"Plenty people, get hard time going to Hilo to access this kind of information. It is hard for them to get around to all the different agencies. So we thought, 'why not bring `em hea?'"
Although the format was informal, the effort was serious with county, state and federal agencies represented, some of them by rather high-ranking officials. Bruce McClure the head of Public Works was there to discuss issues related to building permits, Troy Kindred, the Civil Defense Director, was on hand to discuss the current threat of lava inundation and even Stanley Tamura, the district chief for the Department of Transportation made a showing in the morning.
The Pahoa Town Meeting, as it was billed, was held last Saturday at that town's community center from 9a.m. to 3p.m. Kindred, who himself stayed for the entire event, estimated the number of participants at 200.
There was no speechmaking or grandstanding. The scene was more like a baby lu`au where the guests are extended family and the mother figure makes sure everyone enjoys themselves and gets enough to eat. In this case there was more information than food, and while it seemed odd to be around so many locals without somebody playing `ukulele, Naeole's most uttered phrase was still, "You got something to eat?"
If there was an infancy to be celebrated it was Naeole's nascent political career. Despite her lack of experience, and her unconventional approach, the freshman rep is holding her own. One woman, who made her preference for Naeole's opponent (incumbent Gary Safarik), well known in a very public way last election, made a special trip to the event to present Naeole with a lei and tell her, "I have never been so happy to be wrong in my life."
Naeole presided over the affair going from councilwoman, to aunty and even "cuz," with ease. Interviewing her presented challenges on both sides of the exchange. This 100 percent Hawaiian who is as much a keiki o ka aina, or child as the land, as one can get in Puna, has so many connections to the people of her district that keeping up with all her social obligations leaves scoring ink a low priority. She shuts her eyes to concentrate on the questions posed, this to avoid getting distracted by the bebes and kupuna competing for her attention.
Naeole was pleased with the attendance. She hopes to have a similar event in the future -- "maybe six months" -- and she has clearly moved on from the controversy that surrounded the exit of former aide Barbara Hale. Indeed the success of this event is a tribute to the cohesion of her new team, aide Gwen Kapahu -- who was there from the beginning -- and the soon to be wed Tiffany Edwards -- who is expecting her first child in March.
The Puna rep lists her priorities as obtaining funding for a playground set in Hawaiian Beaches, and seeing to it that the resolutions she introduced this session get passed. She says she is proud that her request for a commission to protect Hawaiian cultural sites "went through with the support of Senator Kalani English from Maui."
This is the point in the interview where Naeole realizes that one presenter is the daughter of a dear friend, someone she knew "when you was still a bebe. " Press relations end immediately as Naeole recalls with fondness the family ties the two share. They laugh at how long it took "Aunty Emily" to recognize the now grown woman.
A couple gets drawn into the warmth of the moment, "We just had to meet you," says the wife.
Then a constituent interrupts with a report on his exchange with police officers who are there to talk about traffic patterns. "It's really not that hard," he says. "All they have to do . . ." This is the point where the reporter recognizes the constituent as the man who has been playing the role of Santa Claus in the Pahoa Christmas Parade for years.
Naeole gives each person her kind attention, and even manages to make sure that a passerby has indeed had his fill of food . . . and drink.
In this setting, one could just as easily learn about the county's abandoned vehicle program -- a service that provides free disposal for up to two junk cars -- as discover that the head of the Boys and Girls Club was born and raised in Puna and now services youth attending his alma mater.
For those with an interest in writing about the community it was a one stop shop for developing connections and stories, a veritable "everything you wanted to know about Puna but didnt want to drive far to ask."
BIW readers can look forward to a full-length feature on one of the town meeting's more dynamic presenters -- Fred Blas -- leader of the Hawaiian Beaches Action Care Team.
Blas, who grew up on O`ahu, worked in California and retired in Puna, is a well-spring of can-do spirit. He tells the story of how he recognized the value of Hawaiian Beaches, what some were referring to as "Puna's ghetto," and after investing in property in the subdivision, has done everything he can to increase the value of it not only for himself but for his entire community.
Also at the event were representatives for the Puna Community Development Plan, a county initiative that involves community members directly in establishing patterns of growth for the district. Naeole was an anti-geothermal activist when the last such plan was formulated and, then, put away on a shelf. Both she and the process have matured since then and all indications are that each have become much more effective.
Other agencies at the town meeting included Child Family Services, scientists from the Volcano National Park and organizers for the upcoming Christmas Parade. This will be Naeole's first year heading up the procession as the town's elected official. It's a prospect she regards with childlike glee.
"Oh, yes," she says, "This has been real good for me. And I think so to for the people." It's a reference as much about the event as her role as "she who nurtures Puna."
"You tell everybody that never make 'em, Aunty Em wish dey was hea, but ne'r mine, we going do 'em again."
As for how long she planned to be at the event herself, "Oh, I'm hea 'til the end. I gotta clean-up."
Tom Lackey wrote on Oct 1, 2007 3:02 PM: