Greggor Ilagan - PGV Statement

[ChunksterK]

Rob Tucker Posted: Just a personal question: Can anyone name any tangible thing Greggor has gotten done?

Yes Rob, per his website he, "successfully push[ed] a new bus route into Hawaiian Paradise Park".  Ilagan also, "spearheaded a 20-acre community park." - Punatang

The county already had plans to run buses through HPP before Greggor jumped on the bandwagon and took credit for it.

The HPP park has been on the county and HPP master plans since 1997 and was reaffirmed on a 2018 revision.  The inevitable studies and environmental impact statement are under way.  In 2024 a county official said that it was "at least four years from completion."  In countyspeak that means it will be at least ten years before construction starts, assuming all those studies and statments fall into line.  He also mentioned potential pitfalls with HELCO and water system issues.  Oh, and it was priced at $80,000,000 in 2024, so expect budget issues to cause additional delays.

Here's the 2024 HTH piece on the park:

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/202...ompletion/

So what tangible thing has Greggor done?  Nothing, unless you consider collecting his salary.  That's tangible.

[HiloJulie]

So, in effect, Greggor's contributions to Puna are working to get Hele-On buses in HPP in 2013 and a proposed HPP Park in 2016 at a then proposed cost of 5.5 million that has now ballooned to be projected to be 80 million plus and not one rock has been turned yet in over 10 years? And both initiatives were already on the table before Greggor? And this is his qualifications for his 3rd term in the State House?

Sounds about right!

Clearly the next question must be: "Tam, explain these speeding tickets"

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Clearly the next question must be: "Tam, explain these speeding tickets"

Greggor’s bus riding has paid off again - - no traffic citations!

[Obie]

Greggor just posted this on Facebook. A few of the things he has done.

Access to quality healthcare shouldn’t depend on where you live.

Over the past two years, I’ve secured $570,000 in state funding for the Puna Community Medical Center, including $400,000 for planning and design and $170,000 in operating funding to advance the development of a medical campus.

The vision for this campus includes emergency care, surgical services, wellness programs, dental care, women’s health services, and a Hawaiian healing center that provides culturally rooted healthcare and educational programs.

These investments represent some of the medical center’s first major sources of state funding in many years and mark an important step toward expanding healthcare services for Puna.

I’ve also worked to secure funding for the Keaʻau Benioff Health Center and the Hilo Benioff Medical Center expansion, recognizing that many Puna families rely on these facilities for care.

Delivering for Puna means expanding access to quality healthcare and building a healthier future for our community.
— Greggor Ilagan

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Over the past two years, I’ve secured $570,000 in state funding for the Puna Community Medical Center,

That’s a start, but they need $160 million in 2024 dollars.  $400,000 is for planning and design and $170,000 for operating funding to advance the development of a medical campus, which sounds like more planning and design.  How much of that is spent in Puna?

With a price tag of $160 million, the two-story 25-bed facility will be part of a 5-acre campus on land leased from the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, about three-quarters of a mile north of Pāhoa town near the 9-mile marker on Highway 130. It will house an emergency department, radiology department, surgical department and behavioral health services.

https://bigislandnow.com/2024/02/03/new-...g-forward/

[Punatang]

Obie posted: Greggor just posted this on Facebook.


Thanks Obie! Has Candidate Ilagan posted his PGV statement on Facebook?

[Rob Tucker]

I think Greggor has been remarkably ineffective.

[ChunksterK]

Rob Tucker's comment above is spot on.

Remember all the propaganda Greggor Ilagan used to send out proudly descibing himself as "Vice Speaker?" You don't see that any more because Scott Saito, the speaker Greggor hitched his fortunes to, got voted out in the 2024 primary. In the Byzantine world of Hawaii state politics, losing one's patron usually results in bringing less goodies home for the district. In this case, we could say "even less."

The promised medical campus outside Pahoa is the same pie in the sky as the HPP park, only much more expensive and probably even much farther out in time.

Greggor is a career politician, and Tam Hunt is an upstart who promises to at least poke the powers that be in the eye. If we are still going to be the red headed stepchild of Hawaii, I'd rather have the guy who'll poke the good old boys in the eye. I don't agree with all of Tam's policies, but I'm voting for him.

[Obie]

$10 million invested in Puna's schools

Every child deserves a safe, modern learning environment.
Since taking office, I’ve secured more than $10 million in state funding to improve schools in Puna.
These investments include:
? $150,000 for the Hawaiʻi Academy of Arts and Science to support a temporary office trailer for campus expansion and the removal of hazardous ironwood trees, improving public safety and preparing for future roadway and infrastructure improvements (2026).
? $2.0 million for classroom and student support facility upgrades at Pāhoa Elementary School (2025).
? $2.3 million for plumbing and sewage system improvements at Pāhoa High & Intermediate School (2025).
? $1.2 million to resurface the football field at Pāhoa High & Intermediate School (2023–2024).
☂️ $2.0 million for covered walkways at Pāhoa High & Intermediate School (2022).
❄️ $2.0 million for air conditioning, parking, and drainage improvements at Pāhoa Elementary School (2022).
? $500,000 for girls’ locker room improvements at Pāhoa High & Intermediate School (2022).
These investments improve classrooms, modernize aging infrastructure, enhance campus safety, and create better learning environments for our students, teachers, and families.
Delivering for Puna means investing in our keiki, our schools, and our future.

with Greggor Ilagan

[HiloJulie]

I wonder why Greggor does not show up at the various candidate forums that have been held lately, including last night's forum at Hawaiian Beaches and be willing to tout his accomplishments and chart his vision for the future. His mostly somewhat silence in this campaign is a bit deafening!

Even Joy showed up last night!