by Andrew Walden
With the Honolulu Council District 2 race heating up, anti-Bunda mailers are flooding North Shore mailboxes. The most recent wave was sent out with untraceable first class stamps and no return address, July 23, 2018.
The four candidates running in CD2 are Heidi Tsuneyoshi, wife of convicted cocaine dealer Chad Tsuneyoshi, and an office staffer for outgoing CD2 councilmember Ernie Martin; Bobby Bunda, a long-time Hawaii politician with a trail of slime to match—much of which is recounted in the mailers with varying degrees of accuracy; and North Shore activists Choon James and Dave Burlew.
There is no public polling on the race, but campaign records show that most of the cash is going to Tsuneyoshi and Bunda. If public sentiment follows the dollars, this means any votes peeled off Bunda would most likely benefit Tsuneyoshi.
The mailers end with “Vote Dave Burlew for City Council”, but, interviewed by Hawai’i Free Press, Burlew says, “I did not write, endorse, or know who wrote these mailers. I am not sure if they are targeting certain individuals or areas but someone is spending a lot of money sending multiple mailers with first class stamps. I believe these mailers are an attempt to tarnish two candidates at once, myself and the perceived front runner.”
Burlew continues: “I contacted the Campaign Spending Commission and submitted a letter in person on July 19th. They simply time stamped it and put it in a ‘file’ they said they had started on the issue. I have not heard anything from them since. I called Honolulu Ethics Commission and they said they can't do anything if I don't know who it is. They also stated they can only act if it is a City employee or candidate or office holder.”
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PDF: Anti-Bunda Mailers
SA: Source of ads attacking City Council candidate is a mystery
CB: Nasty Tactics Distract From Issues In North Shore City Council Race
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