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Billy Kenoi
#1
Here is my take on Mr. Kenoi. It is based on three events where he was a principle speaker, or the only speaker. I have listened to him (just him) for a total of about two hours.

1. He defines his career in term of all the important people he has met, worked for, knows. He says this is an important reason to vote for him: he has great connections. Fair enough. He is by his own definition, then, one of the "good ol' boys".

2. He has made exactly two campaign promises. The first promise:

Build a first rate transit system on this Island using Federal funds (earmarks) provided by Senator Daniel Inouye. It is urgent, he says, to do this quickly before Sen. Inouye dies. Thus the pressure to elect Billy Kenoi NOW and not in the future. This says to me that he will not help us get these transportation funds if we don't elect him mayor.

3. The second promise:

Bar code documents in the Planning Department.

I don't think bar codes will fix our Planning Department.

There must be a process (system or procedure) in place before you automate it, or you will have no improvement. A process that is dysfunctional can be made to work by a totally committed team of people with an overwhelming desire to serve. If the process is not fixed, they burn out. Managers become cynical. I'd bet that is where we are right now.

Starting with the solution is not how you solve a problem. Tellingly, he got this idea from a friend who works in the County Information Tehnology Department, not the Planning Department.

Wisely, he promises nothing else.

4. He is hostile toward the County Council as a whole and towards certain members. He takes an adversarial view of them. To me, this does not bode well for an effective government.

5. He has loyalty to County workers, the good ones and the others, too.

6. He's had some brushes with the law. He lies about it.

7. He has collected and is spending a LOT of money.

8. He displays charm, humor, warmth, aggression, ego, drive, and tons of ambition.

My bet is he will go far.

I numbered things so you all can pick this apart. You're welcome!
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#2
NeeterLou,

You went, you heard, you understood.
Thank you!

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
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#3
Disability Rights Hawaii Sept. 2008 Newsletter

This is from their Current Newsletter:

.. NewsNotes ...

-- Billy Kenoi's uninformed statements about disability advocacy.
During the Mayoral debates two weeks ago, Billy Kenoi (front-running mayoral
candidate) made the following statement: The problem with County Parks is
that too much money has been spent on disability access, and the Parks would
be better if that money had been spent on other things.
In response to this shocking statement, the DRH Board of Directors
wrote to Mr. Kenoi. We explained that the funds spent on accessibility for
County Parks were legally required by Court mandate because the County of
Hawaii, for many years, violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by
making their parks inaccessible to people with disabilities. Any reduction
of investment in accessibility would produce yet another violation of the
ADA. We urged Mr. Kenoi to commit himself to compliance with the ADA. We
asked him to stop scape-goating people with disabilities for problems
produced by other people. We have gotten no reply from Mr. Kenoi.

Assume the best and ask questions.

Punaweb moderator
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#4
"We have gotten no reply from Mr. Kenoi."--Disability Rights Hawaii

This is perhaps my biggest gripe about Billy Kenoi. He will talk endlessly about vague and folksy things like "keiki and ohana," but has surprisingly little to say about real issues and even less to say about questions concerning his gaffes, character, and policy shortcomings.

His two big projects as Mayor Kim's assistant were coqui control and ice eradication. We all know how those turned out. On one rare occasion when he actually responded to a question about the failure of coqui control, he blamed lack of funds. And this from someone who tells us he will get all kinds of money from Senator Inouye! The biggest part of any project like this is getting it funded. This man has demonstated no ability whatsoever to get anything done.

He has, however, demonstrated an impressive ability to get campaign contributions from wealthy, development-oriented sources, many of which are off-island.

Cheers,
Jerry
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#5
I also heard Kenoi mention the lack of funds for coqui and how hard it was to get anyone's attention on Oahu for this problem on Hawai'i.

This is true of course, but the contacts didn't help overcome the problem. Nor did his rather formidable ability to capture one's attention and hold it.

...
And the whole ADA thing makes me angry. I'd like to put Billy on a pair of crutches and see how hard it is to get around here. Note I did not say I would hurt him, just have him don crutches!
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#6
Whoa. I am so shocked about the ADA statements. How can you work for the government on ANY level and not be aware of the requirements concerning accessibility for disabled people??? Maybe we should put him in a wheelchair for a week and have him try to live like he normally does without leaving the chair. Maybe that would enlighten him. I voted for him the primary. I had heard good things about him. I won't make that mistake in November.

Carrie Rojo

"The sun and moon collide. Isn't gravity a funny thing? The universe explodes apart. All the children sing..." Todd Rundgren
Carrie Rojo

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR
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#7
You'd think a LAWYER (even an uncaring lawyer) would know better than to say that.
Tim

A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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#8
Can anyone name some accomplishments of Billy's?
Assume the best and ask questions.

Punaweb moderator
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#9

Get a grip dude... seriously!

Your anonymous quotes are nothing but rants. Show some ballz and put your name on the line.

Damon Tucker

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General Election Unofficial Poll
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#10
Last response... as I care not to respond to another Idiot on Punaweb.

GET A Grip!

People who post things so anonymously like this should be taken with a grain of salt.[}Smile]

Say what you want about the candidates... but let's stop the insanity by attacking people here on PW [xx(] If you would like to address this issue personally with me... I have a blog and you can embarrass yourself there if you want. I can only post a few posts per day... so I won't carry on with your manini crap here on PW.

P.S. I live right here in Pahoa and I'm not hard to find [^]

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