08-25-2008, 06:25 AM
I was at the latest forum yesterday, and it was almost too much to take in. In two and a half hours, we had three Council candidates, three mayoral candidates (two and a quarter if you consider one got there very late,) and four State House candidates. While it was interesting to see the cross-over between state and local issues, the format made is somewhat hard to get into depth or cover a wide range of issues. It didn't help that there was no consistent time limit imposed on responses. Still, there was a lot to be learned, and I'm glad I went.
State House of Representatives:
It was my first face-to-face encounter with Fay Hanohano, and I was not overly impressed. She spent a lot of time talking about how hard it has been for her to get anything done and a lot of time agreeing with other candidates who had policy initiatives to propose. Ms. Hanohano seems like a very nice person, but her background is in State government and a public employees union. That does not seem like a recipe for change to me. Mr. Sparks was congenial, informed on the issues, and willing to try new ideas. It was Anthony Marzi, however, who really impressed me. His policy positions are to my liking, he has high energy, and he is proposing innovative methods to keep the citizens informed and involved in the decision making process. Mr. Marzi gets my nod in this race, and his previously mentioned lack of public speaking skill was not evident. Mr. Blas is indeed an energetic go-getter who has demonstrated an ability to accomplish things in his community by eliciting grass-roots participation from his neighbors. Because the House race is partisan, and Mr. Blas is the only Republican running, he will face whomever among Mr. Marzi, Mr. Sparks, and Ms. Hanohano get the most votes in the primary. Should Ms. Hanohano get the Democratic nomination, I plan to vote for Mr. Blas in the General Election.
Mayor:
Angel Pilago was the only one of the "big four" in the Mayoral contest to attend the forum. He once again has shown a keener interest in Puna than some of our home-grown politicians. On the Council, he has done a better job of representing Puna's interests than our own Councilwoman. In the Mayoral race, he has shown up at more events in Puna than our Kalapana native Billy Kenoi. This gentleman is our best hope for breaking out of the "good old boy" stranglehold on island politics. I have met Billy Kenoi, and I sincerely feel like he is the "new and improved, smooth-talking, loaded with empty catch-phrases" incarnation of the good old boys. Ms. Inouye should have stayed in the State Senate instead of running on her lack-luster experience as mayor 16 years ago. Stacy Higa is the head of the Hilo bloc in the current council and has been accused of thuggish behavior on several occasions. Jasper Moore, who was at the Kalani forum, is so off the wall that I would probably vote for him as a protest if we did not have a decent serious choice. Mr. Borozzo (sp.?) was there, but I don't know why. He got there late and didn't say much.
County Council:
I share James Weatherford's concerns about Kale Gumapac. I agree with several of Mr. Gumapac's views, but still find the anger coming through. Some of his postings here on Punaweb have shown this. Yes, there are plenty of things to be angry about, especially if you are Native Hawaiian, but he should take a cue from Mr. Pilago and propose positive initiatives and inclusiveness as a way of dealing with it instead of constantly saying "no more." Wayne Joseph was there yesterday, and he continues to impress with his ethical perspective. I even found his opposition to the "peaceful skies" initiative refreshing. The crowd obviously overwhelmingly supported it, and so do I, but I respect him for staying true to his own beliefs instead of going along with the flow. Kaniu Stocksdale was there, and once again seemed way out of her league. She is very nice, and her hand gestures demonstrated her hula skills. I would really like to see her dance sometime. Emily Naeole and Gary Safarik did not show up, and I have commented on them recently in the council thread. I still have not decided which of Emily Naeole's opponents to vote for, but I guess I will have to soon.
Another super-long post. Oh well, there's a lot going on here.
Cheers,
Jerry
State House of Representatives:
It was my first face-to-face encounter with Fay Hanohano, and I was not overly impressed. She spent a lot of time talking about how hard it has been for her to get anything done and a lot of time agreeing with other candidates who had policy initiatives to propose. Ms. Hanohano seems like a very nice person, but her background is in State government and a public employees union. That does not seem like a recipe for change to me. Mr. Sparks was congenial, informed on the issues, and willing to try new ideas. It was Anthony Marzi, however, who really impressed me. His policy positions are to my liking, he has high energy, and he is proposing innovative methods to keep the citizens informed and involved in the decision making process. Mr. Marzi gets my nod in this race, and his previously mentioned lack of public speaking skill was not evident. Mr. Blas is indeed an energetic go-getter who has demonstrated an ability to accomplish things in his community by eliciting grass-roots participation from his neighbors. Because the House race is partisan, and Mr. Blas is the only Republican running, he will face whomever among Mr. Marzi, Mr. Sparks, and Ms. Hanohano get the most votes in the primary. Should Ms. Hanohano get the Democratic nomination, I plan to vote for Mr. Blas in the General Election.
Mayor:
Angel Pilago was the only one of the "big four" in the Mayoral contest to attend the forum. He once again has shown a keener interest in Puna than some of our home-grown politicians. On the Council, he has done a better job of representing Puna's interests than our own Councilwoman. In the Mayoral race, he has shown up at more events in Puna than our Kalapana native Billy Kenoi. This gentleman is our best hope for breaking out of the "good old boy" stranglehold on island politics. I have met Billy Kenoi, and I sincerely feel like he is the "new and improved, smooth-talking, loaded with empty catch-phrases" incarnation of the good old boys. Ms. Inouye should have stayed in the State Senate instead of running on her lack-luster experience as mayor 16 years ago. Stacy Higa is the head of the Hilo bloc in the current council and has been accused of thuggish behavior on several occasions. Jasper Moore, who was at the Kalani forum, is so off the wall that I would probably vote for him as a protest if we did not have a decent serious choice. Mr. Borozzo (sp.?) was there, but I don't know why. He got there late and didn't say much.
County Council:
I share James Weatherford's concerns about Kale Gumapac. I agree with several of Mr. Gumapac's views, but still find the anger coming through. Some of his postings here on Punaweb have shown this. Yes, there are plenty of things to be angry about, especially if you are Native Hawaiian, but he should take a cue from Mr. Pilago and propose positive initiatives and inclusiveness as a way of dealing with it instead of constantly saying "no more." Wayne Joseph was there yesterday, and he continues to impress with his ethical perspective. I even found his opposition to the "peaceful skies" initiative refreshing. The crowd obviously overwhelmingly supported it, and so do I, but I respect him for staying true to his own beliefs instead of going along with the flow. Kaniu Stocksdale was there, and once again seemed way out of her league. She is very nice, and her hand gestures demonstrated her hula skills. I would really like to see her dance sometime. Emily Naeole and Gary Safarik did not show up, and I have commented on them recently in the council thread. I still have not decided which of Emily Naeole's opponents to vote for, but I guess I will have to soon.
Another super-long post. Oh well, there's a lot going on here.
Cheers,
Jerry