District 4 Council

[BillyB]

I must admit I have been conflicted in choosing who to vote for in this race. I was leaning toward Ohara for a number of reasons. I agree with her about the chicken problem, even if her approach to it was somewhat stupid.
They both supported the GE tax increase, or so I understand, so thats a non issue here. I also believe she has done well in this emergency.

Ashley is young and energetic and I am encouraged when young people get involved. I understand she was very committed at "The Hub" emergency center.

Todays Tribune Herald Campaign spending article stated "She’s (Ohara) participating in the public funding option, which requires a spending cap."

So I took a look at what that means. She got $2,282.00 in public money from the State, by raising $2,450 in qualifying contributions of $100 or less. Of that $2450 in contributions $900 separate $100 donations came from people sharing the same name or address, while only two to her contributions were for less that the maximum allowed. https://csc.hawaii.gov/Report/RPT2015/20...98QCC.html
It sure smells like she is gaming the system.
Getting a few relatives to put their name on a donation you are providing is probably quite easy.

Previous public funding required 200 individual $5.00 donations to qualify. It was quite hard. They had to be in individual checks, because in the first election candidates were providing the $5.00 to anyone who would sign, just to get the public funding. Humm?

I see people getting upset when some homeless person is gaming the system by getting a free piece of chicken meant for lava evacuees.
I personally have little problem with that, but when a politician games the system to stay in power; well I have a big problem with that!

[Rob Tucker]

We're talking shoestring budgets here. If O'Hara qualified for public funding she qualified.

I will be supporting O'Hara. She knows her stuff and how council works. Kinda tired of having a couple years
of on the job training every election cycle.

[kalakoa]

Council is mostly irrelevant and could easily be replaced with software.

[Chunkster]

Ohara directly stated in an email that it wasn't her job to restrain the county budget before voting for two tax increases. I can't vote for someone who accepts Harry Kim and the county bureaucracy's standard "we couldn't find anywhere to cut or be more efficient" excuse. Also, as a public employee herself, Ohara is highly unlikely to challenge the good old boy and girl club status quo that gives the unions all they want. The part about turnover doesn't bother me at all. Maybe we'll hit the right person at some point. Somebody who has struggled trying to create and grow a business in this political climate might shake things up. Still waiting.

[kalakoa]

Kinda tired of having a couple years of on the job training every election cycle.

Absolutely -- what we really need is experienced leadership like Mayor Kim, who considers tax increases a "gift" and is so tough he can manage the County from his hospital bed on Oahu.

[BillyB]

"We're talking shoestring budgets here."

Even more important.

"If O'Hara qualified for public funding she qualified."

Maybe maybe not. The Campaign spending commission may find she gamed the system and make her return the money, but, and it's a big but, it will be a year after the election. In that case it becomes an interest free loan.

[Frankie Stapleton]

Anyone who thinks Ashley Kiekiewicz will "challenge the good old boy and girl club status" is really gonna be disappointed if she's elected. Ashley is endorsed by the police union, the firefighters union (her boyfriend is a fireman), the carpenters union, etc. and is apparently the political protege of Greggor Ilagan’s father. She is being strongly supported by Shipman’s Bill Walter and Sen. Lorraine Inouye, co-horts who have done everything in their power to make sure we have not gotten an alternate road from lower Puna to Hilo, bypassing Keaau! And who want to keep Puna in their plantation-era control.

Yes, Ashley stepped up to the plate to help Pu’uhonua O Puna but it’s her uncle Gilbert Aguinaldo who was the real hero in offering his property for the Hub. Ashley set up a bank account for the Hub but it’s NOT a non-profit organization and who knows who is overseeing those books.

Ashley aligns herself with the Hilo powers that be and she has excellent PR capabilities but a public servant for the people of Puna??? Get real! She was head of the Young Democrats here on the Big Island for maybe a decade but the state Young Dems told me they could never get in touch with her and they thought our Young Dems here had disbanded.

Eileen Ohara is intelligent and independent; however, sometimes not very politically savvy. But she busts her butt for the Puna public, as many in our community can attest, including me.

[punaticbychoice]

Frankie Stapleton @ 23:23:34 07/20/2018-

I agree with Frankie Stapleton.
O'Hara should be supported and retained by the voters
of Puna Makai.
Period.
Ms O'Hara has done a good job for the constituents of
the District.
The complaining I hear reminds me of 2006.
So if you don't like Ms O'Hara, vote for a
Shipman/Hilo proxy. Vote for slick eye-candy
if you must because, you know, resent a competent
incumbent. Jeez. []

[kalakoa]

Can anyone point to one substantive improvement brought about by any candidate or incumbent?

[Rob Tucker]

Here's one.... I've been battling with the county over our substandard country road, Post Office Road in Pahoa, for fifteen years. The CoH keeps saying they can't maintain the substandard subdivision roads. They couldn't maintain their own sub standard Post Office Road, one of three entries into Pahoa.

Eileen O'Hara had secured the funds to revamp Post Office Road. Long over due.

Mahalo Eileen.