06-06-2016, 01:47 PM
Thanks JohnDW, and Ophikao earlier, for the kind words.
I know Wally as well as I know Harry and Marlene, and better than Pete, Wendell, Crowley and the rest of the crew running for Mayor. I appreciate the mere fact that Wally even has a website/platform! Compare that to the others, and this is for the top job in the County! I still don't want to have to go to Facebook as the primary source for information.
If Chunkster has an issue with c.v.'s he needs to look at the other candidates as well. Harry worked for his Mom delivering kimchee, but he never managed the business. His driving a van is not immersing oneself in the economy as an entrepreneur. Harry worked County (and State). Pete's an Army lifer, a Federal employee. Again an alternative approach to making a living in our culture. Marlene was a lifetime educator, State and County. Wally has done non-profits, KS educator, and County (but as an administrative appointment at the executive level). No Shark Pit's in the bunch! Lots of community service though, coaching, volunteering, serving on Boards and Commissions. So mahalo to all of them for that.
In comparing c.v.'s though Wally comes the closest, for me, of having relied on his wits and capacities to maintain and advance his employment. He didn't have the "iron lunch bucket" that Federal, State, and County jobs offer. Should that be a deciding factor in the Mayoral race? I don't think it does for me. But in comparing c.v.'s he's at least equal to, if not more credible than, the others.
I don't see Pete or Marlene, the two next most credible candidates out of "the pack", getting anywhere near the traction required to finish in the top two. CAVEAT...as things stand. The obivious concern for all the other candidates is Harry getting 50% + 1 vote and closing the race out early. Their involvement is likely to take some of his votes so in that respect they may be viewed as spoilers. Kinda like what Kokubun did to Inouye to let Yamashiro gain a pluraity and win the race back when it was a Democratic primary. However that was likely on purpose.....
But to me it certainly looks like it will be Harry and Wally in the General if Harry doesn't end it early. Remember, long before the P-card, when Billy was at the top of his game after successfully guiding the County through the recession, Harry almost beat him. The man is a vote attracting machine, albeit with his non-machine painted signs and his "applicant for Mayor" soft sell approach. Or because of it ?
The easiest way for Harry to win would be a two man race with anybody. He's most likely to get more votes than any of the others and in a two horse race at the Primary he'd be a shoo in. I'm glad that's not likely to happen since I think Harrys bereft of ideas, relying too much on homily's and populism, and frankly just too old to do the job. I think Pete is misguided in how to manage our County, and I think Marlene would have a HUGE learning curve. Leaving me with what I consider to be the most important difference in deciding how to select a candidate from the pack. Look at their campaign. If they can't motivate others to work on their behalf, it they can't raise money to promote themselves to the public at large, if they can't get their message out in the6 months prior to the election, then what makes one think they will be able to take the reins of the County, develop a budget, work with the Council, and advance the public interest. Wally is getting this done. And it is NOT the "Kenoi machine", or the "Hilo old-boys cartel". His campaign is Kona based, Kona managed, and younger.
The electoral theme this year is, obviously, TRUST. The newspaper here has served up all the sordidness they could wring out of the P-card story, and it's definitely had an effect on the populace. So no big ideas, no big voices, no big bodies, no Mr. Big need apply for the job. Kawika Crowley, bad year to throw your hat in the ring! With this theme the top two are well suited to meet the publics desire. Wally is very low key, even lower than Harry. While Wally does have some intensity of purpose it's oriented towards public service. My observation of Harry's sense of public service was he was more laissere-faire. Which is to say he didn't show me a high work ethic in his 8 years as Mayor. As a public example of this everytime I saw him address a business group he spoke off the top of his head, was unprepared on the subject matter, and frequently resorted to coarse language to make his point. Always with an apology, but nevertheless inappropriate. Full disclosure, I've always had a problem with how he handled "the emergency" when he was CD chief. My beef was his steadfast refusal to build his department, in particular not naming a Deputy, and thereby generating enormous overtime. It just wasn't the 24/7/365 emergency he made it into, and took advantage of. It was controversial at the time, but now seemingly forgotten. It shouldn't be.
So between the two I certainly consider Wally Lau the superiour candidate and would make a far better Mayor. His years watching Billy get things done has provided a solid template of what the Executive of a small County should be doing. Keeping a close eye on the operating expenses and trying to invest every dollar you can in improving the quality of our infrastructure. Harry however never met a tax dollar that he didn't think belonged to a County employee. All of the pilikia building roads in Kona during Harry's tenure are on his head, he didn't lead the community forward to get things done. Billy made sure they happened and was tireless in his efforts. Again, great model for Wally, who was also his lead man in Kona.
