FINAL Read Ige 50.2% -- Hanabusa 43.4%
National Democrats Salute Ige, Tie Tupola to Trump
At 6.1% Ing is the Biggest Socialist Loser in USA
Gabbard Operative Paid to Harass HSTA VP?
It was 120 years ago today: Hawaii Becomes US Territory
Democrat Primary: Petty resentments, juvenile tactics and a lack of issue-oriented campaigning
Cataluna: There are bound to be some awkward moments at the Democratic Party’s Unity Breakfast this morning….
it’s hard to imagine some of the adversaries dropping grudges they’ve nursed for months and making nice over eggs and rice. It’s going to take some Academy Award-worthy acting because this time around, it was all personal….
…With few Republican challengers and the most discordant Hawaii Democratic Party in recent memory, the primary election brought out animosity between candidates vying for the same spot on the general election ballot. It was Dem vs. Dem rather than Dem vs. them….
actual issues took a backseat to perception of personality…
Though most of the dirty campaigning wasn’t all that dirty — with the exception of the bombastic road signs that seemed to drive Clayton Hee out of the governor’s race — it was nevertheless an election marked by petty resentments, juvenile tactics and a lack of issue-oriented campaigning in favor of superficial projections of image: Candidates getting their children to voice campaign ads to show how human they really are. Candidates posing with children who aren’t even theirs. Candidates caught on video stealing their opponent’s campaign literature. Candidates up in arms because someone used a city Instagram account to hit “like” on their opponent’s post….
In her concession speech Saturday night, Hanabusa spoke of beginning the “healing process” starting with that Unity Breakfast. She even sounded like she meant it.
Good luck with that….
And hanging over the whole business, was the sobering reality that more people don’t care enough to participate….
read … Humble pie on the menu at post-election Unity Breakfast
These candidates have been elected with a single vote
HNN: …There are 17 state legislative candidates running unopposed in the primary election, 16 in the state House and one in the state Senate.
An even larger number will win their seats outright on Saturday night because only one party fielded candidates in the race.
There are four winner-take-all races in the state Senate and another 16 in the state house.
In all, that means the primary election will fill 32 seats in 51-member the state House and five in the 25-member senate….
SA: In 39 of the 64 races, or 61 percent, Republicans did not even put up a candidate.
read … These candidates will be elected today with a single vote
Borreca: Sorry Primary Day Turnout is my Latest Excuse to Push Vote-by-Mail
Borreca: …The primary election is complete and one question has been answered. I can’t talk about who won or lost because this column had to be written before the Saturday election, but I already know one thing. Hawaii voters are just more in love than ever with voting by mail….
(Translation: Whatever the outcome, I have a pre-conceived opinion in mind.)
SA: Polling sites quiet as absentee voting gains popularity
read … The election’s clear winner — voting by mail — should be implemented statewide
Council to Consider Approvals for Building That Would Block Rail Extension
SA: …The Council Zoning and Housing Committee will hold a special meeting Monday to consider SamKoo’s request for exemptions for its project, including permission to exceed height limits by building up to 400 feet; greater density; and a break from paying $10.7 million in park dedication fees and more than $2 million in additional fees.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell, however, wants SamKoo to instead partner with the city to develop the site as a major transit center, possibly becoming a hub for an extension of the city’s 20-mile rail line to the University of Hawaii at Manoa….
SA: Explore options for Ala Moana rail hub
read … Zoning face-off likely over Ala Moana parcel
Star-Adv: $600M Hawaii County Recovery Package Should Fund Tourism Marketing – No Mention of Land Swap for Lava Victims
SA: … Hawaii County is anticipating a big hit to the local economy, and to its tax coffers. Mayor Harry Kim stirred up a bit of a hornet’s nest last week when he floated a request for up to $600 million in state aid to his county. Mostly the upset among state lawmakers was over the political calculation to pitch the idea first to the governor rather than to legislative leadership.
But Kim will have to make a case for a half-billion dollars, laying out how it should be spent in the island’s recovery, before the Legislature makes any serious moves.
At least some of the money is needed for marketing, national and international advertising and outreach with messaging about what Hawaii has to offer. This will be a job that falls, in part, to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, but it doesn’t end there.
The private sector, including various consortia or business groups across the visitor industry, needs to join in with the mission. Some of them are already at work…. Tourism is king….
read … Tourism is King
Authority on homeless issue lauds city’s joint effort
SA: …Usually police officers and social service workers in other communities are working on different agendas to address homelessness, along with city and state officials who are not typically on the same page, said Iain De Jong, the president and CEO of OrgCode Consulting, who is on leave from a part-time faculty position at York University.
“I want to tip my hat to the Honolulu Police Department for wanting to work and stay engaged with service providers here,” De Jong said.
Marc Alexander, executive director of the city’s Office of Housing, said social service organizations working with an HPD team led by Capt. Mike Lambert tour island streets monthly seeking out chronically homeless people and trying to persuade them to move off the streets and into shelters….
In 2011, De Jong developed the Vulnerability Index Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool — known to social service workers as the VI-SPDAT that helps them find the right help for specific homeless people….
Unitarian: The Whole Island Must Become a Massive Festering Homeless Tent City
read … Authority on homeless issue lauds city’s joint effort
Arson? New Beachboy Vendor House Burned Down
KHON: The call came in at 6:08 p.m. from a home on Iliaina Street.
Huge flames were shooting out of the two-story home when firefighters arrived.
A witness, who didn't want to be identified, told KHON2 she heard a "loud pop, louder than fireworks would have been, so I came out here to see what happened and the guy's side yard was engulfed, so I called the fire department. ... It took off really fast and it was over the rooftop. It was huge."
