04-01-2010, 11:36 AM
1. Better Council representation for Puna is at the top of my list. We need assertive leadership and specific nuts and bolts legislation to bring County resource allocation for Puna in line with our population. What we get from Emily Naeole is a combination of feel-good resolutions with no practical impact, religiosity, expensive trips to Washington that produce no results, and a folksy approach that some people mistake for charisma or some useful connection to "her people." Also, Rob is right about the fallacy of the Councilwoman's alliance with the Hilo bloc on the Council.
Emily's ethnic and family connections (and her really good ability to get her voters to the polls) will make her hard to beat. Some respectable and admirable candidates have come forward to oppose her, but I don't see any of them as capable of pulling off what would be a major upset. We need someone who inspires grass-roots activism across party and ethnic lines to get into the race. Fred Blas, are you listening? Please???
2. Next would be the County Budget. Everything from procurement and bidding to "phantom" job positions left on the books screams for a closer look. The mayor was elected with major public employee union support, so he is not likely to seriously consider eliminating a significant number of positions or changing work rules to require more efficiency or less cushy benefits. His attempt to raise money by selling land was not only a bad idea, but they had not one bid on the first properties offered. Raising taxes in recession like this would be akin to kicking the taxpayers in the groin. We all know there is waste in the budget, and Billy Kenoi and the Council need to get busy and deal with it.
3. The County's continued neglect of "substandard" subdivisions rounds out my list. They were happy to allow these to be created as long as they were able to collect property taxes without being expected to provide services or help with infrastructure. I don't expect them to pave my road or put water in here. I do, however, have a right to expect a police station, some parks, and transit access in a community of 10,000. Some zoning to allow shopping without having to drive to Hilo would be nice, too.
Emily's ethnic and family connections (and her really good ability to get her voters to the polls) will make her hard to beat. Some respectable and admirable candidates have come forward to oppose her, but I don't see any of them as capable of pulling off what would be a major upset. We need someone who inspires grass-roots activism across party and ethnic lines to get into the race. Fred Blas, are you listening? Please???
2. Next would be the County Budget. Everything from procurement and bidding to "phantom" job positions left on the books screams for a closer look. The mayor was elected with major public employee union support, so he is not likely to seriously consider eliminating a significant number of positions or changing work rules to require more efficiency or less cushy benefits. His attempt to raise money by selling land was not only a bad idea, but they had not one bid on the first properties offered. Raising taxes in recession like this would be akin to kicking the taxpayers in the groin. We all know there is waste in the budget, and Billy Kenoi and the Council need to get busy and deal with it.
3. The County's continued neglect of "substandard" subdivisions rounds out my list. They were happy to allow these to be created as long as they were able to collect property taxes without being expected to provide services or help with infrastructure. I don't expect them to pave my road or put water in here. I do, however, have a right to expect a police station, some parks, and transit access in a community of 10,000. Some zoning to allow shopping without having to drive to Hilo would be nice, too.