02-18-2011, 11:46 AM
Greg, IIRC, previous redistricting plans allowed as much as a 10% deviation among districts in population. I believe the rationale was to keep traditional constituencies together in the face of population growth that would have distorted those traditional boundaries. Of course, what we ended up with was Puna with one solid district from HPP down to Kapoho and Kalapana and the remainder split between South Hilo and Ka'u. Some people might call that gerrymandering to reduce the influence of the most underserved and underrepresented area in the County, if not the entire state. So I don't think Brenda Ford's legislation is in support of the status quo.
The full breakdown on Hawaii's population by locality is due in the next month, and it should be quite enlightening. The growth in HPP alone might qualify Puna for a full second seat on the Council.
The full breakdown on Hawaii's population by locality is due in the next month, and it should be quite enlightening. The growth in HPP alone might qualify Puna for a full second seat on the Council.