Boxer in Kona, Re-elected for Another Round in the Senate
California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer was spotted taking a vacation after the Nov. 2 election in Hawaii. She arrived in the Kona airport on November 3 and stayed in the Kona Village Resort, a hotel owned by Computer Mogul Michael Dell.
Boxer faced a hard fought re-election battle, and came from behind in the polls to beat GOP challenger Carly Florina. Boxer’s victory helped ensure that Democrats retained control of the U.S. Senate.
Boxer follows in the footsteps of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who spent the holidays last year in Kona’s Four Seasons Hualalai resort in a suite that rents for $10,000 a night.
Harassment Training of Another Sort
Senate lawmakers were forced to take yet another sexual harassment class training on the taxpayers’ dime. Now what about a class on how to stop harassing Hawaii’s taxpayers and small business owners?
Marilyn Lee Eeks Into District 38 Seat
Rep. Marilyn Lee, in the State House since 1996, thought she lost the election on Nov. 2. Her opponent, Republican Shaun Kawakami, was 350 votes ahead on the third print out. However the absentee ballots had not been counted. Then overnight, an estimated 1,000 more absentee ballots from that district were added to the mix and Lee took the lead with 17 votes.
The Hawaii GOP will not challenge the count. There is no automatic recount statute in Hawaii, so the party or candidate would have challenged election an impropriety.
Nestor Garcia Will Head Honolulu City Council
Since Honolulu City Council Head Todd Apo resigned Nov. 8 to work for Disney Resort, Vice Chair Nestor Garcia will head the council. Hopefully they will focus on real business, and stay away from the Mickey Mouse legislation some of them are known for.
MIA on Veterans Day
U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye did not make an appearance at the Veterans’ Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl yesterday. He was expected, so the ceremony was temporarily delayed for Hawaii’s senior senator, a WWII veteran himself.
Newly elected Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle was in attendance along with a handful of Hawaii’s state lawmakers including Sens. Clarence Nishihara, Suzanne Chun Oakland and Sam Slom, and Reps. Gene Ward and Corrine Ching.
The vast majority of Oahu lawmakers missed the state’s Veterans’ Day ceremony yesterday in Kaneohe. Also conspicuously absent from both veterans’ day events were the newly elected Gov. Neil Abercrombie and Lt Gov. Brian Schatz. Kudos to Sens. Jill Tokuda, Clarence Nishihara and Sam Slom, and Rep. Gene Ward who showed up to pay their respects.
The events are open to the public, however, fewer people showing up every year. This despite the fact that Hawaii has the second largest percentage of veterans to population- 120,000 or 10 percent, second only to Alaska.
Radio Personality on Air in Hawaii
Michael Medved, nationally syndicated conservative talk show host, will speak in January at the Smart Business Hawaii annual conference scheduled for the second Wednesday.
Over the last three decades, the conference has attracted such notable speakers as KISS Star Gene Simmons, Forbes Magazine Publisher Steve Forbes, Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, Wall Street Journal Editorial Columnist John Fund and American for Tax Reforms Grover Norquist. To register, call 396-1724.
Liberty Lover Alert
Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow of the prestigious CATO Institute in Washington, DC will talk story about F. A. Hayek, “The Road to Serfdom “ and his famous essay “The Intellectuals and Society” at the Talk Radio—Talk Story, Wednesday, November 17, 5:30 – 8 pm at Sam Choy’s BLC, Nimitz Hwy. RSVP with Darlyn Evangelista at 396-1724.
KSSK Interview with Obama Now Posted
President Barack Obama, once a resident of Hawaii, was on the air with Michael Perry and Larry Price of KSSK. Catch the interview on https://www.ksskradio.com/main.html
Obama is expected back in Hawaii during the Christmas holiday.
Honoring a Champion
Thousands of fans and friends are expected Sunday, Nov. 14 at the funeral for World Champion Surfer Andy Irons, who passed away unexpectedly on November 2, 2010, at the age of 32. The celebration of his life will be held at 11am at Pine Trees in Hanalei Bay, Kauai.
Family spokesperson Jodi Wilmott says “the service will include an honorary paddle-out to pay tribute to his legacy. There will be a second and closing ceremony to celebrate his life during the start of this year’s Pipe Masters.”
Andy is survived by his wife Lyndie, his brother Bruce and parents Phil and Danielle. Wilmott says the family is keeping the event as private as possible and will not be doing interviews with the media.
Rainos Hayes, 41, who traveled extensively with Irons throughout his career and manages the Billabong surf team says: “Everyone’s hearts are weighing heavy, … you know that there’s a piece of surfing that’s not replaceable. There’s only one Andy Irons, and he was it.”