Postive comments

[jrw]

Does anyone know positive things about the candidates in 5? If so I would like to read them I am new Puna first time voting. I really don't know any of them. I have talk to a few but I would like hear positive things that other people have to say.

jrw

[missydog1]

Frannie Pu'eo seems to be very grounded, and she is one who was raised here with elders who taught her important values of island life and philosophy. I would vote for her.

I think RJ has a keen intelligence and much passion, but I think she is more activist than politician.

Cherish Almeida comes off as very sincere and grounded in her roots. Probably not ready for office?

Paleka is I sense the candidate with a lot of support, but I don't know much about him. He also has roots and speaks local. I'd probably like him if I saw more of him.

I have a great deal of respect for the wisdom that comes with being raised on the island by a strong ohana.

[pelelani]

I have met all the candidates and have talked to many directly. I have attended all the forums except one and have seen some very positive ideas. So here are my observations of the candidates. First, I am biased toward Frances Pueo so that is my disclaimer. She is not in my district but if she were, I would vote for her.

I think Cherish Almeida is a caring person who does outreach work for her church. I believe she cares about the issues. As a mother, she cares about the future of the environment for her children to experience. She seems honest and straightforward. I believe she needs thicker skin and more years of experience to go toe-to-toe with some of the council member peers she will need to work with.

Tim Law seems like a straight shooter too. He cares about the farmers and does not want to see GMO bans “destroy” our GMO farmers.

Daniel Paleka seems like a nice guy. He has studied political science and has been in law enforcement which might be good skills in our council. My concern is that he is very much pro Mayor Kenoi and Mayor Kenoi does want the incinerator plan rather than recycle plan.

Daniel Cunningham does have some brilliant ideas when you talk to him one on one. However, he does not know how to get his ideas understood by others and comes off a little nutty. If he could get grounded a bit and relate to others as human to human, he might be able to get people to understand what he is trying to say.

RJ Hampton is also very bright. She initiated and got passed much of the legislation that came from Emily Naeole’s terms. RJ does create drama around her which detracts from her ideas.

Tiffany Hunt is smart. That’s all I’ll say. There is plenty posted here pro and con.

Frances Pueo is an honest, down-to-earth environmentalist. And she understands that it is a balance of conscious growth for jobs while taking care of the aina. She has negotiating skills in dealing with union contracts and has a broad range of experience which will serve her well if elected.

[PauHana]

I agree with KathyH and can add this:

I met and talked with Danny Paleka at the farmers market. Very likable and easy to talk to, with an old Hawaiian style personality. Genuine Aloha, laughs easily and likes everyone.
He didn't seem polished at the forum, but you can tell he is nobody's fool when you talk to him one on one.

[missydog1]

Thanks for those additional insights. Really helpful.

PauHana, I think I would like Danny Paleka. Old Hawaiian style personality is real hard to resist.
Frannie could perhaps benefit from that more easy style, but I haven't spoken to her one on one, and people are different when they are up in a forum.

As for Billy Kenoi, whether you like him or not, the man has a ton of charisma and has it both in a small room or working a large one. I can't really fault Paleka for liking him.

When I got to meet Billy at his office that one time, he spoke with passion about his love of history, reading, and his work with the Native American reservations up in Washington State, none of which I knew about him. There is more to the man than being pro-incinerator.

[DaVinci]

When I met Billy, he was warm. Personable. He has that rare ability to make you feel like you are the only person in the world, while he is talking to you. We were talking about private roads and funding. He actually listened. He talked to us about Puna. About surfing at Pohoiki. He is a very polished politician. Still, the incinerator is a very bad idea, and I can't help but think that it's somehow part of his ten year plan. A visible win. Billy wants to be Governor someday. I don't know if that's good or bad. I do know that a private incinerator with a contractual minimum, tied directly to the working class citizenry is bad. Creates a disincentive toward recycling. Is not pono. Danny Paleka may or may not ultimately vote for the incinerator, but I can't take a chance on that when others, including Fran, have come out publicly against it.