Vague state
population figures
delay plans to
redraw districts

At issue is whether nonresident
military dependents shoul
also be counted

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By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com

The 2001 Reapportionment Commission has temporarily backed off preliminary approval of its legislative plan while it seeks advice from the state Attorney General's Office.

The commission needs to know whether including about 41,430 nonresident military dependents in the adjusted state population base was legal.

The issue was raised again by neighbor island residents and others who feel exclusion of nonresident military dependents will give the neighbor islands an additional House seat, which they say is more in line with state population figures.

It would also avoid adding two more multi-island or "canoe" districts to the legislative map as proposed.

"By including nonresident military dependents, you have excluded the opinion of 210,000 people," said Madge Schaefer, Maui advisory council member to the commission.

The debate prompted commission members to spend an hour behind closed doors yesterday to discuss it with the commission's attorney.

"The commission did not feel comfortable in proceeding, given the uncertainty of the issues presented," said Chairman Wayne Minami.

"We have deferred any action on our commission-proposed plans until we receive that opinion," Minami said.

At issue, he said, is whether the commission has the discretion to interpret permanent residents. It also needs to know what bearing a 1992 advisory has on the panel's decision. The advisory was issued as part of proposed state constitutional amendments on reapportionment, which describe what are permanent residents.

Minami said he expects to have an opinion before Thursday's commission meeting. At that time the panel will decide whether it can proceed with its preliminary legislative districts plans or go back to the drawing board to come up with new maps.

Minami said the delay will tighten the commission's statutory early-October deadline to pass a final reapportionment plan.

He added it would take about two weeks to redraw the legislative boundaries if the panel removed the nonresident military dependents.

Meanwhile, others complained the panel did not give the public enough time to review the legislative plans before it voted on them.

Downtown resident Lynne Matusow said she was unable to locate a street-by-street map of the district boundaries, making it difficult for her or anyone else to testify on the plan.

"If I can't get a street name, I can't do anything," she said.

Commissioner David Rae said the public will have access to base maps that have the streets boundaries listed after the commission approves what plan it will take to public hearings in September.

By law there is a 20-day period before those hearings start so the commission can take its proposal across the state.

In other action, the commission yesterday named Jill Frierson as vice chairwoman after Rick Clifton resigned.