Posts: 471
Threads: 68
Joined: Aug 2011
Greggor is one hell of a campaigner. But this race will be much different from the comfortable confines of HPP. It's going to be a good fight, but in the end, I think Russell will eek by. If Greggor can't secure the Haole vote in Volcano, Mt. View, and HPP, he is toast. There was a time when I thought that Russell would be a one term wonder. My stance has changed. He is certainly not a part of the current establishment, but gaining momentum as we speak. A second term might reveal greater things ahead. His incumbency is certainly a plus at this point. Greggor, when compared to others who have held the Puna council seat before him, has been a breath of fresh air. But his ambition to rise to the state ranks might be a bit premature. If I was him, I would have stayed on the council for a few more terms. If he loses to Russell, which could very much happen, he will be damaged goods--somewhere along the lines of Dom Yagong before him.Or even Ed Case, for that matter. Good thoughts, good approach, but damaged, nonetheless.
Posts: 1,219
Threads: 52
Joined: Dec 2014
If you are talking about roadside waving I guess he is a good "campaigner" and for some people that is probably enough. But when talking to him one on one, or in community Q&A type events, he is just too vague and noncommittal. I have personally experienced, and witnessed, him answering very specific questions about important issues from constituents with vague "I have to look into that" type responses, even when the same question is brought up 6 months or a year later, he gives the same response. In this case, I think his ambitions and bad counsel from Loraine Inouye have led him astray, Ed Case may prove to be a really good analogy. If he doesn't get elected the kid will have to look for a real job, other than a stint in the reserves, he has only been a student or a politician with no real world experience.
Posts: 2,151
Threads: 73
Joined: Mar 2007
Greggor Ilagan is showing every sign of wanting to become a career politician by joining the good old boy establishment. What shockwave says about the vague quality of his positions is very true. I was with a friend at a forum during Ilagan's first campaign, and she asked him about an alternate route through HPP. He said, "I need to study that and get back to you." When she asked him the same question two years later, he said the same thing. After two years in office, he should have had a position on such a critical issue. When I asked him about it in an email a year ago, he said he was going to form a task force. I don't think that happened.
Add in his recent fawning praise of our indicted mayor, and you have to ask what the hell he is thinking. His resume when it comes to concrete accomplishments on the council is pretty thin. He got HPP a chunk of the mayor's park building frenzy, but most of us here in HPP would have preferred that he do something about helping fund our road improvements. Ruderman has gotten some meaningful legislation passed, despite being an outsider in terms of the party leadership. Other legislators who try to please the leadership have actually done less. Go figure. I used to have doubts about Ruderman, but not any more. At least he has done something with his life besides smile a lot and aspire to be a career politician.
Posts: 471
Threads: 68
Joined: Aug 2011
Good points. But in the end, it is all about getting more votes than your opponent. Period.
Posts: 5,110
Threads: 84
Joined: Feb 2009
Greggor did put together a committee to study traffic problems and solutions.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/loc...ites-roads
As a council member that is about all he can do unless you want him to get a pick and shovel and start building a road.The county doesn't have the money to build any new roads.That's why Greggor is running for the Senate.That is where the money is.
Ruderman because he keeps banging heads with the establishment has gotten nothing of substance passed and that would continue if he is re-elected.Maybe if he gets re-elected he will take that as a mandate to continue his anti fracking quest.
Posts: 255
Threads: 22
Joined: Jul 2015
I have been in Puna for well over 40 years and our present slate of elected officials is without a doubt the best we have ever had. Everyone of them.
Greggor is a sharp young man who has come up to speed on the issues and quietly works collaboratively to get things going and done. He is quick to give credit to others, a refreshing trait for a politician. He has impressed me as a very sincere and empathetic person ( A trait he shares with Russell). Ambition seems to be a problem for some in this forum, but it is hardly a trait I would scorn in a young person. It seems 90% of the youth today have never heard of it. I suspect Russel Ruderman had and has a lot of ambition, judging by his accomplishments. Greggor has been instrumental in getting bus service in HPP, coordinating all the Neighborhood watch groups to work as a team, and the park in HPP is back on track in a form which many of us desired. He has been a lone voice against tax increases, especially the current regressive GET proposal.
Russell has an impressive background as a businessman. He is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in ( a trait he shares with Greggor) He seem truly concerned for the people of Puna and the welfare of the planet.
I believe he should have run for Mayor, where his executive management personality would have been of better use, versus the collaborative necessity in the legislature. Calling your colleagues in the Senate a bunch of crooks didn't help him at all. As Mayor he could fire the crooks. I respect him for putting his reputation on the line for the round-a-bout in the face of the nay-sayers.
Joy San Buenaventura is a very nice person who advocates for the people being ground up as collateral damage by the system. She seems well liked by her peers in the House which makes her more effective as an advocate for our district. It looks like no one will run against her.
Posts: 352
Threads: 6
Joined: Mar 2013
And once again PT swoops in to attept to rescue a thread from relevance. Greggor would be completely lost in Honolulu even with the strings of his handlers attached. He should have stayed at the council and laid down more solid foundation for his career choice. Ruderman will be back in the thick of it as leadership factions come and go. This one will likely go quickly, especially after some of the missteps that some in leadership made in the final hours, not to mention the possible changes in November. Joy has done pretty good for a first term, hopefully she will become more comfortable in her political skin.
_________________________________________
Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence.
_________________________________________
Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence.
Posts: 5,110
Threads: 84
Joined: Feb 2009
Something positive from Greggor :
Office of Council Member Greggor Ilagan
"The committee ... was poised to vote 7-2 against Bill 165, a surcharge on the tax for transportation improvements, when council members on the losing end of the vote opted to postpone the bill instead. They noted if it doesn’t come up on the next committee agenda in two weeks, it will be too late to meet a state-imposed deadline, allowing the bill to die. ... Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan was the sole no vote on the postponement. He wanted the council to vote the bill down outright, to send a clear message of opposition."
Posts: 4,341
Threads: 100
Joined: Mar 2014
Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan was the sole no vote on the postponement. He wanted the council to vote the bill down outright, to send a clear message of opposition."
-----
That is indeed positive! A politician who actually says NO to more taxes! Way to go!
Posts: 2,244
Threads: 396
Joined: Nov 2011
Going with Greggor on this one.
JMO.
|
