Thursday, November 21, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Berg Fighting to Terminate Ansaldo
By Tom Berg @ 9:26 PM :: 7458 Views :: Maui County, Education K-12

News Release from Honolulu Council Member Tom Berg 9-13-11

NEXT COUNCIL MEETING

The City Council will meet this Friday, September 16. Here is the [AGENDA]

Of importance is [BILL 5]. I voted NO on this bill in committee and will vote NO on the measure again this Friday at the full Council hearing. This bill proposes to make all commercial activity at our beach parks (excluding Hanauma Bay) illegal on Sundays. If the bill passes, small businesses would suffer- from teaching scuba diving and surfing, to banning movie productions, weddings ... including prohibiting tour buses from parking in the parking lots.

RAIL FIASCO CONTINUES

The City continues to push for the noisiest steel wheel on steel rail endeavor no matter how antiquated and overpriced. The City's rail project stands to be the most expensive rail project in the nation. Many rail supporters attended our last TOWN HALL meeting that was held on August 31 at Kapolei Hale and these folks advocated for Monorail and MagLev rail technology- which is about half the price, quieter, and superior to the heavy rail being pushed on us. A sample of the two hour long meeting that featured presentations on Monorail and Maglev is captured in a YouTube for your review. [RAIL VIDEO]

I voted NO to [Resolution 11-227] that if adopted, would authorize millions of our tax dollars to promote art in the rail stations. Since I was the only NO vote in committee and the measure is expected to pass this Friday, I am offering a Floor Draft to amend the resolution to allow the art to be “artistic” KIOSKS instead - where small businesses would be permitted to have decorated booths to generate money for the City rather than draining funds. My suggestion is to pave the way for kiosks to adorn the rail stations (like the airport concessionaire stands) that would utilize space at the rail stations to boost our economy and create JOBS. The City cannot even maintain the landscaping strip on Kapolei Parkway from the OR&L Co. railroad tracks to the DHHL building. So just exactly how can we expect “art” to be maintained in the rail stations?

The effort to terminate Ansaldo from fleecing us is another one of my fights- [RESO 11-248]. The company, Ansaldo, was awarded $1.4 billion to build the rail cars in California. A losing bidder, Bombardier, can build the rail cars here creating JOBS on Oahu and do it for $250 million less than Ansaldo. I have numerous resolutions to save us $250 million and infuse JOBS right here for us but it appears the Mayor, City Council and HART are content with spending more money than necessary and have no desire to create jobs as promised. Follow the money.

NIGHT FISHING BEACH ACCESS

Please consider supporting our fishing community- whereby for some, the ocean is their only refrigerator and access to city beach park parking lots after 10pm is desired in the Nanakuli area. [Resolution 11-239] could be adopted this Friday. As with all agenda items being heard this Friday, September 16, you can send in your testimony [AGENDA] now.

Councilman Tom Berg | Honolulu Hale | 530 S. King Street | Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
TEL: (808) 768-5001 | WEB: councilmanberg.com
| E-MAIL: tberg@honolulu.gov

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii