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Dear Susan:I wholeheartedly support placing the Council meeting issue on the ballot for the voters to decide, but I suggest caution in using the argument that because "we" pay 70% of the property taxes, "we" should get 70% of the meetings, roads, etc. The fact is that "we" includes South Kohala, which contributes a significant portion (probably nearly as much as North Kona) of the West Hawaii property taxes because of the high taxes on the resorts and resort homes, most of which are not the owners' primary residences. So if meetings and roads are to be apportioned according to property taxes, Waimea should get as much as Kailua-Kona.The better argument is that approximately half of the population calls the west side "home," so the voters should be given the opportunity to vote on whether half of the meetings should be more accessible to west siders, which will help council members better understand their needs and desires for county services. And we should support videoconferencing to allow east siders to participate in west side meetings, just as we've been participating via videoconferencing in east side meetings. The voters, of course, will have to consider the extra costs involved.
Aloha,Joel Gimpel

Aloha Joel,
I respect everyone’s opinion and that is why I post it. As long as they are not trying to sell or market something I will print it.
As for the 70%. My feeling is if you see the sun set you are on the west side and if you see the sun rise then you are on the east side.
Back in 1959 the original design called for Honokaa on east and Kau on west. There wasn’t a population to support a separate county so they never created the separate county.
Freedom of speech and sharing ideas is the only way to bring about change.
Thank you for your input.
Susan