Larry O'Brien responds to the Meeting

Aloha Susan,

Mahalo for the meeting last night. I think it was a great effort and showed that there is a very serious group of people willing to address the problems facing our county. I took a few notes and noted some themes that I thought I’d share.

It was universally agreed that the ways things are the government of the county of Hawaii is dysfunctional. I noted that while the group was naturally concerned with West side issues and a feeling that these are acute problems, several speakers spoke to the idea of uniting the county’s voters against a government that is not serving anyone’s needs.

Time is both our ally and our enemy. There was some talk that by 2010, the West side will gain so much population that county representation will shift from the current Hilo-centered power bloc. (I wonder if this is a foregone conclusion, given the growth in Puna.) However, Pete Hoffman, the only government representative at the meeting, told us that in the coming months alone, the council will be reviewing 5,500 additional housing units in the Waimea / Waikoloa area without a single new meter of roadway proposed. It seems that if we wait for demographics to change, the lack of infrastructure will move from great annoyance to an insurmountable problem. (I should point out that Hoffman said that if Angel Pilago were not sick in bed, he would have attended.)

There seem to be 3 prongs of attack for the general goal of making the county government more responsive to the needs of West Hawaii:
· Visibility immediately,
· Elections soon, and
· The creation of a new entity, either an incorporated city or splitting the county (a long-term process)

Visibility can be achieved by:
· Media coverage
· Advertising
· Shoe-leather
· Attendance at council and committee meetings
· Video testimony at the same
· Civil disobedience or guerilla theater

Elections can be influenced by:
· An endorsement by the group
· A slate
· Fund-raising and direct support of candidates, in any district, who are committed to effective county government
· Advertising

Creation of a new entity was a little harder to understand in terms of concrete goals, but certainly:
· A petition of sentiment could be gathered

I suggest that these 3 prongs (Visibility, Elections, Legislation) be presented to the mailing list or as an early item on the agenda of the next meeting with the goal of creating working groups to concentrate in each of the areas.

Coming out of the meeting I was convinced that there are enough people who are passionate enough to organize into an effective group. Given my biases, I was particularly struck by the speaker who said “We can fix this in ten years with the creation of a new county, or we can fix it in ten months by the election of a new county government.”

Political organization is an achievable task. Mailers, phone banks, outreach, etc. These are less glamorous than battling for a change in the state legislature but are, at least in the short term, our most effective tools.

A final point that was touched upon but not given fair attention is cost. You’ve borne the cost of raising this issue from your own pocket and that must end. I would suggest that forming an appropriate entity to receive contributions should be high on the agenda of both the group (and yourself)!

Mahalo again and I hope to continue to work with you to achieve a better Hawaii County,
Larry O’Brien

(Incidentally, I was the fellow in the blue t-shirt who spoke a couple of times.)

Office of the Governor

Dear Ms. McGeachy, Thank you for contacting the Office of the Governor regarding improvements to Hawaii roads. We apologize that the Governor could not mention all plans for road work through out the islands, but that would be a difficult feat, considering that many have been proposed, and the time constraint during her State of the State. Please be assured that we have not forgotten our neighbors on the island of Hawaii. Governor Lingle had released funds for road work on the Big Island on December 7th of last year, in the amount of $3,400,000. Below is a portion of the press release on that date in regards to the project. Again, thank you for contacting the Office of the Governor. Should you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. We hope that you will continue to be in support of our administration, and apologize once again for any misunderstanding in this matter. Sincerely, Policy Staff Office of the Governor
GOVERNOR LINGLE RELEASES $11,884,500 FOR HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS ON MAUI, BIG ISLAND, AND KAUA`I
For Immediate Release: December 7, 2005
Hawai`i Belt Road – Big IslandThe $3,400,000 released for improvements to Hawai`i Belt Road will be used to replace Kealakaha Stream Bridge on Hawai`i Belt Road.
This project includes the construction of a new bridge located on a new alignment approximately 120 feet downstream from the existing bridge, new bridge approaches, drainage structures, and relocation of existing power poles and cables.
The $3.4 million is in addition to $4.56 million in state funds released earlier to replace the bridge. The total project cost is $40,094,700. Federal and utility company funds provide for the remaining $32,134,400.

Dear Office of the Governor,
Thank you for responding. In the future if the Governor has time to mention other islands publicly then make sure she is fair to us. The Big Island has the second largest population in the island chain. We want to be recognized equally.
Of course this bridge is in Hilo; and is of no help to the 2 major roads in Kona. These roads are always congested and are currently handling over 60,000 people.
Are there any plans for improvement of the roads in West Hawaii?
Thank you for responding.
Mrs. McGeachy
Kailua-Kona
http://www.hawaiicountyissues.blogspot.com

Mayor Kim is proud of 2005 Accomplishments?

