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Friday, May 28, 2010

May 28, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:19 PM :: 11499 Views

Greenwood Mafia grabs two power positions in UH system

Good News: A small elite no longer runs Hawaii -- Bad News: Mufi thinks he can change that

Lingle: Council on Revenues forecasting improved revenue collections

Finnegan: ACT 144 Lifts Charter Cap but reduces Charter funding

Aiona: “Hawaii can’t afford Hannemann”

Kaauwai: Hannemann is train wreck for Hawaii

CB: Can Hawaii Democrats Unite At Weekend Convention?

But it will hardly be a love fest. Behind all the smiling faces at the Hilton there will no doubt be anxiety and hard feelings, too…

(They may need a pat-down search or metal detector at the door…Anybody remember how Ed Case was hounded at the 2006 Dem Convention? Time for an instant replay in duo-vision!)

Hannemann already hinting at run for Senate promises “a full four year term”, criticizes Abercrombie for quitting House

"This is not going to be the last job of my career," Hannemann said, vowing to serve out a full four-year term if elected. (So he thinks he will take Inouye’s seat in 2016? Would he quit in the midst of a second term to do this?) "This is going to be the best job of my career. Because in my mind, the best is yet to come, and you need focused leadership. The governorship is a position you lead from, not retire to."

Hannemann, 55, also said Abercrombie's decision to resign early after initially saying he would not opened the door for U.S. Rep. Charles Djou, R-Hawai'i, to win a special election to fill out the remainder of his term.

Djou won with a plurality after state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and former Congressman Ed Case split the Democratic vote.

"He took a safe Democratic seat and now put it in Republican hands," Hannemann said. "Congressman Djou is not going to be very easy to take out in November."

HNN: War of words underway in Hawaii gubernatorial race

"You'll notice the mayor said this won't be his last job it will be his best job. even now he is fudging the idea of actually becoming governor. The governorship is a stepping stone for the mayor its not a cornerstone," said Gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie.

"This is not the time for on the job training giving the complexity of the problems we face. Neil Abercrombie has never balanced billion dollar budgets or done collective bargaining, said Hannemann.

"The bottom line is the people of Hawaii cannot afford Mufi Hannemann with a legislature that is 90% democrat, in other words of one party so Hawaii can't afford a democratic governor, said Gubernatorial candidate Duke Aiona.

Abercrombie went on to criticize Hannemann for not stepping down as Honolulu Mayor until July 20th.

"I think its a fair question to ask, if you're running for governor than why aren't you? You can't be mayor and run for governor at the same time, there is a reason the law says resign," said Abercrombie

"I have a resign to run provision, so I am going all the way up to July 20th. In Neil Abercrombie's case he does not have a resign to run provision so he cost the taxpayers $1 million, " said Hannemann.

KITV: Hannemann Officially Enters Governor's Race

HNN: Abercrombie vs. Hannemann: a rematch 24 years in the making

That was 1986. Abercrombie and Hannemann faced off in a special election to replace Cec Heftel in the US House. Things got nasty, with Hannemann making comments about Abercrombie's long hair and attacking him over rumors that he smoked pot.

"You want me to move away from my statement that you are weak on drug legislation. And that is you either retract your statement and say publicly to the people of Hawaii that you made a mistake back then and you're sorry about it, and you've grown up since then, or secondly submit yourself to a lie detector test" said Hannemann.

Abercrombie won and served for three months. But Hannemann won the primary and savored his victory.

"Let's not talk about Neil Abercrombie. Let's talk about Mufi Hannemann. This is a terrific moment for me and my supporters."

But Hannemann never made it to Washington. Turned off by his negative campaigning in the primary, voters picked Republican Pat Saiki in the general.

"The acrimony between Neil and Mufi Hannemann was an advantage to me" said Saiki.

Hannemann "willing to be persecuted”

Hannemann, who lived on the Big Island for three years in the late 1980s, said his familiarity with Hawaii Island contrasts with Abercrombie's experiences.

"I don't need a road map to identify places on the Big Island," Hannemann said. "He's never come to the Big Island on a consistent basis (before) 2009."

Further, he said, he is ready to come to the island during his campaign and when necessary if elected. His Hilo office will open June 1 and he just found an office in Kona. He said he can apply what he learned as Honolulu's mayor, dealing with controversial issues there, to all the islands.

A good leader needs to be "willing to be persecuted, get out there, talk story," Hannemann said. "I have a track record of doing that on Oahu (for) rail, the sewer system, the landfill….

Lingle adheres to a different style of governance than Hannemann, who has already been endorsed by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the candidate said.

"She wouldn't sit down with labor leaders off the record," Hannemann said. "She wanted to do it all on the record. You don't do that local style." (Ca-ching!)

First, he said, comes a time to talk story, before negotiations begin.

