Susan, To add a bit of information to your e-mail:
Yes, the State Constitution allows political subdivisions; however, adding a county will require a Constitutional Amendment since each county is listed in the Constitution. There are several communities that want to be separate, listed below, so we are not alone.
As for political subdivisions: While I was in the legislature I introduced a bill for "enabling" legislation to allow political subdivisions, i.e., cities, towns and villages, to be incorporated as political entities. Although the bill was heard, the opposition was on Oahu (where all the votes are since the highest population in the state is there) even though we had support from Laie, Kailua-Oahu, and Kaneohe.
The only "city" in Hawaii is Honolulu; the island of Oahu was designated as a city prior to statehood. The purpose was to call Oahu the "City and County of Honolulu" in order to qualify for federal Community Development Block Grant monies that are distributed based on population.
Virginia
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