Ka`u News Briefs July 17, 2012

Ka`u Agricultural Water Cooperative, restoring water sources used during sugar plantation days, meets Thursday at
4 p.m. at ML Macadamia offices in Pahala. Photo from Olson Trust collection.

KA`U COUNTY COUNCIL CANDIDATES have the most money on hand to spend in the campaign for the election coming up on Aug. 11 because contenders Maile David, Brenda Ford and Bradley Westervelt qualified for $41,000 each in public financing. The amount provided is based on the total spent by candidates in prior elections, and Ka`u is where the most money poured into coffers when Guy Enriques was running for Council, once successfully against Bob Jacobson and the second time drawing a loss to current County Council member Brittany Smart.

Bradley Westervelt
Photo by William Neal

      Public financing is available to those who can raise 200 signatures of registered voters in their district with each of them giving a $5 donation to the campaign. Candidates who do not receive public funding, by choice or through such snafus as a supporter failing to write down a correct address and other information on the candidate petition, have to raise their own money. In a number of nine Council districts, candidates have run virtually unopposed in the past and in little need of funding, which translates into only small amounts of money being provided through the public funding experiments. The public funding trial run, which is being tested in this county to see if it would work for the entire state, ends with the 2014 election unless the state Legislature decides to renew the program.

      Bradley Westervelt, who is the former County Council aide to Guy Enriques and owned the now shuttered PT Café - formerly Tex Drive in Pahala, reports spending of $19,384.24. Expenditures included $5,598.92 with Ina Custom Signs in Hilo; $2,732.60 for tote bags from Discount Mugs in Miami, Florida; $1,760 for advertising on KAHU Radio; $936.45 for bumper stickers with Hawai`i Printing Corp. in Hilo; $650 for design of T-shirts, signs and banners with Acmegraphics in Pahoa; $510.04 to reimburse himself for mileage; $368 for a promotional event in Yano Hall in Captain Cook; $299.48 for color brochures from Office Max; $250 to the County of Hawai`i to become a candidate and $234.36 for advertising in The Ka`u Calendar newspaper.

 Brenda Ford
Photo by William Neal

      Brenda Ford, a South Kona resident who is currently a three-time County Council member whose district was redrawn to include Ka`u, reported spending $11,452.91. Expenditures included $2,400 in advertising in West Hawai`i Today; $1,605.50 for signs from ASAP Graphics in West Palm Beach, Florida; $1,171.80 for media coordination by Lynn Beittel of Kealakekua; $1,033.32 with Alvin Signs in Kona; $850 with C.G. Tees in Kona; $617.39 for supplies and equipment from Office Max in Kona; $446.25 for advertising with Tradewind Consulting in Kona; $416.64 for advertising with Big Island Chronicle; $318.90 with National Pen of Detroit, Michigan; $265.62 with Creative Video and Photo in Kona, $260.42 for Internet advertising with Tiffany Edwards Communications, of Ocean View; $250 for advertising with Big Island Video News; and $250 for the county candidate filing fee.

Maile David
Photo by William Neal

      Maile David, a paralegal and staff member for County Councilman Angel Pilago, reports spending $18,403.25. Expenditures included $5,575.24 for advertising in West Hawai`i Today; $4,359.87 for banners, bumper stickers, yard signs and magnetic campaign signs with Ali`i Design and Printing in Kona; $1,844.58 for T-shirts from West Hawai`i Screen Printers in Kona; $1,220.76 for design and website creation by Colorwave Imaging in Holualoa; $1,067.45 for advertising with Big Island Chronicle in Kurtistown; $425.10 for supplies from Lowe’s; $422.94 for supplies at Ace Hardware stores in Hilo, Captain Cook and Kona; $361.20 for rack cards and supplies from Office Max in Kona; $313.02 for mileage; $291.66 for advertising in The Ka`u Calendar and $250 for the county candidate fee.