What accomplishments? I see he claims credit for the Coastview/ Wonderview Water improvement district. If any one deserves credit on the project it is Jim Rath. He is the one that introduced the bill and the citizens of Coastview (myself included) brought it full circle. Mayor Kim did nothing to create or facilitate this project. Just like he has done nothing to complete our fire station. Which has been on the books since 1999 with 2.5 million allocated but never spent and never accomplished. I wrote to the Mayor three weeks ago asking why the Coastview/ Wonderview project isn’t appearing on the County website as a project in the works. NO answer naturally. What has he done? Sit by while his council members fight and go vacationing on the tax payers money. Good Job Harry.
As for Bruce McClure claiming Kona drivers “suck”. What is he a traffic cop? He is from Hilo. How does he know how anyone drives! Because of his lack of follow up our roads are in major disrepair not to mention only two major roads for 60,000 people to use in Kona. Wake up and smell the coffee.
If you stand up and say “I am proud” then it should be of something you have accomplished. Not the tail strings of what someone else created.
Once again I am inviting the public to come and voice their opinion on Monday night 5:30 to 8:00 at Kealakehe High School. This meeting is to determine if we need or want two counties. With the amazing job Harry and his merry men are doing who knows what the public wants.
Susan McGeachy

Rep. K. Angel Pilago

Aloha
Thank you for your attention to the situation with the Kalaoa Fire Station. I had a call today from Betsy Tranquilly of WHT. She will be following up on the story. In discussing the issue with her, I shared the following thoughts:
If Dan Bolton is not held to his promise of providing the parcel of land originally agreed upon for the Fire Station, it will put the community at the short end of the stick. It appears that what we thought was a binding agreement, may not be. This will be a major set back in getting emergency services to our mauka families.
I will be asking Corporation Counsel for an opinion if Bolton’s agreement was/is binding. The donation of land on Mamalahoa Hwy by Bolton was the key element for the subdivision to be approved. I will be asking the Planning Department for an update and Corporation Counsel for an opinion. We will also be asking the new owners where they stand and discuss the project with Fire Chief Oliviera in order to do a full and complete investigation.
I am going to do everything I can to complete the Fire Station under the original agreement, and soon. I don’t believe we should have to buy the land because it was already promised to the County "in-lieu" of a monetary "fair share" contribution. Plans have been completed for that parcel, and that money will not be lost if we stick to the original agreement. I hope we policy makers will be diligent and make sure developers keep their promises to us. I am committed to push the Kalaoa Fire Station through as hard as I can this session.
K. Angel Pilago

Aaron is tracking Kalaoa Fire Station

The new Kalaoa Fire Station, which has been on the booksto built since 1999 apparently is in jeopardy. Thisaccording to the Hawaii County fire commission December14, 2005 minutes.Dan Bolton, whom was going to build the turn key facilityand donate the land under "fair share" auspices for buildinga nearby subdivision is trying to back out. Since so muchtime has passed, he has sold that adjoining subdivisionand claims he doesn't need to do any fair share contributions.The land for the project was going to be donated by Dan Boltontoo. But since the land has changed hands,and HCFD has notappropriated necessary funds to purchase the land for thefire station.Update: I received an e-mail from Angel Pilago's officesaying the project is still on track and I should callthe HCFD fire chief if I have any questions.Update II : This what I received from Angel Pilago personally. Thank you Aaron,

Fire Responses

Dear Susan, it is refreshing to get your clarification in such a timely manner. Your follow-up reflects your true concern; you are acting responsibly!
Mahalo, Marjorie Mrasek

Aloha Marjorie,
I got scared that our Fire Station went up in smoke. Chief Darryl Oliveria is new to the position in 2000. We have to keep asking what happened to the 1,6 million for the design and building of the Fire Station. We need up dates and follow ups.
The reason it is so dear to my heart is because when I worked on the Kona Coastview/ Wonderview Water project; I knew it had to be affordable for people to want to do it.
With the new fire station in place (current station more then 5 miles) and our new fire hydrants we would all qualify for the lower fire insurance. This cost coming down would hopefully cover the $66.00 a month for the new water system. Not to mention having fire protection that doesn’t have to fight traffic up the hill to the fire.
Now our County Councilman and our Fire Chief can keep us all up to speed.
Thank you for your letter and I do apologize again for this error.
Aloha, Susan

The quote was from Chief Darryl Oliveira

Dear Rep. Angel Pilago and Karen,
First I must apologize for my miss quote of Rep. Angel Pilago. We have had the North Kona fire station on the books since 1999. I talked to Karen Eoff (Aide for Mr. Pilago) and she researched this story with Chief Darryl Oliveria. The quote in the paper was that of Chief Darryl Oliveria. I just got off the phone with the Chief and he did confirm the fire station is still in progress. The Chief will be contacting the paper to do a follow up story.
I am sorry for this confusion and take full responsibility. I want to ensure that because we change county council members that work in progress does continue.
Thank you for your follow up.
Mrs. Susan McGeachy

What happened to our Fire Station?

