Aloha FTR supporters

[Rob Tucker]

Aloha FTR Supporters,

As I write this I do not know the result of today’s first reading at council of Resolution 321-10. I followed the excellent testimony of over twenty individuals and members of various subdivision boards of directors.

As President of FoPF and on my own I want to thank those who testified in person or in writing on this effort. Very articulate testimony. Little or no opposition from the public. I had to leave council before action was taken. You may know the result before I do as I am traveling off island within hours.

If the Resolution passed first reading today then it will progress in a few weeks to the second reading. We must not assume that a pass on first reading guarantees a passage on second reading. So if and when a second reading approaches you will be asked again to testify, turn up at council, send emails, make phone calls, increase the volume. We will do this. It will take time. We can make it happen if we work together with determination.

If the resolution failed to gain a majority at council today this is not over. We will need to make our feelings known at the polls on election day. Talk to you friends and ohana. We can and will work with the legislature next year with or without support from the current council.

We are gathering donations for a media campaign. This will be absolutely necessary when we take the FTR issue to the legislature in Honolulu. Please donate what you can. We ask subdivisions to donate a minimum of $100. Any funds unused will be refunded on a pro rata basis.

I am so pleased to have met so many people from around the island that share the concerns for our island’s needs and future. We all face the same obstacles. By all means, let’s work together to overcome them.

Mahalo,

Rob Tucker, president

Friends of Puna’s Future
www.fopf.org
P.O. Box 1959
Pahoa, HI 96778

[AlohaSteven]

Here is a transcript of my testimony yesterday, for your possible interest.

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Good morning; thank you for considering my testimony.

My permanent residence is served by a county-maintained road (a very nice one!), not by a private subdivision road, yet I understand how Resolution 321-10 benefits me even so.

Maintaining the status quo maintains inequity which does not serve the best interests of anyone on the Big Island whether they live in Hilo, Puna, Kona, or elsewhere. Good roads are essential basic infrastructure necessary in many different ways to a prosperous economy, a well-educated and healthy population, and to effective conservation of natural resources. If for no other reason, then respect for law enforcement and emergency services personnel demands change in the way road conditions are currently ignored and neglected. It would be shortsighted and misguided for a relatively few people figuring “I’ve got mine, so nothing should change” to be allowed to block progress on this issue.

At the end of the last committee meeting on this issue Councilmember Guy Enriques stated he had heard questions and concerns from unnamed constituents that "people should have known they would be subjected to difficulties by living in areas with neglected roads, so why should others pay toward improving those roads?" I would appreciate it if the individuals with such concerns were to take time to come forward as I am doing and go on record in public testimony as I am rather than remaining anonymous while Councilmember Enriques speaks for them, yet the question stands and there is a clear answer to it: everyone should pay toward improving and maintaining Big Island roads --roads the creation of which was approved long ago by this very Council-- because it matters to everyone in exactly the same ways that it matters to everyone whether law enforcement and emergency services are well-supported, students are well-educated, access to health care is adequate, and other basic infrastructure functions as it should. Just as neglected children are eventually everyone’s problem in one way or another whether they live on the same street as one or not, neglected streets are everyone’s problem whether one personally lives on those streets or not.

As our Big Island community leaders I hope you will do your best to make genuine progress on this issue by at least trying Councilmember Yagong’s innovative solution, as well as by educating those constituents who mistakenly believe bad Big Island roads are someone else’s problem. Thank you for working and voting in favor of solid basic infrastructure on the Big Island.

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The bolded text indicates where I weighted my words for particular emphasis. By the way, during the delivery of my testimony when I said It would be shortsighted and misguided for a relatively few people figuring “I’ve got mine, so nothing should change” to be allowed to block progress on this issue, right between It would be shortsighted and misguided for a relatively few people figuring “I’ve got mine, so nothing should change” and to be allowed to block progress on this issue I very deliberately paused in reading my notes and looked up for one long moment to make completely solid direct eye contact, in full view of the Council, with Councilmember Ikeda. He seemed to take the point, as I hope others on the Council did as well. The voting public does notice which members are being part of the solution and which are part of the problem.



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Nirvana vs Rick Astley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1YABGdai5k

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[Edited to repair damaged link]

[DaVinci]

Did 321-10 pass first reading?

[Rob Tucker]

Yes it did. I am told it passed 7-2 in favor with Ikeda and Onishi voting against.