Lee McIntosh
Photo by William Neal

      Lee McIntosh, a Discovery Harbour resident and owner of GopherLee’s Yard Service and cartoonistforchrist.org, reported spending $672.09. He does not have public funding. Expenditures included $225.00 for campaign shirts from Bolo Graphics in Hilo, $208.33 for banners from The Kahua Group in Hilo, $50 each to Peter Anderson and Kahuku Photography for photographs, and $90.93 for sign frames from The Home Depot.

MAZIE HIRONO said: “You can be the smartest person, but you’re not going to accomplish much if you can’t work with your colleagues and if you can’t convince your colleagues of what you’re doing.” She is quoted in today’s Honolulu Star Advertiser in a three-part series on Hirono, Ed Case and Linda Lingle, who are campaigning to take the place of U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, who is retiring.

Mazie Hirono with Lorna Jeyte friends at a recent stop
in Volcano Village. Photo by William Neal

      The Derrick DePledge story says that most of the labor, environmental and progressive interests, which are the focuses of Democratic Party politics, have endorsed her and that Hirono has out-raised Case in campaign contributions.
      According to the article, Case criticized Hirono for not moving beyond her biography. DePledge wrote: “Hirono has relied on her immigrant story to explain to voters why she would be on their side. He quotes Hirono: “My background has so much to do with the fact that I don’t give up, that I’m very focused, because I had a mom who did that.” Hirono talked about her mom: “I’ve told her that there’s nothing I can do that will ever match what she did in terms of her personal courage,” the Star Advertiser story reports.
      Regarding whether it is Case or Hirono who could be the one to beat Lingle in the general election, some observers think that, if Case wins, then the effort to elect a woman to become Hawai`i’s next senator will become a campaign strategy.
       See www.staradvertiser.com for more. The Ed Case interview was yesterday, and the Linda Lingle interview runs tomorrow.

Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes
National Park.

HILO ONE performs tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The group features R. Likeke Teanio on lead guitar and `ukulele, Aaron Agres on electric upright bass and Kahele Miura on electric 12-string rhythm guitar. Five-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. 

KA`U AGRICULTURAL WATER COOPERATIVE meets Thursday at 4 p.m. at ML Macadamia office in Pahala. Anyone interested in irrigation water or joining can contact Jeff McCall at 928-6456 or mccalljeffreyw@gmail.com.

THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park hosts Ka`u `Ohana Day this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants connect ancient traditions and native plants through `oli, a sensory booklet, map and compass orientation. Also, ranger Jaeneise Cuison shares stories of five generations of paniolo who worked on the ranch. Pre-register at 985-6019.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs July 16, 2012

Rep. Bob Herkes with his wife Joanna and mascot nene goose. Photo by David Howard Donald

REP. BOB HERKES has raised the most money among candidates in the race for Hawai`i State Senate’s new District 2 seat, which encompasses Ka`u from Punalu`u through Volcano and into Puna. The primary election is Aug. 11.

Russell Ruderman Photo by
David Howard Donald

       According to campaign spending reports released last week, Herkes took in $21,900 the first six months of this year. His largest donors, each giving $2,000, are HI Carpenters PAC and Michael Matsumoto, an engineer with SSFM International, Inc.

Gary Safarik and his wife Debbie.

      Honolulu lobbyists John Radcliffe and G. A. Morris each gave $1,000. Also providing $1,000 is the health insurer HMSA PAC. Among the 24 individuals and entities each giving $500 to the Herkes campaign during the first half of 2012 are Young Bros, University of Hawai`i Professional Assembly, Tesoro Hawai`i-Non-candidate Committee, Hawaiian Telecom Good Government Club, Hawai`i Association of Realtors, Hawai`i Auto Dealer Election Committee, Hawai`i Funeral Industry PAC and HEMIC, the Hawai`i employers insurance company.

Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a Photo by
David Howard Donald

      Nearly half of donations to the Herkes campaign were given by individual contributors. The majority of the contributions of $100 and more came from Honolulu-based entities and residents, with a few from the mainland, one from Maui, one from Kaua`i and one from Hilo.
      Democratic primary opponent Russell Ruderman raised $4,526 from individuals and $892 from PACs and business entities. Contributions included $700 from Pat Leo, of Pahoa; $500 from Pat Kenneally, of San Francisco; $450 from Kalani Honua Retreat; $312.50 from Volcano Garden Arts; and $250 from Bob Marx, who is running for U.S. Congress.
      State Senate Democratic opponents Gary Safarik and Wendell Ka`ehu`ae`a reported no contributions. The lone Republican, Daryl Lee Smith, raised $2,176 from businesses and individuals.

Ed Case and his wife Audrey at a recent Big Island rally.
Photo by Julia Neal

ED CASE AND MAZIE HIRONO are ranked on being liberal by the National Journal. The publication gave Case a liberal rating of 59.8 when he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Ka`u and other rural areas in the state of Hawai`i. The National Journal’s most recent liberal ratings rank Congresswoman Hirono at 90.7 percent. 

      The story in this morning’s Honolulu Star Advertiser by Derek DePledge covers Case’s effort to win the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Dan Akaka. The story focuses on Case’s centrist beliefs and the notion that he can bring people together to solve problems. ‘”Case said both political parties now seem to insist on ‘a purity of thought and action,’” reports DePledge.
      DePledge quotes Case: “If you live at the partisan extremes, the philosophical extremes, you can stand up and give great speeches, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to be part of the solution.
      “You cannot simply ram a distinctly minority viewpoint down the throats of the rest of the country and expect to solve our country’s problems…. And that’s exactly what’s going on. And that’s what’s wrong with Washington.”
      The story is one in a three-part series in the Honolulu Star Advertiser, with Hirono’s story tomorrow and Republican challenger Linda Lingle’s on Wednesday. See them at www.staradvertiser.com.

New Zealand will soon be added to Hawaiian Airlines route map.

THE LAND OF THE MAORI is the latest destination for Hawaiian Airlines to bring the rest of the world to Hawai`i. Hawaiian yesterday announced new non-stop flights between Honolulu and Auckland starting March 13, 2013. Hawaiian is becoming one of the fastest growing airlines on the planet, with many new destinations in the last two years, including Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Sapporo, as well as Seoul and Brisbane. Direct New York flights were added this summer. 

      Regarding the connection with New Zealand, Hawaiian Airlines reports that its economy is strong and the market underserved. Tourism to Hawai`i from New Zealand increased by 15.4 percent last year and is up 5.1 percent from January through May, according to Hawai`i Tourism Authority. New Zealanders spent some $38 million in Hawai`i last year.

DANIEL IS A DOWNER for anyone expecting relief from drought in Ka`u. The former hurricane brought some high surf but little precipitation when it passed south of South Point. Former Hurricane Emilia is expected to draw a similar path, becoming but a remnant when she passes south of Ka`u later this week. Hurricane Fabio has taken a turn north off of Mexico and is expected to quickly weaken as he is driven away from a track toward Hawai`i, says the National Weather Service.

Wes Awana

ANOTHER BRUSH FIRE STARTED last night near Makanau along the cane haul road and burned trees on a nearby pu`u. Phil Becker, of Aikane Plantation, reports that the fire is out except for hot spots that firefighters are watching. Crews pumped water overnight from Pahala water hydrants and also kept close watch over the ravine between Hwy 11 and Pahala Transfer Station where brush and rubbish burned.

KA`U COMMUNITY CHORUS rehearses tonight and every Monday at Discovery Harbour Community Hall from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Contact Ka`u School of the Arts at 929-7544.

WES AWANA TEACHES Intermediate `Ukulele for students who have a basic knowledge of chords and strums each Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Classes are $40 per month. Kanikapila Jam Sessions that are open to all musicians follow the classes from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Donations are appreciated. Call 967-8222 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs July 15, 2012

Paul Neves, seated, provided rhythm for his halau at the annual Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Cultural Festival
yesterday. Photo by William Neal

THE FIRE BURNING THROUGH THE GULCH separating two ML Macadamia orchards between Hwy 11 and the road between Pahala Transfer Station and lower Moa`ula burned 60 acres before being mostly extinguished yesterday. According to the Hawai`i Fire Department, brush and trees burned within the ravine and lands surrounding the orchards, but macadamia trees were protected. Police, firefighters from the county and Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and ML Macadamia crews worked Friday and Saturday to contain the fire and are dampening hot spots today. The fire department warns that dumping yard and household waste into gulches creates a severe fire hazard. The fire caused a temporary closing of one lane of Hwy 11. The fire department has launched an investigation of the cause of the fire, which starting during heavy winds.