Aloha Rep. Angel Pilago,

I was surprised by your comments in today’s paper. You said there are no plans for fire station at this time??? What happened to our fire department on the Mamalahoa between Palisades and Coastview? The old Matsumoto property! Before you were in office we had funding for fire training, building design and the old engine from the Kona station. The design was to include a sub police station and at the same site. What happened to all of our work?

Please respond back. I am very concerned.

Mrs. Susan McGeachy
Kailua-Kona
mcgeachy@hawaii.rr.com

Lingle 2006 State of the State- Burns Hawaii on the Roads.

Keeping Hawai`i on the Move
The price of gasoline is just one of the challenges that we face when we drive each day. Another is gridlock on our highways. This is why I am seeking an additional $137 million for highway construction for projects such as: the North-South Road and Kapolei Parkway on O`ahu... the expansion of Kuhio Highway on Kaua`i, the realignment of Honoapi`ilani Highway on Maui and the design of an afternoon contra-flow zipperlane on the H-l Freeway.

Dear Governor Lingle,
Your speech included $137 million for the road projects on Oahu, Maui and for Kaua'i. What happened to the Big Island of Hawaii. Remember us! Sitting in traffic. Thanks for making us feel like the ugly step child. Last we knew we were part of the State too.
See if you have our vote next election.
Sincerly Disapppointed with your dis of the Big Island.
Mrs. McGeachy

Roads and solutions

Aloha Barbara,

The roads are probably the biggest source of our problems. The planning department has added to this problem.
Frontage roads are common in many states. When the 500 million dollar high speed cable was installed out to Kawaihae they could have been required to cover the line and leave a frontage road but our planning department didn’t have the foresight to require it.

The lines on Queen “K” highway can be pulled right now and redone with two lanes in one direction half way to the airport and jump to the other direction for two lanes going the rest of the way. But we are more concerned about loosing two full empty lanes for the Iron man competitors. It is truly sad. The needs of the tax payers are the last thing we think about.

Another issue is police training on traffic management. If they know there is an accident up Palani Road. The police should be turning and redirecting the traffic down at Henry St. and not sending them up to wait for hours or try to turn around and create another danger. It is all about traffic management.

The planning department should require all developments to connect to surrounding subdivisions prior to being given a final permit. Just another case of poor or no planning.

If our councilpersons would take trips to learn about traffic management in other states rather then vacationing in China or the Philippines then maybe we could be on the track to correcting some of our problems.
There are many things we can do to correct our problems we just need to think outside of the box.

Rental cars can be charged an additional two dollars a day for a road maintance tax. This tax would go to the roads in the area where the car was rented from.

Awhile ago I wrote a letter on the huge expense of maintaining the old bridges in east Hawaii. How do they pay for these repairs on the mainland? There is a toll both for a quarter. Those that cross it (use it) pay for it. And I got more stink letters from Hilo people. A majority of our road funds were going to the little bridge across from Suisan that took 10 years, three contractors and cost more then the golden gate bridge to build.

Another problem with our roads is the destruction of the roads themselves due to large trucks. Once again on the mainland they up charge the large trucks on vehicle registration. It is done by weight.

There are many things we can do. We need to get involved and demand better government.
Thank you for an opportunity to voice my opinion.
Aloha, Susan

Traffic is one of our main problems

Hi again, Susan.

Attached here is a document that I added to the Kona Traffic Safety Committee (KTSC) agenda for January 24th. I'm a co-chair with that organization and try to keep people informed about issues relevant to our traffic dilemma. The number of residential and commercial development applications submitted to the planning department in that two month period is astounding.

The KTSC also takes issue with allowing traffic lights on the highway, and also takes issue with allowing development access on the highway, which adds to the bottleneck. Some in the group promote frontage roads or alternate road ingress/egress. We've been promoting local connectivity for quite a while, but the progress is staggeringly slow.

My greatest concern for West Hawaii is the inept planning for our infrastructure. Hard to see our issues from across a desk in Hilo (to paraphrase a comment I've heard many times before).

