News Release from Hawaii Republican Party August 26, 2014

STATEMENT FROM PAT SAIKI ON WOEDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE FORUM

HONOLULU (August 26, 2014) - Pat Saiki, State Chair of the Hawaii Republican Party, released the following statement after the West Oahu Economic Development Association’s Gubernatorial candidate forum on Tuesday:

"Now that David Ige has decided to show up and publicly discuss his campaign, voters can see that he has no new direction for Hawaii and would simply be a second Abercrombie Administration,” said Saiki. “Hawaii voters rejected the previous administration for constantly saying one thing and doing another. Today, Ige continued that tradition on critical issues such as creating jobs and badly needed school infrastructure improvements.”

BACKGROUND

VIDEO #1: David Ige Touted His Private Sector Experience As A Key Part Of His Campaign:

• WATCH VIDEO: "I do bring to this governorship 35 years of private sector experience, which I think is very, very important.” (David Ige, West Oahu Economic Development Association Candidate Forum, Kapolei, HI, 8/26/14)

But Ige’s Main Business Is “Not In Good Standing” With The State:

• Ige’s Primary Outside Source Of Income Is His Work As Project Manager For Robert A. Ige And Associates. (David Ige, Disclosure Of Financial Interests: Long Form, Hawaii State Ethics Commission, http://ethics.hawaii.gov/alldisc/, 6/1/14)
• Robert A. Ige And Associates Until July 18^th, 2014 Was A Hawaii Company “Not In Good Standing.” (Robert A. Ige and Associates, Incorporated, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, http://hbe.ehawaii.gov/, Accessed 6/26/14)
• According To The DCCA, Robert A. Ige And Associates Has Misfiled Several Annual Reports, And Failed To File Their 2012 Report Until May 5, 2014, Over A Year Late. (Robert A. Ige and Associates, Incorporated, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, http://hbe.ehawaii.gov/, Accessed 6/26/14)

VIDEO #2: Ige Touted His Record Of Getting Schools The Money They Need When Asked About Insufficient School Infrastructure:

• WATCH VIDEO: “Again, it is about empowering schools and making sure that the funds do get to the classroom and to the school level. I’ve been a big proponent of engaging principals and teachers in the prioritization process of repairs and maintenance and further investments in the campus because I understand that those are the people that know which investments have the best return for our students. You know, we have to expand the amount of repair maintenance funds that are controlled by the principals, and I think more importantly, it really is about engaging those school level personnel in the CIP and the repair programs so that we can get better returns on the dollars that we make available.” (David Ige, West Oahu Economic” Development Association Candidate Forum, Kapolei, HI, 8/26/14)

But Ige’s Record On School Funding Shows A Gross Misunderstanding Of What Hawaii’s Students Need:

• Ige Proposed Using $2 Million From The General Fund For School Sports. “Sen. David Ige, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, has introduced a bill to restore funding for public school athletics. In its current version Senate Bill 3083 seeks $2 million in additional general funds that the DOE would use to pay for more coaching and assistant coaching salaries for the 2014-15 fiscal year. Ige said the bill arose out of numerous conversations he had with school administrators, coaches and teachers across the state about the need for a big boost in athletics funding. ‘The thing that became clear is that, for some students, athletics is one of the most effective ways to reach them,’ said Ige, who played tennis and baseball as a student at Pearl City High School.”  (Alia Wong, “Moving the Ball: Hawaii Senator Wants Millions More for School Sports,” Civil Beat, http://www.civilbeat.com/, 2/18/14)

• Ige’s Proposal Was Criticized For Prioritizing Sports Over More Basic Student Needs. “But some critics argue that the $2 million could be better spent on other critical education needs. Educators point to much-needed upgrades for Hawaii’s aging, sweltering public school classrooms and the lack of a statewide preschool system for 4-year-olds, to emphasize what the state might sacrifice to restore funding school athletics.” (Alia Wong, “Moving the Ball: Hawaii Senator Wants Millions More for School Sports,” Civil Beat, http://www.civilbeat.com/, 2/18/14)

• For Example, Hawaii Schools Suffer From A Lack Of Air Conditioning. “And that, Koide says, can take a heavy toll on student learning. The Leeward heat, which school officials say easily hits 90 degrees indoors and subsides only in the few rooms on campus that have air conditioning, doesn’t help either. Civil Beat arrived at Campbell on a breezy yet muggy morning in mid-April. Aside from the distant buzz of lawnmowers and the occasional airplane soaring overhead, the campus was, for a brief moment, silent and still. And then the bell rung. Hundreds of students spilled out of the gray, generic buildings, flooding the campus center and then snaking through the maze of sidewalks and portables, likely headed to another round of overcrowded, overheated classes.” (Alia Wong, “Bursting at the Seams: Skyrocketing Enrollment Crowds Campbell High Classrooms,” Civil Beat, http://www.civilbeat.com/, 4/24/13)

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