Ka`u News Briefs Dec. 1, 2010

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.

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.”

Robyn and David Baglow helped retrieve junk cars in Ocean View
by providing a staging area for pickup. A workshop on community
policing of illegal dumping will be held Dec. 15.

THE TAX FOUNDATION of Hawai`i has warned the incoming governor Neil Abercrombie and the legislature to refrain from raising taxes. Tax Foundation President Lowell Kalapa said that lawmakers must recognize that all taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet and that Hawai'i taxpapers are already some of the most heavily burdened in the nation. Kalapa said that citizens can demand less spending from government to balance the state budget. Higher taxes will drive families out of the state and companies out of business, said Kalapa.

COUNTY PROSECUTOR MItch Roth will spend a day in Ka`u teaching community members how to organize community policing and problem solving. The workshop on crime and livability will focus on Illegal Dumping. Participants will learn how to identify and solve problems through policing concepts and action. Organizer Mike Dubois said that illegal dumps are sources of pollution, possibly containing hazardous waste. Rodents, mosquitoes and flies breed in these smelly eyesores and may carry infectious diseases. These open dump disposal sites attract more dumping and criminal activity to the community, said workshop organizer Dubois. He called for representatives from Pahala, Na`alehu and Ocean View regions to take the training and act as a network to put an end to illegal dumping. Representatives from the Solid Waste Division and Community Policing will attend. Snacks and lunch will be served. The workshop is free on Wednesday, December 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Contact Mike DuBois at 640-1118 for more information.

THE COUNTY'S TEMPORARY transfer station at the county park at Kahuku will be discussed at the monthly meeting of the Ka`u Chamber of Commerce on Monday, December 6 at 7 p.m. The county bulldozed a site, poured a concrete pad and set a 30-yard container in place to collect bagged garbage every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some residents are upset, stating that the county pushed the project without community input or involvement. County Public Information officer Hunter Bishop will explain. The time for the meeting has been changed from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

NEW BLEACHERS and an ADA approved walkway at Pahala Ballpark will be installed. The old bleachers, some aluminum and some wooden and metal that were built by Ka`u plantation workers years ago have been taken down to make room for new ones.

THE OUTGOING COUNTY COUNCIL plans to vote today on whether to issue a $56 million bond for capital improvements. Mayor Billy Kenoi proposed the bond issue, stating that the county’s high bond rating makes good sense to finance capital improvement projects for the Big Island. Included would be an $8.8 million dollar recycling and rubbish transfer station in Wai`ohinu. Incoming County Council Chair Dominic Yagong and incoming Ka`u council member Brittany Smart said they are not so sure the county should take on additional debt. Smart said that county tax revenues are expected to decrease. Should the issue come up before the council after she takes office, she would ask for a plan for interest payments that would fit within a balanced budget, she said.

Ka`u News Briefs Nov. 29, 2010

Brittany Smart, the night before being elected to the County Council.
This morning, she announced the staff members Nelson Ho and
Jen Knippling for her incoming County Council office.

Nelson Ho

NELSON HO, former Deputy Director of the county Department of Environmental Management, has been selected by incoming County Council member Brittany Smart to be her researcher and to write her legislation. Ho will take the job currently held by Bradley Westervelt, who works for outgoing councilman Guy Enriques. Smart said that Nelson Ho is the perfect person to work with her since she will chair the Environmental Management Committee on the County Council. She said that his background working for the county will give him insight into solving the needs for solid waste management in Ocean View and other sites throughout the district. Ho currently works for Recycle Hawai`i and chairs the Big Island Sierra Club group.
     Nelson Ho said this morning that he is looking forward to working with all the people of the district and tackling the ongoing needs of the community.

JEN KNIPPLING, who volunteered and worked her way up to become manager of Brittany Smart's successful County Council campaign, will become the council aide. Smart promised total transparency and frequent contact with the public during her term representing District 6 on the County Council.

TOMORROW, THE OUTGOING COUNTY COUNCIL is scheduled to take up the issue of floating a $56 million bond for capital improvements. Mayor Billy Kenoi contends that the county’s high bond rating makes good sense to finance capital improvement projects for the Big Island. Included would be an $8.8 million dollar recycling and rubbish transfer station in Wai`ohinu. Smart said that if the bond issue comes up before the new council, she would consider how much debt the county would shoulder given expected decreases in tax revenues. "I don't agree with putting us in further debt," she said.

INCOMING GOVERNOR Neil Abercrombie is asking everyone who comes to meet him on Sunday, December 12 to bring at least three cans of food or a cash donation to the Food Bank. Abercrombie will be meeting with residents after his inauguration at Pahala Plantation House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Maile and Pikake Streets in Pahala as part of his round-the-state visit to meet the people.

ANYONE WHO FINDS A PEST on a Christmas tree that has been imported from the mainland should call the state Department of Agriculture's pest hotline. The ag department does not have the manpower to inspect every tree that comes onto the island but did find invasive slugs on some trees imported to O`ahu. The ag department is also worried about importing yellow jackets. People taking trees home have already found tree frogs and salamanders. If you find a pest that might have hitchhiked to Hawai`i on your Christmas tree, call the hotline at 643-PEST. That is 643-7378.