Please let me know if information like this is useful to you and the project.
Barbara

Susan's response to Barbara

Aloha Barbara,
We have had millions of dollars of studies since I’ve been here and not a lot has come to fruit. The study I am looking for is one that hasn’t been done. How much would it cost to operate the county as two? I keep hearing how it will be double cost on all departments. I have been a financial organizer since 1979 and I don’t see it. The cost of a Mayor and promotion of department heads is the additional cost. The county will be separated by district and charged to the correct budget. We have fire already and we have police (?) already, etc… We just need to separate it out.
If you read the blog http://hawaiicountyissues.blogspot.com you will see the Senators worries and my responses.
Thank you for your input.
Susan

Barbara Scott

Aloha Susan,

I've been doing a bit of research for the last few years on County of Hawaii development issues. To make a long story short, and in relevance to your statements, I wonder if you have any indication of how many Consultants have been hired by the County of Hawaii and the associated costs of various "studies."

In direct correlation to that query, I've also wondered how many of these pricey consultant studies have resulted in a project completed to any degree, or have the study results been declared "outdated," resulting in another study and consultant expenditure charged to County taxpayers.

Just food for thought that I wanted to share with you.

Barbara Scott

Nancy Pisicchio

Hi Marshall,

In my opinion, increased regional planning is critical. How we can go about it is the issue. In order to create an incorporated borough, city, towship, ect, I believe a constitutional amendment would be required. To form another county, the state legislature would have to approve it. Quite honestly, after years of soul searching about each of these outcomes, I don't think either are going to occurr. I don't think there is any motivation for the state legislature to approve a split in this county. For one thing, they will be facing huge opposition for such a legislative proposal. Maybe they would consider such an idea if the Island of Hawaii was strongly united on the idea and it was being presented to them as a practical administrative decision. But we know that there would be passionate opposition to the idea. And that doesn't even begin to addess how the final deliniation would be determined. Do you think they would all decide to support the Kona District's proposal for a north-south split? We would have some people in both Kau and Kohala opposing it.
So, with that said, I believe the people of Kona should be putting a huge effort behind developing the Kona regional plan.
A regional plan can serve as the foundation for increased local decision making through the development of a Kona District Board, and other Kona boards and commissions. (Maui has three Planning Commissions). A regional Plan also has the potential to serve as the means to keep a portion of locally generated revenue within the District. Yes, many of these opportunities would require amendments to the County Charter, but I think that is much more attainable than amending the state constitution or getting the state legislature to create a West Hawaii County. A regional plan has the potentional to evolve into something very close to an seperate political subdivision. Or it could also turn into a superficial planning ordinance. That will depend on how much informed involvement and support the people in Kona provide to the development of Kona regional plan.
Yes, we need political support. The people who are asking to serve as our elected representatives should run for office on a platform based on strong regional planning and increased regional decision making authority for North and South Kona. And the people of Kona should accept nothing less.
Aloha, Nancy

response back

Dear Joel,
My intent was to bring forward an idea, not a finished plan. So the many questions
you raise about planning,parks, etc. would need to be thrashed out before such an
evolution took place. Of no real relevance, my personal choice before hearing a
good debate on the subject would be yes to the services you list. If an area chose
to remain unincorporated, it would not have a borough (thanks for helping on the spelling!) tax rate added, but the county might have a higher rate/1000 for unincorporated
areas relying more heavily on county services. I am not really trying to nail down details,
but to present a concept, given that I feel that the present government cannot cope
with a growing island of the physical size and community diversity (of lifestyles,not
people) we face now and in the future.
Any plan to divide the county, or to provide sub-county levels of government will be of the order of a 10 year project. Then the comments that you and others have made- that
we must try to elect a good set of council members and participate- is in my opinion
100% correct- whether or not there is sentiment for subdivision. These are parallel points
I think, not competing. Our choices are either to try to elect council
members who will respect the wishes of the people, or to do that while working for
additional or different governmental organization. We do not have the luxury of 'either,or'.
regards,Marshall

Joel responds to Marshall

Dear Marshall:Would each borough (note the spelling) have its own borough council and borough staff (e.g. planners, public works engineers to work on "local" projects like local roads, inspection of buildings to assure conformance to building codes, park employees, etc.) and people to administer these programs? And would establishment of a borough be voluntary? If so, what if a communitry decided to forgo a borough formation and its related costs and chose to use county services for everything? Wouldn't that result in using other boroughs' county taxes for the non-borough community?In sum, there are a lot of issues requiring careful thought and decision, even if borough formation is permitted without a change in the Hawaii Constitution. And many of the issues arise with respect to the desire for some uniformity in otherwise local concerns, such as building codes and anti-smoking regulations. Though I may sound like a naysayer, I'm merely suggesting that we might better use our energy to improve our council and administrative representation within the existing structure, and to participate actively in the decision-making process by volunteering to serve on County Boards and Commissions.Aloha,Joel Gimpel

