GOVERNOR ELECT NEIL ABERCOMBIE is promising to meet soon with education leaders to stop furlough days and to set up the new school board, which he will appoint. One of the big issues involving school campuses in Ka`u is whether an $18 million gym and shelter for Pahala will receive funding already passed by the legislature. The project was championed by current Council member Guy Enriques. He leaves office in early December.
THE AKAKA BILL TO GIVE FEDERAL RECOGNITION TO NATIVE HAWAIIANS is in trouble of passing congress since the Republicans have taken a majority of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senator Dan Akaka said he is hoping it passes while the Democrats still hold the majority, but once the Republicans take over, he said, the chances become slim.
THE FINAL VOTES - CAST PRECINCT BY PRECINCT - IN THE COUNTY COUNCIL RACE HAVE BEEN POSTED, In some communities it was close. Incumbent Guy Enriques won his home town of Pahala with 181 votes over Brittany Smart's 84. He also won the walk in absentee vote in Ka`u with 308 over 279. However, Smart won the election and took the most votes in every other case. She won the mail-in votes in Ka`u with 336 over Enriques 320 and the election day votes in Ocean View with 512 over 171. In Na`alehu Smart took 257 votes over Enrique's 238. In Volcano, Smart took 484 votes over Enriques' 274. In Milolii it was 133 for Smart to 60 for Enriques. In Ho'okena Smart took 119 and Enriques 71. At St. Benedict's Catholic Church it was 252 to 130.
The Walk in absentee vote on the Kona side of the district was 75 for Smart and 30 for Enriques. The Kona side Mail-in was 129 to 59 in favor of Smart. On Puna Side Smart won Mountain View with 342 to 217. In Kurtistown she won with 492 to 188. The walk-in voting on Puna side drew 102 votes for Smart and 47 for Enriques. The Mail in gave her 93 and Enriques 42.
ENRIQUES has promised to keep working for Ka`u until he leaves office in early December. He said he spent yesterday picking up signs along the roads and highways and thanking his supporters. He said he will be happy to spend more time with his family once his term is pau. He also promised to stay involved in community service.
COUNCIL MEMBER ELECT BRITTANY SMART said she is pleased with the passing of the County Charter Amendment to make sure that 1 percent of property tax income goes towards the purchase of important lands for parks, Hawaiian sites and protection of drinking water. She said she looks forward to working on the County Council where five of the nine council members have pledged to increase the fund to 2 percent of property taxes going to the land fund.
MORE THAN 8,000 ACRES in Ka`u are being placed in a trust for agriculture and Nature by the Edmund C. Olson Trust to prevent the land from being subdivided into residential tracts in the future. Olson worked with The Nature Conservancy and Hawaii Island Land Trust on this project.
THE NEXT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING for the Ka`u Community Development Plan has been changed from November 9 to Tuesday, December 14. It was changed to make way for the site visit by the County Council and the public to a strip of Kamaoa Road that the county may sell off to private landowners. The site visit is at 3 p.m. on November 9. A public hearing on the road issued follows at Na`alehu Community Center.