Mayor Hannemann's Bid For Governor Creates Domino Effect

Political analyst Don Clegg said it is worth it for Hannemann to hold on the the mayor's seat as long as he can both to take care of unfinished city business as well as to take advantage of the exposure it offers him as a gubernatorial candidate.

Clegg said that exposure gives Hannemann a leg up over Democrat Neil Abercrombie, his leading democratic party opponent in the September 18 primary….

HNN: Overnight Road Work On Rail Route Begins (a coincidence, of course)

Kenoi rejects lt. gov. rumors

Kenoi appeared with Hannemann on the cover of a postcard mailed to supporters late last week announcing "An Evening With the Mayors" Friday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu.

Isle taxes highest in state -- and going higher

HILO -- Hawaii County already has the highest property tax rates in the state, and it's rivaled only by Maui in relying on increases to balance its budget this year.

Tax hikes slated to be voted on June 7 by the Hawaii County Council range from 1.1 percent increases for commercial and industrial classifications, 9.4 percent for hotels and resorts, 28.2 percent for nonhomeowner residential buildings and 31.5 percent hikes for agricultural buildings.

In his budget message to the County Council, Mayor Billy Kenoi justified the increases by noting property values countywide have decreased 9.4 percent, so many taxpayers will pay less or the same, even though their rates will go up.

Budget Veto? Maui Mayor warns of cuts to public services

Tavares now has 20 days to sign the budget, veto it, approve it with a line-item veto or let it become law without her signature.

"Those are the four options I'm looking at," she said.

Tavares had proposed a budget that would cut spending by $15.2 million; the council cut an additional $12.1 million.

Noting her administration had reduced spending for the past three years in anticipation of a revenue shortfall, Tavares said she had taken a methodical approach to the budget, looking at each department individually to identify where it could find the most savings with the least impact to the public.

In contrast, she judged the council had made sweeping cuts with little thought.

Maui News: Budget approved

What Rules Maui Water, Law or Sugar?

But the case is about more than closing the book on the plantation era or restoring Native Hawaiian culture to its place atop society.

Rather than being the final chapter of one century-long battle, a decision by the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, expected soon, will start to answer bigger questions for the islands' future: Who ultimately controls this invaluable public resource, and how is that power used?

REALITY: OHA Trustees claim ownership of your drinking water

Gay Murder at Ilikai Hotel

Following the arraignment, defense attorney Michael Green revealed that McCormick was in the psychiatric ward at the Queen's Medical Center in August 2008, when he "all of the sudden had this vision of committing the murder."

"For a long period of time, he's had severe bouts with alcoholism and things like that, and I think days would go by where he really had little memory of what was happening," he said.

Green says McMormick confessed to doctors and police, and knew details about the killing that were never publicized.

"What is normal is they keep a couple of facts that always remain secret from the public, that only a person present or committed the crime would know," Green said. "They asked him the question and he knew."

The decomposing body of Robert Henderson, 51, was discovered in a room at the Ilikai Hotel in July 1996. The nude body reportedly had a message written on it, accusing him of being a child molester.

The University of Pittsburgh linguistics professor was in Hawaii for a conference. An autopsy found he died from asphyxia.

"It's my understanding or view that there was certainly underlying sexual things that happened," Green said.

Hawaii Civil Union Law May Lead to Tax Increase

The cost of a Reciprocal Beneficiary certificate is $8, while a Civil License will cost $60. Reciprocal Beneficiaries may dissolve their union by sending in a form to the Department of Health, along with a check for $8. Under the new Civil Union law, civil partners will have to go to Family Court under existing divorce laws to dissolve their partnership….

Sen. Sam Slom (R-Hawaii Kai) believes that the report minimizes the true impact of the Civil Unions bill on the State’s economy. “The State’s pension and retirement systems, unemployment compensation and the courts are already in turmoil. Where is the extra money going to come from?”

House votes to repeal 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy on gay service members (Djou, Hirono vote with majority)

Twenty-six Democrats voted against the amendment while five Republicans voted for it.

The five Republicans who voted for the bill are Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), Anh "Joseph" Cao (La.), Charles Djou (Hawaii), Ron Paul (Texas) and Judy Biggert (Ill.). Several vulnerable Democrats also voted for the repeal amendment, including Reps. Walt Minnick (Idaho), Jerry McNerney (Calif.) and Michael McMahon (N.Y.). Other Democrats in tight races voted against the amendment, including Rep. Earl Pomeroy (N.D.).

The chief congressional proponents of repeal reached an agreement with the Obama administration to repeal the policy only after the Pentagon finishes its review of repeal implementation and President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen certify that it can be achieved consistent with the military’s standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruitment and retention.

HNN: Congress moves to end ban on gays in military

KITV: Djou, Hirono Vote For Gays In Military

National Coverage on Djou Election