There are so many things that need to be done for our Oahu and they aren’t even on the back burner.
The current mayor is concerned about his next political move, passing the rail to his successor, and spend whatever little county tax money was left from the last real estate bubble.
Concerned citizens should demand a list of specific action items from their next mayor. Here is my list.
”Disaster Resilience” … Where’s the plan to machinery to handle poles, trees, power and debris?
”Second Access for Waianae” … Farrington Hwy. alone is a death trap for this large community.
”Trash Management” … This is a huge issue. At a minimum we need better sorting, more reuse and more exportation since containers go to mainland mostly empty.
”Crime and Safety” … We need to focus on hard drugs, and the protection of our young.
”Highway Accident Investigation” … We need to train police to open lanes in under 60 min.
”Parks and the Homeless” … Use old and decommissioned TheBus as TheShelter at some parks. Park upkeep and modernization is long overdue.
”Planning and Permitting” … DPP has a poor reputation. It needs to become fast and friendly.
”Water “Scam””… Oahu has enough water for 5 million people but old laws allow for its (ab)use.
”Energy” … Our best bets are with wind, Navy nuclear submarines, and an offshore nuclear plant.
”Sustainability” … We need to focus on fishing, agriculture, and ocean transportation for long term survival of one million people in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
”Traffic and Transit” … Build the recommendations of the UH Congestion Study.
”Sewers” … We pay heavy fees but progress is slow. An immediate audit is essential, followed by a plan to get all updates completed within 10 years.
”Roads” … Hasty repaving to collect votes is a waste of money. We need a plan for pavement rehabilitation to take us from 3rd worst in nation to top third in 10 years.
What is the bottom line of this list? Many new, good and local jobs. Important projects get done. Quality of life improves. Tourist appeal improves. Economy thrives!
Please remember that with your help we can fix Oahu for us and for our children.
‘Panos Prevedouros is a professor of Engineering at the University of Hawaii and a candidate for Honolulu mayor’