Marshall responds to Lois-ellin

> Hi all,
> Lois-ellin and others have made fine points. Let me re-introduce a
> middle ground
> into this discussion. I believe that the present county government might
> improve
> with different representatives and eventual population shift, but that the
> asymptotic slope will be negative- because the area and diversity of
> communities is too great
> for a single council of 9 to handle. They are overworked, stretched in too
> many directions and tasks, and this will only get worse as population and
> sprawl continue
> to increase. Even with the right people, the government is organically
> dysfunctional
> by too few trying to do too much for so many. Add plagiarism to my cv.
> So a middle ground: one county government, with the ability for regions,
> should they wish, to form burroughs (if I got the spelling right) with
> large self governing rights. The council would be charged with certain
> island wide responsibilities: providing for solid waste disposal (don't
> laugh- if they had limited responsibilities, they
> might get it right and on time), water distribution, water treatment,
> emergency services (police, fire, ambulance regulation), public works
> involving more than
> a single burrough- e.g. connecting highways). All other functions would be
> decided
> regionally by the citizens of the region. Property taxes would have a
> county amount/1000, and a burrough amount/1000. In this way the poorer
> districts still
> get support from the wealthier districts, the county council can try to do
> a few things
> well rather than a vast number poorly, and there should be more prompt
> ,responsive
> government within the county.
> Sorry if I am being a scrastched phono record on this . regards,Marshall

Louie-ellin

Aloha, Susan and all:
Small can be beautiful in government, as in many other endeavors. How small is most beautiful can depend on many factors. One could make a case that similarity of concerns, issues, priorities, visions can help establish useful geographic boundaries for units of government.
The arguments against splitting Hawaii Island into two counties are many, and they are good arguments. For example, cost is one issue, although one would need a mindful analysis of true costs including travel and response times before concluding that it would cost twice as much were there to be two County Councils, two Police Departments, and so on. The spiritual virtue of being our brother's and sister's keepers in sharing wealth is another consideration, although again a mindful analysis could examine the role of state and national governments in redistributing wealth based on need.
The arguments against a split deserve identification, a careful analysis, and discussion.
There are also good arguments for splitting the county. These include governmental responsiveness when there is no city or municipal government and we are a multi-island state, differential priorities, the historical record of apparent inequities in distribution of resources giving too little to those who pay the most...and apparent gridlock in the Council.
These too deserve identification, a careful analysis, and discussion.
I personally favor splitting the county, based on current knowledge. It is not likely to be enough to elect good representatives who can be trusted to honor their commitments to the constituencies who elected them, important as this is---and it is very important--as well as work together for a common good across constitutencies. These fine representatives may deserve a venue which is more manageable in scale and in communality of interests.
There seems to be much in the current planning process that would be useful for either a single or a dual county system. Further, as I understand it, the results of this effort would be a general guiding framework, not too different from what already is fairly well-known such as the need to better align housing, transportation, and job opportunities. Further, the results are not likely (a) to be how-to, what-to-do specific, or (b) to sort out conflicting priorities when funds are not infinite, or (c) to be legally binding as a set of laws, initiatives, or resolutions. Rather, the hope seems to be that if small groups of citizens get commited to their own ideas, these groups will continue to support, lobby for, and promote their ideas and perhaps make common cause with other groups that form around this planning effort.
I will not be able to attend the meeting on the 30th, and will be shortly after be away until May. When I get back, however, I could perhaps help with some of the analysis.
Many thanks to you and to all the others who are already giving so much to making our Island all it can be.
Lois-ellin (Datta)

Marjorie Erway

Aloha Susan!
We truly appreciate your concern for Hawaii Island and encourage your continued involvement in our democracy.
With that said, we do NOT support the splitting of the Island in to two counties. We are one island and need to learn to work together instead of trying to form two governmental agencies which will only cause more divisiveness among the people. Working together is very difficult, but with the sense of aloha that is prevalent on this Island, we can do it, if we dedicate ourselves to it.
We would rather hope that all will support the Community Planning process now underway. This process, required by the new General Plan, allows us to involve all the stakeholders in addressing economics, environmental quality, natural hazards, resources and land use for different regions of the County. These are action documents that will become law so that future County Council MUST follow. This can assure resources are directed where needed and without splitting the county in two.
Continue to encourage people ot vote - carry a few of the wikiwiki registration forms with you to pass out. Support, visibly, those people who are running for office who you think will represent us well, or better yet, become a candidate. There is lots of work to be done here, and with the growing westside population, it won't be long before the westside will have more political influence. Maybe that's the good part of so much traffic?!
Obviously, we will not attend your meeting, but did want to let you know our feelings. Let's work together to bring about positive change!
Marjorie & Duane Erway

Issues raised by two Senators

Establishing West Hawaii County:
1/5/6
Infrastructure: Hilo has the biggest port and Kawaihae is not fully developed as of yet to handle similar imports. Most of all of the fuel arrives in Hilo and trucks to Kona.