However, all that said, I think that at this time Harry is the prohibitive favorite.
I know Wally as well as I know Harry and Marlene, and better than Pete, Wendell, Crowley and the rest of the crew running for Mayor. I appreciate the mere fact that Wally even has a website/platform! Compare that to the others, and this is for the top job in the County! I still don't want to have to go to Facebook as the primary source for information.
If Chunkster has an issue with c.v.'s he needs to look at the other candidates as well. Harry worked for his Mom delivering kimchee, but he never managed the business. His driving a van is not immersing oneself in the economy as an entrepreneur. Harry worked County (and State). Pete's an Army lifer, a Federal employee. Again an alternative approach to making a living in our culture. Marlene was a lifetime educator, State and County. Wally has done non-profits, KS educator, and County (but as an administrative appointment at the executive level). No Shark Pit's in the bunch! Lots of community service though, coaching, volunteering, serving on Boards and Commissions. So mahalo to all of them for that.
In comparing c.v.'s though Wally comes the closest, for me, of having relied on his wits and capacities to maintain and advance his employment. He didn't have the "iron lunch bucket" that Federal, State, and County jobs offer. Should that be a deciding factor in the Mayoral race? I don't think it does for me. But in comparing c.v.'s he's at least equal to, if not more credible than, the others.
I don't see Pete or Marlene, the two next most credible candidates out of "the pack", getting anywhere near the traction required to finish in the top two. CAVEAT...as things stand. The obivious concern for all the other candidates is Harry getting 50% + 1 vote and closing the race out early. Their involvement is likely to take some of his votes so in that respect they may be viewed as spoilers. Kinda like what Kokubun did to Inouye to let Yamashiro gain a pluraity and win the race back when it was a Democratic primary. However that was likely on purpose.....
But to me it certainly looks like it will be Harry and Wally in the General if Harry doesn't end it early. Remember, long before the P-card, when Billy was at the top of his game after successfully guiding the County through the recession, Harry almost beat him. The man is a vote attracting machine, albeit with his non-machine painted signs and his "applicant for Mayor" soft sell approach. Or because of it ?
The easiest way for Harry to win would be a two man race with anybody. He's most likely to get more votes than any of the others and in a two horse race at the Primary he'd be a shoo in. I'm glad that's not likely to happen since I think Harrys bereft of ideas, relying too much on homily's and populism, and frankly just too old to do the job. I think Pete is misguided in how to manage our County, and I think Marlene would have a HUGE learning curve. Leaving me with what I consider to be the most important difference in deciding how to select a candidate from the pack. Look at their campaign. If they can't motivate others to work on their behalf, it they can't raise money to promote themselves to the public at large, if they can't get their message out in the6 months prior to the election, then what makes one think they will be able to take the reins of the County, develop a budget, work with the Council, and advance the public interest. Wally is getting this done. And it is NOT the "Kenoi machine", or the "Hilo old-boys cartel". His campaign is Kona based, Kona managed, and younger.
The electoral theme this year is, obviously, TRUST. The newspaper here has served up all the sordidness they could wring out of the P-card story, and it's definitely had an effect on the populace. So no big ideas, no big voices, no big bodies, no Mr. Big need apply for the job. Kawika Crowley, bad year to throw your hat in the ring! With this theme the top two are well suited to meet the publics desire. Wally is very low key, even lower than Harry. While Wally does have some intensity of purpose it's oriented towards public service. My observation of Harry's sense of public service was he was more laissere-faire. Which is to say he didn't show me a high work ethic in his 8 years as Mayor. As a public example of this everytime I saw him address a business group he spoke off the top of his head, was unprepared on the subject matter, and frequently resorted to coarse language to make his point. Always with an apology, but nevertheless inappropriate. Full disclosure, I've always had a problem with how he handled "the emergency" when he was CD chief. My beef was his steadfast refusal to build his department, in particular not naming a Deputy, and thereby generating enormous overtime. It just wasn't the 24/7/365 emergency he made it into, and took advantage of. It was controversial at the time, but now seemingly forgotten. It shouldn't be.
So between the two I certainly consider Wally Lau the superiour candidate and would make a far better Mayor. His years watching Billy get things done has provided a solid template of what the Executive of a small County should be doing. Keeping a close eye on the operating expenses and trying to invest every dollar you can in improving the quality of our infrastructure. Harry however never met a tax dollar that he didn't think belonged to a County employee. All of the pilikia building roads in Kona during Harry's tenure are on his head, he didn't lead the community forward to get things done. Billy made sure they happened and was tireless in his efforts. Again, great model for Wally, who was also his lead man in Kona.
However, all that said, I think that at this time Harry is the prohibitive favorite.