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FYI: (*More at link)
Former Mayor Harry Kim is jumping into the mayoral race once again.
Kim said Thursday he’s decided to run again, this time on a campaign to restore trust in government.
“This is something we have to do because it’s right,” Kim said. “The way people feel about the government is not good for any of us. … Trust is something you work for every single day, like any relationship, you work every day to earn the public’s trust.”
Kim, 76, was mayor from 2000 to 2008, and worked in county Civil Defense for 24 years before that. He lost to Mayor Billy Kenoi in 2012 by a 1,438-vote margin — earning 49 percent of the vote compared to Kenoi’s 51 percent. Kim jumped into the race on the last day of qualifying last time, and he had vowed to decide earlier this time.
Kim is entering a crowded race.
westhawaiitoday.com
Love it, guess I will be voting after all. What's sort of funny to me is when I think of an honest man I think of Harry kim. He has earned my respect over his many years living here in puna, he has also shown me he truly cares and loves puna and those living in puna,jmo. Mahalo Harry.
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Aloha, Gypsy (Hope all is well with you and your ohana...).It will be interesting indeed.
A little more information, FYI:
(*Continued from previous post)
Kim is entering a crowded race.
Former Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann, 74, was the first to announce his candidacy and has been busy attending talk sessions and running ads since September.
“I’m not surprised that Mr. Kim has decided to run for mayor,” Hoffmann said. “He and I had several conversations over the past six months or so. I did ask Harry to join me in a partnership. It would have been a very strong partnership.”
Hoffmann said he welcomes Kim’s entry into the race.
“I’m pleased to know that we will have much fuller discussion of the issues by all the candidates,” he said.
Hoffmann was followed into the race by videographer Wendell Kaehuaea, 73, who’s run unsuccessfully for public office 21 times, including three times for mayor.
Kaehuaea quipped that the ballot, being alphabetical, will have his name before Kim’s.
“Nobody’s going to pass my name,” he said. “They’ll stop there.”
On a more serious note, Kaehuaea also welcomed Kim’s entry into the race.
“It’s the more the merrier. Everybody’s got their own talents,” he said. “I’m just running on what I have and what I’m going to offer.”
Former County Managing Director Wally Lau, 67, announced his candidacy in late January.
“I wish him the very best,” Lau said, adding he won’t be changing his campaign strategy. “My game plan is still my game plan.”
Shannon McCandless is the youngest of the group at 30. She’s campaigning on a platform of “be the change.”
“I think it’s great,” McCandless said. “We live in a democracy and the people should have a good choice to choose from.”
Candidates Jefferson Gourley and Eric Weinert did not return telephone messages by press time Thursday.
The mayor is the chief executive officer of the county and appoints department directors and appoints members to numerous commissions and boards. The office is nonpartisan and it’s open this election because Kenoi has been term-limited after eight years in office.
The candidate filing period runs through June 7. Polls open for early voting Aug. 1, with primary Election Day on Aug. 13.
To qualify for the ballot, candidates must come up with verified signatures of registered voters living within the district - 15 for local races and 25 for statewide races. In addition, candidates must pay filing fees ranging from $75 to $750, depending on the race. Fees drop to as low as $25 for candidates who agree to limit their campaign spending. — with Harry Kim.
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I always thought it was funny that Harry was a Republican.. the only Republican I ever voted for. A very good man. Has done more for the people of Hawaii, besides his stint as CD Director and Mayor, than all the other candidates put together. I certainly will vote for him again
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quote:
Originally posted by dakine
I always thought it was funny that Harry was a Republican.. the only Republican I ever voted for. A very good man. Has done more for the people of Hawaii, besides his stint as CD Director and Mayor, than all the other candidates put together. I certainly will vote for him again
Aloha, dakine...Always enjoy reading your mana'o.
Harry Kim is "old school" in some ways. The Republican party (as I'm sure you know [  ]) was the era of "finding our way" through the 1959 Statehood era.
When he would deliver Kim Chee to my Tutu and Papa's house, (he was very young, as were most of us), his aspirations were sound. He was known to many as "Coach", later on in life. He became (somewhat, IMO) someone who was worthy of "trust".
Fast forward to when he served as Civil Defense Director, then Mayor of Hawai'i County. Twenty five (25) years in Civil Defense (plus a few months or so), then Mayor for eight (8) years. The political arena sucked him into something he was not given to.
As an example, the geothermal issue (he was the Mayor who approved extending PVG's permit, yet, claimed Lorraine Inouye " tied his hands" (verbatim) when he was CD Director), the Billy Kenoi issue(s), and more important, his health issues over the course of the past several years.
I wish him well, and hope that should he win, Puna will reap the benefits of his decisions, sans the ego (which is the size of Texas as some "politicians" have).
Pete Hoffman is no slouch, and does present the standing of a viable candidate. We shall see.
Always a pleasure to discuss (coherently, reasonably, and without judgement) issues.
Rest well all. Tomorrow is another day.
Mahalo ke Akua, e na Aumakua, e na Kupuna.
JMO.
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I have mixed feelings about Harry. I voted for him last time because it was him or Billy, and that was an easy choice that I haven't regretted for a second. I had a talk with him once about the "substandard" Puna subdivisions situation that was an eye-opener. He proceeded to go on this long, rambling pidgin infused talk that didn't really say anything. At first I thought it was just a matter of style, but then it occurred to me that it was really a matter of substance. He wasn't going to even discuss doing anything concrete to fix it.
Another concern is spending. Harry's last stint as mayor was during a property price boom, and he didn't have to worry too much about making hard budget choices. Can he do that? I don't know.
So while he is certainly more honest than Billy Kenoi, is he really going to make needed reforms? I doubt it. He could win, though, just based on the "safety factor" and his history as a sympathetic and effective Civil Defense director, something no one can take away from him. It will be interesting.
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Out of touch with reality and too old at this point.
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Really, Harry, spare us.
Saw him in Costco a couple months ago being led around by his wife. Said hi, he was dazed and confused, didn't answer except with a smile.
Don't know if he's diabetic or if the meds for his heart were off that day, but not good. I'd seem a couple of months earlier at a funeral and he seemed fine , we exchanged greetings and handshakes and he readily remembered my name and what we'd talked about in the past. So, at his age, good days and bad days are to be expected. But that's too old to be the Mayor/CEO of the biggest enterprise on the island.
Besides the fact that he wasn't an effective administrator while Mayor, he seemingly had no objectives other than to keep us "safe", and he spent every dollar we had adding public employees while not having the capabilities to use them productively. In my opinion it was a lost 8 years. I don't need George Bush or Harry Kim's version of "safe". They both use that word as a smokescreen. And now he's going to cloak himself in the "trust" issue. I trust my eyes.
Our county is better off now than 8 years ago.
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harry will have my support. Great man who cares about the people. I remember when mauna loa was steaming towards hilo, harry was there for us. He is about the same age as hoffman, there is wisdom in age all you young sprouts!
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I'm but a few years younger than Harry... a man has to know his limitations. Harry's ego ( see Opihikao, above) is rampant and he's blinded by ambition.
In regards to Mauna Loa, just what was he going to do? What he did at Kalapana? Nothing but collect the highest amount of overtime this County has ever paid...for a "disaster" that moved at a snails pace.
His history of keeping us "safe" is much ado about nothing.
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