Old Lahaina Town Utterly Destroyed - Recovery & Relief Efforts

[Rob Tucker]

The same old boys network is strong on Maui and it is strong here. We have some real incompetents in county government and no matter what happens none get fired.

[HiloJulie]

""Maui County officials said in a news release that MEMA Administrator Herman Andaya had resigned "effective immediately" due to "health reasons.""

Well, at least he made ONE right decision.

"The same old boys network is strong on Maui and it is strong here. We have some real incompetents in county government and no matter what happens none get fired."

But the question is do we blame the incompetent who gets promoted/appointed/elected to a position they are incapable of holding or do we blame the people who promoted/appointed/elected that person in the first place?

[Rob Tucker]

Well, we still operate in a slowly diminishing state of Plantation Politics. Quite a number of county employees have been brought up and tutored in the plantation system and generally feel that's the way is was and simply continues to be. Hiring family and friends sounds quaint and reasonable in its way but is also known as nepotism. Even with obvious flaws how do you fire Kimo without pissing off his ohana?

[MyManao]

how do you fire Kimo without pissing off his ohana?

When, in 1990, 'don't worry be happy' Bernard Akana, who was our mayor at the time, unexpectedly passed away we had a special election which was won by Lorraine Inouye. During her candidacy Lorraine was visibly supported by her family, most notably her brother and his family who shared in producing.. making all the food, and doing the preparations and cleanup, and handling all the arrangements for fund raising events. At the same time her brother was the island's fire chief.

After Lorraine won it was expected that of course she would keep her brother in his position. But instead, telling him that to appoint him as such would be seen as nepotism, she gave the job to someone else. As you can imagine it was a devastating blow to the tranquility of the ohana. But she did it none-the-less.

[HiloJulie]

It has to come down to the character and backbone of the ultimate "leader(s)" charged with putting people in places of authority/responsibility that when the excrement hits the oscillating blades, they are competent to perform the required duties.

I think the best example of dealing with and maybe even turning the "good ole boy" network on its head is Maui's Police Chief and how he came to be.

He pissed people off just being a nominee. He pissed people off the day he was sworn in. I did not see a press conference today, but I'm sure he pissed off someone today.

But is he the right man in the right job in Maui today. You're damn right he is.

If leadership makes their decisions on critical staff by thinking - "well this might piss off Kimo's ohana" well, they themselves don't belong in leadership to begin with.

And yes, Lorraine Inouye has that character. 

I think Maui's Mayor has that character, but maybe still with a little "good ole boy" in him, but he seems like a square shooter - and makes me wonder why he kept Andaya on in that role when he became Mayor. I am quite sure the Mayor was very influential on Andaya's immediate resignation.

[MyManao]

And yes, Lorraine Inouye has that character. 

I think the operative word is had. She's more a good ol' boy anymore. Right up there with the best of 'em.

[dobanion]

dobanion,
The photo of the structure you posted would put insurance companies out of business:

1) Fire insurance would be unnecessary
2) Round walls would allow hurricane winds to curve around it, and there's no roof to blow off
3) With a wire cage reinforcement in the cement, fero, etc, it should hold together during an earthquake

Thanks for the kudos, at least that's how I take them, on "The Dome." At least that's what the neighbors call it to my face.

I describe it as the ultimate in pragmatism in construction, pure function over form. One of my neighbors calls it "The house that looks like a d**k."

I find that most people who have been detractors when they see it from the outside, become converted once they hang out inside. I'll add that it makes a little bluetooth speaker sound like a concert if you sit in the right spot. The acoustics are spooky sometimes. You can stand on one side and speak quietly to someone on the other side and to them it sounds like you are whispering in their ear.

You'll notice in the photo that it sits on a outcropping, and it catches the wind like crazy. There's a spot right by the front door where the wind gets amplified by double. Nice spot to stand when you get hot.

[HiloJulie]

I wonder where this will end up in the next few days.

Already reassigned to a different post, but is this just incompetence or more good ole boy mentality?

Or both?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/18/us/hawaii...index.html

[dobanion]

I think that one's a red herring. The water delivery system collapsed not because there wasn't enough water, but because the whole system opened up as houses burned down (basically opening their pipes up to drain out) that all the pressure was gone.

Another of the several curveballs that I'll admit never occurred to me previous to it happening.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Japan pledges $2 million for Lahaina recovery at Camp David Summit:
https://twitter.com/jdbalartmsnbc/status...13974?s=21