According to the County of Hawaii Data Book 2004 on table 14.21 page 406 Freight Traffic for Hilo and Kawaihae Harbors:
Year: 2003 short tons: Hilo Harbor: 1,850,000 and Kawaihae Harbor: 1801,000

Fuel is not able to unload at Kawaihae as of this time. No storage facilities are built. Many Counties and States in America have no port yet they are able to operate and purchase what they are lacking. The west side of the island is already paying up to .15 more per gallon of gas for this service.

Federal and State Grants: County of Hawaii receives funding some direct, such as the TAT Tax to Hawaii County, as well as federal highway, federal grants for other programs such as health, Hawaiian programs, University, Research, Schools, Agriculture, Astronomy,,, How is the government going to separate these fundings?

Demographics of the population will determine where the funding will go. The current programs know where the funds are currently being allocated to and will need to separate the funding by dividing the current funding by location and number of people that are currently benefiting from the various programs. Federal and State grants will need to be applied for by each County and reassigned by population needs. Federal highway funds will continue to maintain the two State roads we have on the island of Hawaii.

West Hawaii has no Administration Building such as a County building with all of the services. Such as Fire, Civil Defense, Administration…

According to the Data book table 9.15 Filled position count, by Department, County of Hawaii: 2004 is 2,326 positions. Including (The semi autonomous) Water Supply 162 positions.
The government in West Hawaii is currently housed in a rented location. The cost is far less then the major repairs/ renovations/ mold removal then the building the County purchased in the old JC Penny mall in Hilo. The purchase of a building is not required to establish a government.

Is there enough population to warrant a second county?

According to the Data book table 1.1 Resident Population, State of Hawaii, by Counties: 2004 Population 162,971 full time residents. And table 1.2 De facto population, State of Hawaii, by Counties 2004 (The de facto population is defined as the number of persons physically present in an area, regardless of military status, tourists, etc…) 180,226.

Is there a magic number? The other island populations as of 2004 are as follows: Oahu 899,593 and Hawaii 162,971 and Kauai 61,929 and Maui 138,221. The County of Kauai has a smaller population then the west side of Hawaii.

Susan McGeachy

Marshall responds to Janice

Aloha Janice,
You make many valid points about our county government and solutions. I
believe that we are building the Tower of Babel in many discussions on the topic.
My personal opinion (from the idiot who backed the present D7,8,9 candidates
and is doomed to eternal hell) is that there are two separate issues/discussions
that get lumped in error . The first is the unfairness and often incompetence of
county government to provide for the welfare and public safety outside of Hilo.
I agree completely that part of the solution to this is to get better candidates,
and await the decade when gerrymandering can no longer let the Hilo bloc
rule as they wish.
But there is a second point, and this idiot believes that this is the only point
on which political subdivision should be debated: Is Hawaii county too large
geographically to be efficiently governed from a single county seat with members
who live 100 miles or more from the locations they govern, even if 9 Mother Teresas were
on council and Ghandi were mayor?? In this context, is
a suggestion to make smaller political divisions a 'haole' concept? I have been
to Asia,Africa, Oceania, Europe. They all make political subdivisions for government. The old Soviet Union was centralized, and this was the reason for
disintegration, revealing a group of nations 50 years behind the times. Political
subdivision for responsiveness to local needs is an international reality going
back hundreds of years, and across all ethnic groups.It should not be viewed as
shocking or revolutionary-nor attributed to a single ethnic/cultural group.Common
sense and practicality is international.
The continental US does not consist of DC period. There are states, counties,
cities and villages with governing authority. Yes, people have family spread in
many states, yet they are still family, don't fight each other because of county
or state of residence, and most all who are citizens still consider themselves
to be US citizens- even if, you'll forgive the vulgarity, they live in Texas. If smaller
political divisions were made in Hi. county- two or more counties, or a single county government with incorporation of districts with some governing authority- the political
lines would not cause the island to split along these lines and drift into the Pacific,
each division in a different direction. Families would drive from one division to another
never noticing, unless a district line sign happened to be posted along the highway.
The Hilo people would be happy not having to listen to the whining of the west Hi.
folk, and much friendlier interisland relations might result. We would all still be Hawaii
state residents, and US citizens. All those 'Hawaii County' tee shirts might need revision,
but we could face that.
My expectation is that you will be completely vindicated on your comments on participation: we'll have an endless line ready to complain, very few willing to work.
Maybe we can get Mr. Abramoff to come give us some pointers! Short term, I agree
with you- we really need to try to get candidates in D7,8,9 (and 1) who will vote
according to campaign stands and intelligently.
Take these comments with a grain of salt- this guy backed D7,8,9 council members
(any forgiveness for wisdom in backing Gimpel and Jacobson as well?)
Best wishes for the new year- Marshall

Susan responds to Janice

Aloha Janice,

Thank you for responding.

