. That's got to be challenging for whoever is representing it, and correct me if I'm wrong, but right now that's Maile David. And challenging because of the geographical distance, but also because of the disparity in terms of the connections. We have in Puna a very unique situation with our substandard—large substandard subdivisions. And what I'm seeing is, District 5 is now reaching into South Hilo. Why is that? It should be connecting the upper Puna subdivisions under a single district and that's not happening. So, right now, Puna which has over 50,000 people, one-quarter, twenty-five percent of the island's population, is gonna be represented by three different council members. That is difficult for Puna. And I don't I think that we can adjust boundaries. Ms. Ford, Brenda Ford, mentioned shifting some of 3 back into 5. That makes a lot of sense to me. Five (5) should not reach all the way into South Hilo. I think we need to take back a little bit of 6, and maybe it's on the 10 west side of the island. Without, you know, hands on working the numbers, I can't give you the deviations that would resolve. But adjustments need to be made here. And then there's this little corner of HPP, Hawaii Paradise Park, that's been taken out of District 4. What's—Why? It makes no sense. Please keep the subdivisions intact as much as possible. I testified at the very first public meeting, and I was there with our Senator Joy San Buenaventura. And we both spoke to this issue. Please try to keep the large subdivisions of Puna intact and represented under a single voice. It's really important for progress in Puna. So, that's all I got to say. I know it's a really, really hard job and we're coming into the holidays. And Happy Holidays, everybody. I hope you can make the changes. Thank you. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony. Chair, your next testifier is Margaret Wille, and we'll go back to Ms. Patti Cook. So, Margaret, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. WILLE: Okay. Thank you all for the opportunity to speak. I did a lot of work on the current draft. I was pretty much the principal drafter of it, and I know what all the challenges are. Looking at the plans that are provided, the only one that I think is acceptable at all is Document 1. It's the only plan that doesn't completely hack up Waimea into either two or three districts and running down the middle of the highways. And it's the only one that really doesn't cut into the integrity of Kona. It keeps Kalaoa in District 8, which is a concern. So, it's the only one that doesn't really sort of merge portions of like North Kohala with Kona, and that. I was the one testifier in-person at the HiloI mean at the Waimea meeting. And I underscored the importance of trying to keep some consistency to the extent possible, with what there is. `Cause there's a history in terms of the council members and knowledge and carrying on. I don't—and just trying not to just go down the middle of highways where it's not essential. So, I am underscoring the comments that were made by Council Member Richards and Eoff, and all of those who spoke in terms of the integrity of sort of the middle section of the County. You have Hilo as a power center. You have Kona as a power center. In some ways, I think it added balance to have a strong sort of Waimea, Waikoloa, North/South Kohala. I also think, contrary to what one commenter said about District 1—Well, I really worked, and one of my primary things in last time was making sure that Honoka`a did not get cut off to the rest of the agricultural portion of Hamakua. And at least Working Document 1 does maintain that. I think it's a pretty the way that's represented is good. So, I do think there are—You know, working on the Puna area is probably the most difficult. But it's where you can make and add some nuances of those, the items that I've mentioned, without doing a lot of harm to the other districts. And it just I think there's a number of people who stressed that they are knowledgeable and could ad—help the committee on those particular points. I think that's it. I really think it would be outrageous to do any of the maps where you're completely cutting District 9 up into two or three—current District 9 in two or three slices. Undermining the Kohala's and merging it with—into, as far into Kona. I think it's important to sort of keep—do what we can to address those different overall communities. But at the same time, I do see—like with Patricia Macdonald and the others were saying their needs. It just takes a lot of time in Puna. And that wasn't taken. There were things that were done the last time that could 11 have been better, and it just is a lot of work. But I think that you could improve on that area. Thank you very much. That's all I have. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony. Chair, your next testifier, we'll go back to Patti Cook, to be followed by Maile David. Patti, if you could unmute your mic, you have three minutes to provide your testimony starting now. COOK: Thank you very much. I'm trying to put the video on. I'm sorry. It's connectivity has not been good this evening. Thank you for the time. I think that the commission as a challenging job. I'm struggling with whether or not to support the plan, the recommended plan. I'm not nuts about Waimea being split. But I also understand the hesitancy of moving District I into Hilo. And I don't understand how we can possibly change the Waimea circumstances without moving that line into Hilo town. Very difficult. I'm not thrilled about it, but I actually think that the recommended commission draft plan for Waimea, while it would be District I and District 9, is probably about the best we can do. Thank you. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony. Chair, your next testifier is Maile David, to be followed by Dana Mattos. Ms. David, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Relley. Thank you. Can you hear me? ARACELEY: Yes, Ma'am. DAVID: Okay. Perfect. I just wanted to say, listening to the testimonies of the people before me, I just needed to express my feelings about I know it's a difficult job, but when you split up communities in different districts,judicial districts, where one council member—Already District 6 represents South Kona, all of Ka`u, and parts of Volcano Village. Now, I really encourage the Redistricting Commission toI know it's a hard job. Because both council member, former Council Member Karen Eoff, and I, both staffed the Redistricting Commission ten years ago. And at that time, listening to the commissioners do their work, it was very daunting. But the fact that Volcano Village was pushed into Ka`u District and South Kona, as part of District 6, it covers almost half the island. And you know, I promised, when I got in, that I would not, you know—I would not leave anyone out and try to represent the entire district. But it's a very daunting task. And so, I just want to leave you with this, that when you separate urban areas or communities as a whole, it really makes it difficult to represent them equitably. I think that is the most important thing for council members to do. Is to make sure that you are there for your community. And when your community stretches half of the island, it's very difficult. And I'm hoping that I'm speaking from experience, not that I didn't enjoy doing my work in all these communities. Volcano community. You know, I have a lot of respect and I tried my best to represent Ka`u, Volcano Village. But, when you stretch it even further, yeah, it makes that person's role, as a council member, very daunting. And I think it's almost designed to fail. And I don't want that for any future council members that would have to bear that burden and try to represent their community in the best way 12 that they can. So, I'm not sure. You know, I apologize for not really looking at the map. But I'm really just thinking that I will reach out and see if I can help in some way. So, mahalo for your time and thank you for allowing me to testify. