BY TOM COFFMAN –
IF BEN WINS/IF KIRK WINS
If Ben Cayetano wins the coming election, your mayor will be independent and look out for the public good.
If Kirk Caldwell gets in, you will have a downtown corporate lawyer who looks out for those developers and bankers who are hiding behind the attack-Ben campaign of the Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP).
If Ben gets in, you will have a mayor with a long environmental record (for example, of saving Sandy Beach, protecting Mount Olomana from development, starting the Whale Sanctuary, and organizing the campaigns against alien species and miconia invasion).
If Kirk gets in, you will have a mayor with an environmental record based on exempting Superferry from Environmental Impact Statement.
If Ben gets in, you have no new hotels unless there’s a tear-down.
If Kirk gets in, the entire Island will be dominated by hotels: not only Waikiki and Ko Olina but the WINDWARD AND NORTH SHORES. That’s right — Kirk supports the 2500 new rooms at Turtle Bay and the 220 new rooms at Laie, as well as a Haleiwa Hotel in what today is reserve City park land. Imagine what those will do.
If Ben gets in, you will have a mayor who testified AGAINST rezoning the Ho’pili farmland and who consistently supports the State Constitution mandate to protect prime agricultural land.
If Kirk gets in, you have a mayor who testified FOR the Ho’opili rezoning, as well as the Koa Ridge rezoning.
If Ben gets in, he will stop rail construction at its present TWO PER CENT and respect Hawaiian burials in place.
If Kirk gets in, iwi kupuna will be dug up.
If Ben gets in, you will have a state of the art bus-based transit system at a reasonable price, serving everyone including THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII MANOA CAMPUS.
If Kirk gets in, you will have a rigid system at an astronomical cost that will serve about 1% of commuters and STOP AT ALA MOANA CENTER.
If Ben gets in, the City will have balanced priorities — fix the roads, sewers and water lines — while minimizing taxes and fees.
If Kirk gets in, the Rail will soak up the City’s money and then some. All other priorities will be given short shrift, as they were under Mufi Hannemann, under Caldwell as acting mayor, and under Peter Carlisle. Taxes will go up while vital services will continue to go down.
And the rail itself? What more can be said of an outdated project that has distorted City priorities and corrupted the City’s politics. Where is all that PRP attack money coming from? Hidden by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, it comes from Rail contractors who get their nonbid contracts from the City politicians, who get the revenues from you the taxpayer. YOU ARE FINANCING EVERY ASPECT OF THIS WASTEFUL AND CORRUPT PROCESS.
The PRP/Caldwell campaign of dirty lies and laundered millions are destroying Island democracy as we have known it.
On November 6, vote no on PRP/Caldwell. Vote for Ben Cayetano.Â
Tom Coffman is a well known Hawaii author, filmmaker and columnist.
Tom, Amen!
Biased reporting at its finest…all the way down to two-toned colored text. By the way, "percent" is one word.
This is an editorial column, not a news report. You can submit your opinions too. Thanks
Thank you for stating the truth, Tom. Oh, and by the way, Martin, "There is no difference between 'percent' and 'per cent'. Choosing between them is simply a matter of preference". (https://grammarist.com/spelling/percent-per-cent/)
I don't care much about politics, but Kirk Caldwell has been to my elementary school graduation, middle school graduation, high school graduation, and my eagle scout court of honor. He would often recognize me and congratulate both me and my Mom. I have a single Mom who can't even vote, but if she did, hands down it would be for Kirk. “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” ― Theodore Roosevelt
Thank goodness you put that quote in there at the end because that always solves problems.
Keoni- It's great that Caldwell recognizes your family and goes to your graduation but is that really reason enough why to vote for him? If you didn't know Caldwell, would you still vote for him? I don't see anything in that comment that would allude to that.
To me, that comment read as : "Caldwell spoke to me and seems like a warm person and attended my graduations. THIS IS ENOUGH REASON TO VOTE FOR HIM!!!"
Hmmm. Single mom, Been to elementary, midddle, high (pun intended) graduations and scouts thing…..brah, you sure that’s not your dad?
Tom has shown a good story on the lips of many of us but with real eloquence. When say a developer like Andy Anderson supports Kirk he will want the same payola he had under Fasi for Haleiwa. Many others who gave to his campaign also give to the PRP.But to have $4 mill in slush/ad funds compared to a few hundred thousand for Save Our Honolulu, there is a bad precedence in control. Limited development is great but what will happen with kirk is over building making rail slums and the cost to taxpayers go up way up. Yell PRP at kirks sign holders(union thugs) and they get mad. It is the truth and they are paid to hold the signs. Not so for Ben's supporters. So keep the island ours.
It's sad how all those lies are going around about cayetano I think he is a genuin guy that wants to do some good
Ben is a better person to be the MAYOR. Kirk no class.
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