We are not looking for a silver bullet to split the county. Hopefully we can not be compared to Haiti (third world country). The shear size of this island makes it logical to split the governments in two. The needs of the west side have not been addressed in the past. When I worked on the Water Improvement district in Kona I found the people from the County and the Water department didn’t know the area and had never been to Coastview/ Wonderview. How can the tax payers be represented by a government so far away?
This is not about ethnic background. It is not a Haole thing. We are all Tax payers and deserve representation for our tax dollars. We deserve to be at a public meeting without driving four hours.
I was at the Kona Community Development meeting and there were only 3 people there. Changes can not come from a handful of people. The public will need to take a stand if they are ready for changes. We need volunteers to help. Hopefully we will see you at the meeting on Monday Jan 30, 2006 5:30 to 8:00 at the Kealakekehe High School Cafeteria.

The meeting is going to be structured as follows:
We will have two blank poster stands. One will say “FIX IT NOW” and the other will say “NEW COUNTY”. Each person will be given 3 minutes to speak their mind. The crowd will say if it goes on the fix it now or the new county. This is an informational and awareness meeting. Community involvement is just that. Getting the people to get involved. This is the beginning of the baby steps it takes to make lasting changes.

Once again thank you for responding.

Susan McGeachy
http://hawaiicountyissues.blogspot.com

Janice Palma-Glennie

Aloha, susan,I appreciate your enthusiasm, and believe, as you obviously do, that community involvement is everything for a democratic system to function properly. Must tell you — since I can’t attend your meeting -- that I do not support division of Hawai`i County for many reasons. I think there are other ways to make things more fair for West Hawai`i and more balanced for the whole island (which may or may not include different city mayors, county manager, east and west planning commissions, etc.). Splitting the county would not, in itself, seem to be the silver bullet to insure that government will work better and more fairly. A lot depends upon who is elected to office and the system under which those people work. It seems that getting the right people to run for office (with the potential of actually winning elections) is becoming more of a problem than the differences in island areas. Until the idea of serving in government is regarded by the majority of the public as an honorable, selfless and potentially beneficial way to serve one’s community, then the type of person who is inclined to run for office will become, more and more, one who can raise money or has enough money or plans to be a consultant a few years down the road to get money, etc, etc -- an even greater danger to the democratic process than from where a person hails on the island. No offense intended, but I think the idea of splitting the county is, well, a bit of a haole concept. It doesn't, I don't think, take into consideration that the indigenous population of this island is made up of families that are scattered from north, south, west and east — yet inextricably connected. The idea of one island being two counties reminds me of haiti and dominican republic -- a division that has created one of the weirdest and most unfair political and social nightmares in the eastern hemisphere (though I know that is quite a stretch from the much smaller idea of separating a county). Still, it does come to mind, and even a person who flies over that small island can see the disparity and dysfunction that can occur when one island is artificially cut into two).Mahalo again for your input and vigilence. Best wishes for a safe, healthy New Year for you, your ohana, and all of us who share this, Hawai`i Island.Best regards,Janice Palma-Glennie

State not responsible to County Data Book Who is?

Dear Eugene,

Thank you for responding. These tables you sent are a cumulative for the entire state. We would like to see the numbers for Hawaii County. All of the legislators are telling us it is too expensive to split the county in two, but no one has any facts or data to back it up.
Maybe someone from the County of Hawaii will respond with some current numbers for Hawaii County

Thank you,
Susan McGeachy

County not up to date?

Susan, There is a misunderstanding here. The 2004 Data Book you purchased from the Hawaii County Mayor's office is produced by the County's Department of Research and Development. We are the state agency - State Department of Business, Economic Development of Tourism. We produce the State of Hawaii Data Book. The two data books are different and produced by different agencies. I have no idear why the County Data Book was not updated, I would recommend you to contact the County's Department of Research and Development to find out. Our Data Book (the State Data Book) has updates on the information you requested. The latest version of our Data Book is the 2004 State of Hawaii Data Book. Because of budget shortage, we no longer print hard copies of our Data Book since 2001, but publish them on our website and produce CD's for public to use (can be purchased at $15 a CD). I am attaching the two tables you are requesting in this email. Please note that these tables are from our Data Book (STATE) so that the table numbers are different from what you have. Our Data Book tables can be downloaded (free of charge) from DBEDT website at http://www3.hawaii.gov/dbedt/index.cfm?section=statistics_and_economic_information516 Please let me know if you have further questions. Eugene Tian, Ph.D.Research and Statistics OfficerResearch and Economic Analysis Division, DBEDTPhone: 586-2482xtian@dbedt.hawaii.gov