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony, Ms. David. Chair, your next testifier is Dana Mattos, to be followed by Jacob Aki. Dana, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. (No response.) I apologize, Chair. It seems like Dana may no longer be in the Zoom chat. We'll come back if they do return. So, your next testifier is Jacob Aki, to be followed by Mary Marvin Porter. Jacob, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. AKL Aloha, Chair and Vice Chair. My name is Jacob Aki, on behalf of Common Cause. Common Cause does not have any position on the map. However, we do understand and recognize the concerns of many of the testifiers in terms of the various districts, splitting different communities, and different geographic boundaries. Common Cause does support a map that does include or try it's best to have districts in one contiguous geographic boundary. But we're just here to listen. And we thank the commission for it's hard work. We recognize that Hawaii Island isn't an easy island to draw. But we hope that at the end of this process that there is a map that does satisfy the needs of many of the testifiers here tonight. Thank you, Chair. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony, Mr. Aki. Chair, your next testifier is Mary Marvin Porter. And at that point, I'll go through the list of those who registered but I was not able to locate in the Zoom room. Just to check that we go through everyone. So, Mary Marvin Porter, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes starting now. PORTER: Aloha! I wasn't really planning on testifying, but I am a resident of Paradise Park. And there is a strong preference within that community, that we are together in district. Both for the Council and for the State House. So, that's just my main concern. Thank you very much. ARACELEY: Thank you so much for your testimony. Chair, if you'll allow me, I will go through the list of those individuals who registered to testify, but I was not able to locate in the Zoom room. Is that okay? KOSSOW: No problem, Relley. Go ahead. ARACELEY: Thank you. First, I'm calling for Lois Margaret Drake. If you are there, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony. (No response.) Hearing and seeing none, I'll call on Keith Neal. If you are there, if you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you have three minutes. (No response.) Keith Neal? (No response.) Hearing and seeing none. Dana Mattos? If you are there, could you please unmute your mic and provide your testimony. You'll have three minutes. (No response.) Dana Mattos? (No response.) Seeing none and hearing none. Stacie Burke? Stacie Burke, 13 if you are there, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you'll have three minutes. (No response.) Stacie Burke? (No response.) Hearing and seeing none. If there is anyone on the Zoom room who is representing Kupuna Mo`opuna. If you could please unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you'll have three minutes. Anyone for Kupuna Mo`opuna? (No response.) Hearing and seeing none. We had a late person signing in, a Lorie Smith Farrell. Lorie Smith Farrell, if you are there, if you could unmute your mic and provide your testimony, you'll have three minutes. (No response.) Lori Smith Farrell? (No response.) And Chair, the last person I saw that joined our Zoom room is by the name of Mapuana. If Mapuana, you would like to provide testimony, you'll have three minutes starting now. I'll send you a message to unmute your mic. Oh. It seems like you are unmuted. MAPUANA: No testimony. Thank you. ARACELEY: Okay. Thank you so much. Chair, those are all the testifiers you had registered and that I see in the Zoom room. KOSSOW: Thank you, Relley. And thank you, Dennis. I appreciate it. We'll be doing a fifteen-minute wait before concluding this public hearing. I just want to remind everybody that December 16'hexcuse me. Yeah, December 16'', we do have another public hearing—round of public hearing at the Hilo Chambers. And that's going to be at 6:30 p.m. And then we have a regular commission meeting on December 17''. If you have any questions, you can call (808) 961-8020 for more information, or email redistrictingcommission@hawaiicounty.gov. At this time, we'll be waiting fifteen- minutes before concluding today's public hearings. Mahalo. Please note that during this time, Commissioners and support staffwere on stand-by. ARACELEY: Chair, this is Relley. Just relaying a message that we received from Commissioner Bath. If you could please repeat that contact information. It seemed to have been a little too quick for some folks. KOSSOW: I'm sorry, Relley. Can you repeat that? ARACELEY: Sorry, Chair. Commissioner Bath requested that you repeat the contact information so that the public could hear it again,please. KOSSOW: No problem. No problem. If anybody has any questions, they may call our staff at(808) 961-8020. Or they can email redistrictingcommission@hawaiicounty.gov. ARACELEY: Mahalo, Chair. Please note that during this time, Commissioners and support staff were on stand-by. KOSSOW: All right. We're going to go over to Hilo. Anymore testifiers? 14 KAUKA: Thank you, Chair. There are no testifiers in Hilo. KOSSOW: Thank you. Relley, is there any testifiers via Zoom? ARACELEY: Thank you, Chair. There are no testifiers left via Zoom. KOSSOW: And there's no testifiers here in Kona. ANNOUNCEMENTS I CLOSING REMARKS KOSSOW: I'm going to go ahead and adjourn this public hearing. Friendly announcement is that the next public hearing is on the 16th, on Thursday, at 6:30. You can email redistrictingeommission@hawaiicounty.gov to get more information and also get the Zoom link as well. Thank you to the staff for putting this together. And big mahalo to all those that came out and testified this evening. We appreciate it, and thank you, and we'll keep in touch. Aloha. Respectfully Submitted, 1V Nicole Bello, support staff to the Commission a 1 15