The 2001 Reapportionment Commission has unveiled new neighbor island legislative district maps expected to be in use for the next 10 years. New neighbor island
districts unveiledBy Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.comProposed new district lines for Oahu will be released at a meeting Tuesday.
As requested by the commission earlier this month, officials presented new redistricting maps based on the basic island unit plan required in the state constitution. The plan does away with most multi-island or canoe districts and is set on a new resident population base that excludes nonresident military dependents.
The new neighbor island maps show Hawaii County will get three Senate seats and seven House seats -- one more House seat than it has now.
Kauai and Niihau will be represented by just one full Senate seat instead of 1 1/2 seats, but the trade-off will be a third full House seat that is currently shared with Maui.
The Valley Isle will gain a third full Senate seat and keep six House seats. The Maui Senate districts include a new West Maui-South Maui seat, as well as an East Maui-Molokai-Lanai and Kahoolawe district. West Maui and South Maui will gain separate House seats.
Commission Chairman Wayne Minami said yesterday that Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe were linked with rural Hana, Maui, instead of West Maui, for a better fit in that island unit.
"One of the issues raised (in testimony) was, 'If we're going to be canoed, canoe us with a like interest,'" Minami said.
On Oahu, some lawmakers are bracing for changes in their districts. Sen. Rod Tam (D, Nuuanu) said his Downtown-Nuuanu district might be altered to include part of Waikiki.
Tam believes he's being targeted by the Democratic "old-boy network," which wants to force him out of office when he runs for re-election next year. Tam won a close Democratic primary race in 1998 and at times has been at odds with the political party during his 19-year career as a legislator.
"I will always be a people's advocate," Tam said.
Another possible new Senate district may overlap the current districts of Senate Republicans Sam Slom (Hawaii Kai) and Fred Hemmings (Waimanalo).
Other Oahu legislators say they have not seen any new map for the island, but some were told their districts would not change much.
Minami said he has not spoken with any legislator about the new Oahu map. Nevertheless, he reiterated his position that there is nothing wrong with knowing where incumbents live while redrawing legislative boundaries because they were elected by the people who live there.
Minami said he is comfortable with the new redistricting plan. The final test will be another round of statewide public hearings in November to get public testimony to fine-tune the district lines before final approval, he said.
"I don't think we'll change our population, and I think we're set on no canoes (districts)," Minami said.
By law, the commission was to have filed a final reapportionment plan with the chief elections officer today. A new deadline has been set for Dec. 14.