Susan responds to Eugene Tian

Dear Eugene,
I didn’t upload any thing. I purchased the 2004 Data book from the Mayor’s office. Table 9.1 page 261 is Federal, State, and County Tax Collections, State of Hawaii: 1976 to 1997. Where is the 1988 to 2004? Why is it not in the book? Also Table 9.5 State Operating Expenditures, by function: 1995, 1996 and 1997. Where is 1998 to 2004. I paid $15.00 for a current Data book. Why is it not current? Please email the update to these two tables.
Thank you for responding.
Susan McGeachy
mcgeachy@hawaii.rr.com

Eugene Tian responds to Data missing

From: Eugene Tian [mailto:XTian@dbedt.hawaii.gov] Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 4:20 PMTo: Susan McGeachyCc: Lois Hamaguchi; David Young; Pearl Imada IboshiSubject: Fw: Splitting Hawaii County Meeting

Susan, Your message about government finance data has been forwarded to me. The State of Hawaii Data Book has updated data, for the data tables you mentioned, up to 2003. The following is the link to the data books. We have uploaded our Data Book from 1996 to 2004. http://www3.hawaii.gov/dbedt/index.cfm?section=statistics_and_economic_information516 As you may have noticed, the source for the data is Tax Foundation of Hawaii . Due to the resignation of a staff member in the organization, 2004 data have been delayed and are still not available. We do have 2004 data in other tables under Section 9, but from difference sources. Please email me if you need further assistance. Eugene Tian, Ph.D.Research and Statistics OfficerResearch and Economic Analysis Division, DBEDTPhone: 586-2482xtian@dbedt.hawaii.gov----- Forwarded by Eugene Tian/DBEDT on 01/04/2006 04:09 PM -----
David Young/DBEDT
01/04/2006 03:21 PM
To
Eugene Tian/DBEDT@DBEDT, Jan Nakamoto/DBEDT@DBEDT
cc
Pearl Imada Iboshi/DBEDT@DBEDT
Subject
Fw: Splitting Hawaii County Meeting



Please respond directly with a bcc to Lois for her records. mahalo Dave Young DBEDT Communications 587-1212 ----- Forwarded by David Young/DBEDT on 01/04/2006 03:22 PM -----
Lois Hamaguchi/Gov/StateHiUS@STATEHIUS
01/04/2006 03:17 PM
To
David Young/DBEDT@DBEDT
cc

Subject
Fw: Splitting Hawaii County Meeting



Dave, please have DBEDT respond. Lois HamaguchiCommunications ManagerOffice of the GovernorPh: 808-586-0081Fax: 808-586-0006Stay informed about the issues, speak your mind, and involve yourself in the exciting process of our state government by subscribing to the "Governor's Update," a weekly e-newsletter.Visit the website at: www.hawaii.gov/gov ----- Forwarded by Lois Hamaguchi/Gov/StateHiUS on 01/04/2006 03:17 PM -----

Splitting Hawaii County? Come find out!

Aloha Ladies and Gentlemen,

I went down to the Mayors office and purchased the “Data Book 2004 County of Hawaii” I found the Data book to be incomplete. It did have the “Federal, State, and County Tax Collections, State of Hawaii: 1976- 1997” Table 9.1.
But, What happened to our accounting for tax collections for (1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004)?

The “State Operating Expenditures” Table 9.5 just happened to be only up to 1997 too.
Where are the numbers for 1998-2004? I am sure we had a budget and expenses.
Didn’t we keep track of how much the state makes and how much of the budget was spent? Who is in charge of reporting these numbers?

The time has come to address Hawaii County. The tax payers and legislators will now have a chance to come forward and speak their peace. We are having a meeting on Monday January 30, 2006 from 5:30 to 8:00pm at the Kealakekehe High School Cafeteria. The goal of this meeting is to determine if the tax payers of the Big Island are ready for two counties. If the public doesn’t show up and get involved then we will take it that everyone is happy with the way things are running. A few people can not make this happen. It takes all of the Voters to make some smart decisions for our future.


Register to vote. In the front of the phone book is the voter’s registration. If you are 18 years of age or older, then take the time and file it in.
Do your homework. Did your elected officials do what they promised? What did they accomplish? Which Senators, Legislators, Mayors and Representatives did a good job and should be re-elected? Which ones need the boot?
After only 46 years of State Hood how can we have system that is so unbalanced? Do we need a Constitutional Convention “Con Con”? Is it time to make some changes to better our tax payers?

The Constitution of Hawaii Bill of Rights reads as follows: “All political power of this State is inherent in the people; and the responsibility for the exercise thereof rests with the people. All government is founded on this authority.”

It is easy to do nothing and complain. It is hard to take a stand and become an active member of your community. 2006 is a new year and a new beginning.
Step up to the plate and become a member of the team. Do it for yourself and your children.

Susan McGeachy
mcgeachy@hawaii.rr.com
http://hawaiicountyissues.blogspot.com