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| State Sen. Dwight Takamine will leave his position representing the Big Island to join Gov. Neil Abercrombie's cabinet. |
THE PROPOSAL TO FLOAT A 56 MILLION DOLLAR BOND for capital improvements on the Big Island will go to the new county council for consideration. Outgoing Ka`u councilman Guy Enriques voted yesterday to block sending it to the new council so it could be passed this week. However, the vote was five to four, with J Yoshimoto, Emily Naole, Brenda Ford, Pete Hoffmann and Dominic Yagong saying the new council should be the one to decide whether the county should shoulder the additional debt. The bond would fund an $8.8 million dollar project at Wai`ohinu Transfer Station.
DWIGHT TAKAMINE, who comes from a family tradition of union organizing with his ILWU leader father, Yoshito Takamine, has been nominated to become the new director of the state Department of Budget and Finance. Takamine has been selected by incoming Governor Neil Abercrombie and is currently the state Senator for Hamakua through South Hilo. He is 57 years of age and a graduate of Honoka`a High and the University of Hawai`i. He said he is interested in workforce development to fight unemployment.
To replace Takamine in the state Senate, the Democratic Party will present three nominees to Governor Abercrombie, and he will appoint a new Senator to serve for two years until the next election. The Democratic Party is also considering a possible replacement for state Senator Russell Kokubun, who is also being considered for a position in the Abercrombie administration. |
| Sen. Russell Kokubun would leave his position representing Ka`u if named to the Abercrombie cabinet. The governor would name a replacement to serve for the next two years. |
GOVERNOR-ELECT NEIL ABERCROMBIE has also nominated the following new cabinet members: Kalbert Young as Finance Director; William J. Aila, Jr. to chair the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Richard Lim as director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Jodie Maesaka-Hirata as the director of the Department of Public Safety; and Alapaki Nahale -- as Director -- and Bobby Hall -- as Deputy -- of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands.
“We are forming a team of strong leaders who are the right people to help move Hawai`i out of these difficult times,” Abercrombie said. “These are talented, creative individuals who have pledged to work together to fulfill our vision of A New Day in Hawai`i.”
All of these nominees require approval by the state Senate.
All of these nominees require approval by the state Senate.
GOVERNOR-ELECT NEIL ABERCROMBIE is in Washington, D.C. to attend the Democratic Governors Association Annual Meeting and a White House meeting for elected governors. He will be sworn in next week and plans to come to Ka`u on Dec. 12, when everyone is invited to meet him at Pahala Plantation House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the annual Pahala Christmas Parade.
A FREE ALL DAY WORKHOP invites Ka`u residents to learn how to address poverty, build wealth and expand opportunities. It will be held December 9 and 10 at Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and is called Springboard to Prosperity. The county is sponsoring the free program, stating that on the Big Island 25 percent of households live in asset poverty, 25 percent receive food stamps, 54 percent have subprime credit scores and 49 percent of homeowners pay more than 30 percent of income toward keeping their homes. Hawai`i has one of the lowest wages and highest cost of living in the U.S.
THE HAWAI`I POLICE DEPARMENT launched a community satisfaction survey this morning on the Internet. The public is invited to participate anonymously by logging onto www.hawaiipolice.com. The survey will be available through the end of the year and is limited to one per computer. Police Chief Harry Kubojiri said, “This survey is one of the ways we can make progress in our partnership with the public by incorporating their feedback into our daily operations.”