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Gov Ben Cayetano Endorses Charles Djou for Mayor
Statement from Former Governor Ben Cayetano, June 7, 2016
THIS MORNING CHARLES DJOU WILL ANNOUNCE HIS CANDIDACY FOR MAYOR. I SUPPORT HIM AND I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT HIM FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:
1. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS NON-PARTISAN;
2. DJOU IS HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY;
3. HE IS EXPERIENCED: 7 YEARS AS A CITY COUNCILMAN, 4 YEARS AS A LEGISLATOR AND ONE YEAR AS A US CONGRESSMAN;
4. HE IS A LT. COLONEL IN THE US ARMY RESERVE, HAVING SERVED ONE TOUR IN AFGHANISTAN;
5. HE WAS ONE OF TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO OPPOSED THE RAIL PROJECT;
6. HE IS A GRADUATE OF USC SCHOOL OF LAW, WHARTON SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND PUNAHOU SCHOOL.
7. HE WILL SEEK WAYS TO CURB THE SKYROCKETING COSTS OF THE RAIL PROJECT AND WILL CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS THE MIDDLE STREET COMPROMISE.
8. HE WILL MOVE PROMPTLY TO FIND WAYS TO ALLEVIATE THE CITY'S GROWING HOMELESS PROBLEM;
8. UNLIKE MAYOR CALDWELL, DJOU IS NOT BEHOLDEN TO LABOR UNIONS, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS AND OTHER SPECIAL INTERESTS GROUPS.
9. HE WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS AND WILL NOT MISLEAD YOU AS MAYOR CALDWELL HAS DONE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE LEGISLATURE.
10. CURRENTLY, HE IS THE FRONT RUNNER IN THE POLLS TAKEN BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ERNIE MARTIN;
11. HE IS TRUSTED BY AND WILL HAVE THE SUPPORT OF KEY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SUCH AS COUNCILWOMAN ANN KOBAYASHI AND COUNCIL CHAIR ERNIE MARTIN.
THANK YOU.
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Charles Djou statement regarding Honolulu mayoral campaign
This election is about one word – trust.
The people no longer trust government. Politicians saying one thing and doing another — making promises they have no intention of keeping. Favoring friends and ignoring the concerns of working families.
The biggest single illustration of this failure is the rail project. We were promised that rail would be built “on time and on budget.”
Rail, however, is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. No one is taking responsibility for the incompetence, the mismanagement and the breakdown of this project.
Many may recall that, as a councilmember, I opposed the rail project for years, believing the city couldn’t afford the expensive heavy-rail design being pursued. But I respected the decision made by voters in 2008 in favor of rail and shifted my focus from trying to end the project to trying to improve it. For example, I made sure the rail system was rerouted to the airport instead of through Salt Lake.
I’ve watched over the last six years since I left the City as promise after promise to us has been broken.
- We were promised rail would be “on time and on budget”. It’s neither. We are over a billion dollars over budget and five years delayed.
- We were promised rail would provide 10,000 local jobs. It hasn’t. Not even close.
Looking around — no one is taking responsibility.
So, I will.
As Mayor, I will veto any further tax increases for the rail system. We need to make this project work with the money we have, not the unlimited blank check Caldwell has given to project developers.
We need to think about the next generation. If we don’t get the spending on the rail project under control, we’ll have nothing left for basic City services. We don’t want more massive sewer spills like the one we experienced in August that shut down Waikiki and Ala Moana beaches for days.
I value responsibility in government. That’s why I am so disappointed in the City’s failure to deal with the homeless crisis in Honolulu. Our parks and beaches should be places where our kids can feel safe to play. If we don’t address these problems now, these children surrounding me will be the ones dealing with the consequences.
Government exists to serve the people, not the other way around.
Together, we can restore a sense of trust long lost in our government. It all starts right here, right now, with all of us.
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