Mardi Gras in Honolulu is for Foodies. Check it out!

Cover Story continued

Senator Norman Sakamoto

Norman Sakamoto / What was your biggest accomplishment this session- and what steps did you take to ensure it happened?
“One of the biggest accomplishments this session was that funding was included in the budget to further reduce the Repair and Maintenance backlog at our schools. The $140.5 million will allow the backlog to be reduced by $65 million since new items added annually total $75 million. In addition $30 million was include to complete classroom renovation projects for schools 25 years and older. We worked with the DOE and money committees to seek a multiyear solution to our facility woes.”

With which piece of 2009 legislation are you most proud to be affiliated and why?
“SB 1350 addresses the lack of affordable housing (both for sale and for rent) in the Kakaako area. This bill creates flexible options for developers of larger parcels. By leaving required percentages of affordable housing unchanged for smaller parcels for only five more years, a sense of urgency is created to urge owners of those parcels to act now. This action would help to stimulate our economy by creating construction jobs. Actions taken now would enable thousands of people to live in affordable units sooner. As chair of the Education and Housing Committee, I was charged with working with all parties interested in improving this bill.”

What was the biggest disappointment of the session and how might a similar disappointment be prevented in the future?

“The lingering uncertainty with the collective bargaining negotiations is troublesome. Individual employees feared losing their jobs, feared being forced to pay an additional $250 per month for health coverage, feared being furloughed and losing 10% of their income and feared losing future retirement benefits. The doomsday express seemed to be poised to run over too many people. In the future, realistic scenarios should be painted so that reasonable people can thrash over and eventually jointly agree on the best course of action for our state.”

Debating which issue turned out to be the biggest distraction from your priorities?
“The budget was the biggest challenge for the legislature this year. The attempts to pass HB444 with “no amendments” was the biggest energy sink. When proponents and opponents on an issue are able to suggest amendments, and succeed at working out differences, people feel that time was spent wisely.”

What’s one thing you wish voters better understood about you or the political process as a whole?
“Voters should know that each legislator shapes his or her decisions by depending on the people that talk to us, email us, or write us. I want reasoned conversations with pragmatic solutions to our challenges. The goal for me to have my children’s children say, ‘Hawaii is a good place to live and not Hawaii was a good place to live.’”

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This week

Game Changer

After retiring from public service in 2002, Ben Cayetano seemed to be taking it easy on the political scene–until 2005, that is, when then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann revived the long-lapsed idea of a Honolulu heavy rail project. Needless to say, Cayetano did not concur.

Geo Gold Rush

Last Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection had a busy session hearing several controversial bills relating to geothermal energy. Chairman Denny Coffman introduced HB2689, which seeks to exempt slim-hole, or exploratory, geothermal test wells from any sort of environmental review as is currently required under Chapter 343 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Stop Stalling

On Feb. 1, the Hawaii State House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on HB2703, dubbed the Food Self-Sufficiency Bill.

Farm Friends

Mega-developer Castle & Cooke has re-filed an application with the Land Use Commission (LUC) seeking to convert approximately 768 acres of Ag land–currently in cultivation–into a “master-planned community” entitled Koa Ridge. If successful, the project will consist of two parcels–Koa Ridge Makai and Castle & Cooke Waiawa.

Civics

Office of Hawaiian Affairs holds a second round of community meetings to discuss the latest updates on the Kakaako land settlement. Stevenson Middle School, 1202 Prospect St., Wed., 2/8, 6:30pm; Waimanalo Community Center, 41-253 Ilauhole St., Thu., 2/9, 6:30pm City Council committees on Zoning and Planningand Transportation will take public testimony on agenda items.

Kinda Hawaii?

[Feb. 1: “Kinda Kona”] The trade secret argument would fall to the wayside if it would read “10 percent Kona Coffee 90 percent Foreign Coffee,” or something to that effect.

Duplicating Crap

If they are choosing the cheapest coffee from anywhere, then the “trade secret” is that they are adding crap and not a sp

No HART

[Feb. 1: “Rail Boss Wanted”] $300,000?

Future Politician?

[Jan. 4: “Boss GMO] Dean Okimoto is a sell out and a criminal.

Oust Monsanto

Monsanto is a major component of the NWO drive to reduce the world’s population in a global genocide program that includes the poisoning of the water, air and food. This criminal activity must be stopped.

Okimoto VS Small Ag

Lets be real here, Dean Okimoto is not interested in anything other then keeping the status quo of industrial Ag. He is merely a puppet, playing it safe, a small game of following the money and corrupt political trail.

Locals Know Best

[Jan. 25: “Weaving the Future on Molokai”] Good luck to all those who possess the ability to balance long-term vision with short term opportunity.

We’re Being Railroaded

[Dec. 21: “Underground Railroad”] This is, indeed, a “lunatic project,” as pointed out by a professor at the University of Hawaii.

Rail = Ego

This is such a bad idea for the overall architecture of Oahu. I visit here because my family is here and part of the charm is taking the bus or driving.

Plain stupid

I cannot imagine how anyone can think this is a smart idea. I’ve lived in places with rail, but this Honolulu Rail Transit is stupid, plain stupid.