Ads by Google Ads by Google

Amata’s Amouli Town Hall successful despite weather

Amouli, AMERICAN SAMOA – Congresswoman Aumua Amata held a Town Hall meeting in the village of Amouli at the eastern end of the island of Tutuila, and because it was a stormy night with heavy rain and possible dangerous road conditions, some questioned the advisability of making the nearly hour drive. But Amata received a call from the village pulenu’u asking for confirmation, and she did confirm that she would be there on time, even if only a few people were able to attend.

 

Not surprisingly, the village people were very interested in seeing Amata and they nearly filled the hall, despite the weather.  It was a great gathering of youth and seniors alike.

 

After the preliminaries and opening remarks by HC Magele, Amata gave brief remarks and then moved right into a question and answer session. There were many questions from both the seniors and the younger members of the audience. They demonstrated a real interest in the territory and in Amata’s work in Washington.

 

It was brought to the Congresswoman’s attention that Faga'itua High School students in the Close-Up club would like to travel to Washington, DC, but they have been told FHS only has two slots this year. The PTA is willing to fundraise for the other four students but they were told by DOE not to, because it may affect the funding for the other students. “I would love to see more students come to DC.  I believe this is a local decision but I will look into alternative solutions in DC,” stated Amata.

 

There were many more questions on subjects — U.S. Citizenship issues, the LVPA and access to fishing grounds, meals for seniors, MAC flights, Hawaiian Airlines fares, road conditions in Sa’ole County, a medical clinic for Aunu’u, unorganized & unincorporated Status, scholarships and the conversion to loan programs, whether the Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage affects American Samoa and should Senators in American Samoa be elected.

 

 “These are all great questions and it is reassuring to know you are all taking an interest in these subjects. But time does not allow for complete answers to everything. Please rest assured that I am aware of your concerns and I have begun work on solving these problems as we move forward”, said Amata.

 

Fuata Dr. I'atala thanked Amata for the opportunity to meet in Amouli. Amata thanked Reverend Elder Fa’alevao and the village of Amouli for the opportunity, for the use of the hall and for coming out despite the bad weather.

 

Reverend Elder Fa’alevao, Chairman of CCCAS, commended Amata for her courage and service to the people of American Samoa. He wished her well in all her future endeavors as an ambassador of American Samoa.

 

View more photos: https://goo.gl/photos/Z9XpcDAoCbzfASAg9