A woman was inside when the fire broke out, but was able to escape without injury.
The fire was brought under control at 6:26 p.m. and extinguished just after 8 p.m.
Damage is estimated at $1.2 million.
Records show the property belongs to Brian Benton, the owner of Dive Oahu, which recently took over the beach stands in Waikiki.
Benton said police have recovered his home surveillance system. He also said the woman inside the home was his daughter….
Flashback:
read … Unity
Isles’ economy, jobs at risk if TVRs restricted
SA: …As city officials look to update the nearly 30-year-old laws governing alternative accommodations, it is crucial to understand that if severe restrictions are enacted, they could have a negative impact on Oahu’s economy.
Recently, we released an economic impact report to analyze Oahu’s alternative accommodations industry — rental homes, bed and breakfasts, shared and private rooms within a home, and vacation rental condominiums. The report (see 808ne.ws/2OOySml) found that together these accommodations types contributed over $1.1 billion in direct visitor spending on Oahu in 2017 alone…..
read … Isles’ economy, jobs at risk if lodging restricted
Armed Robber Elle Cochran is an Incompetent Councilmember
MN: …On July 28, Elle Cochran posted on her Facebook page her “official” excuses for bungling subdivision improvement exemptions and the assessment and collection of developer deferral agreements.
Elle states in her post that while her committee was “assured” in 2012 that the Department of Public Works was looking into the ability to seek compensation from certain developer agreement, she was asked by certain community members in 2018 to “follow up on the department’s progress.” That’s six years later. It took her six years to follow up on her own work product?
All that time the county was never being compensated and the taxpayers were footing the bill for roadway frontage improvements? Now, she admits she bungled a two-lot water bill in 2016 which gave the same freebee exemption on two-lot subdivisions throughout Maui County for real estate developers who can afford to pay their bills.
She says the council never intended to do that. But, she’s the head of the Infrastructure Committee. Did she read the language of the legislation she voted for? Where is the accountability? …
read … Did Cochran read language of legislation she voted for?
Slow Big Island Permitting Could Even Bankrupt Oligopoly Weed Dealer
SA: …“Going through the county processing did cause some delays, more than expected by any of us,” said Keith Ridley, chief of the state Health Department’s Office of Health Care Assurance, who oversees the dispensary program. “They do have the authority to regulate things somewhat differently. While mostly they’re aligned, there can be some differences that can result in either fewer or more requirements. More requirements mean, of course, longer processing times.”…
“Both dispensaries had issues with their locations and adequate water supply for firefighting. They had other issues with other agencies but for the fire department that was the main issue,” said Robert Perreira, battalion chief of the department’s Fire Prevention Bureau. “They put it in locations that didn’t have the proper infrastructure. One facility ended up having to install their own water source and fire pump, which took a long time. Then the other facility also had issues with water supply and also had operational issues they needed to get through.”
A smaller part of the issue is being able to build facilities with labor shortages, Ridley said, adding that he is expecting at least one dispensary to open by the end of summer, though both have yet to obtain all the required county permits.
“We have a general concern that without revenue, we’re hopeful that they have the financial resources to be able to continue through the permitting process that will get them through the cultivation and the selling stage,” he said….
“Both licensees on the Big Island still haven’t received permission to cultivate. There must be some extra compliance processes we’re having to go through in permitting.”…
“Time is money. It just kills us to delay but if we want to have a long-term successful operation we got to do it just precisely,” said Ha, who has invested millions into the marijuana venture. “The longer it takes to get cash flow in, the scarier it is.”
read … Marijuana Dispensaries Have Yet to Open on Big Island
Election News:
- Fox: Socialists suffer another loss in Hawaii primary, as Dems notch gains elsewhere
- WE: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's favored candidate in Hawaii loses Democratic primary
- Hawaii Dem wins primary even after being caught on video stealing opponent’s campaign handouts from front doors
- Ige Defeats Hanabusa In Democratic Primary For Governor
- Hawaii’s governor makes improbable comeback
- ‘White Lawmaker’ Case Makes Political Comeback
- Ed Case Wins 1st Congressional District Primary Race
- Honolulu City Council races include 2 clear front-runners and a possible runoff
- OHA Candidates Headed To General Election Runoff
- Incumbent Riviere beats Hee for Senate seat representing North Shore, Windward areas
- Maui: Wildberger, Hashimoto first-time winners
- Three incumbents trailing in state Legislature races
- Kawakami, Victorino Leading Mayors Races On Kauai, Maui
- Cocaine: Tsuneyoshi Interview
- Kauai Incumbents advance easily in council race
- Kauai Mayor: Derek, Mel advance
- Maui Mayor: Victorino vs. Cochran
- Maui Council: Arakawa vs Kama in General Election
- Kapela concedes to incumbent Creagan in House District 5 race
- Creagan, Tarnas advance to general election
- Rep. Onishi fends off upstart opponent
- Kanuha looks to take Senate seat
- Inouye appears to prevail in tight Senate race
- Hilo: State Reps. Nakashima, Todd hold off primary challengers
- Richards wins re-election to Hawaii Co Council
- Kierkiewicz, O’Hara in close contest for Puna council seat
- Voters say aside from a few snags, it's smooth sailing at the polls
- Hawaii elections officials say Hawaii voting going smoothly so far
- VIDEO SERIES: Democratic Grand Rally Held In Hilo
- Primaries 2018: What those voting have to say
- Left vs. far-left among Hawaii Democrats could spell trouble in November
- Big Q: Overall, what do you think of the primary election results?
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