Mayor Billy Kenoi with county workers and friends in a Fourth of July
Parade. Photo by Julia Neal

MAYOR BILLY KENOI raised $97,630 for his re-election campaign during the first six months of the year, according to his report filed with the Hawai`i Campaign Spending Commission. His opponents raised relatively little but claim their campaigns do not rely on money. Former two-term mayor Harry Kim wants his old job back but says he will accept no more than $10 per person from any campaign donor. His campaign spending commission report shows him raising $1,420 during the first six months of this year. County Council chair Dominic Yagong, who is also running for mayor, reports $15,060 in contributions for the first half of 2012. 

      All three are Democrats in the primary election Aug. 11. The last day to register to vote was July 12. Last day to register for the general election is Oct. 8. There could be a run-off if no candidate receives 50 percent plus one vote in the primary.

      Stephens Media reported this morning that most Kenoi contributions, during both his mayoral campaigns, have come from people living off island, while contributions for Kim are more than 98 percent local. Yagong contributions are more than 93 percent local.

County Council chair Dominic Yagong, running for mayor, in the recent
Na`alehu Independence Day Parade. Photo by William Neal

      The Nancy Cook Lauer story in West Hawai`i Today and Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reports that 53.9 percent of Kenoi’s contributions of more than $100 each were from off island. “If the $11,271 in contributions of $100 or less, which don’t have to be identified by donor names and addresses, are all assumed to be from the Big Island, the island’s share rises to 49.3 percent,” Cook Lauer reports.
      The news service also analyzed donations to Kenoi of $100 or more by ZIP code. Cook Lauer writes: “The most, $85,502, came from Hilo’s 96720, with 225 people giving an average of $380 each. Second and third were the Honolulu ZIP codes 96813 and 96814, giving a total of $44,000, followed by Kailua-Kona’s 96740, giving $18,417.”
      The newspaper calls the mayoral campaigns “a lopsided money race.”
      According to the campaign spending reports, Kenoi’s biggest contributions for the first six months of this year included two from entities with connections in Ka`u, Pacific Quest, which operates an outdoor program for troubled youth, and Edmund C. Olson, who owns macadamia and coffee farms, mills and thousands of acres in Ka`u. They each gave $2,000 to the Kenoi campaign.
       Operating Engineers Local Union Number 3, of Honolulu, gave Kenoi the maximum allowed, $4,000. Frank E. Lyon, of the Honolulu engineering, planning and construction management company, gave $3,000. Hawai`i Laborers and Employers Cooperation and Education Trust Fund – a partnership between 5,000 union laborers and 250 union contractors, gave $3,000. Goodfellow Bros, Inc., the construction and heavy equipment company, gave $3,000. The complete list of donors of $100 or more for all candidates is on the State of Hawai`i Campaign Commission’s website.

Former Mayor Harry Kim walks during his
campaign for mayor in the recent Na`alehu
Independence Day Parade. Photo by
William Neal

      Cook Lauer reported that Kenoi said Friday that, during the first six months of 2012, he received contributions from 122 Big Islanders and 24 from off the island. The story quotes the mayor saying: “It’s significant that 70 percent of the contributions (for the first half of 2012) come from the Big Island…. We are humbled by all the support we receive. We’re very thankful that people recognize our hard work and our accomplishments.”

      According to the Stephens Media report, Kenoi’s campaign held two $1,000-per-plate fundraisers in Honolulu, something the other two major candidates say they refuse to do. The story reports Yagong saying he “turned down invitations to hold fundraisers in Honolulu because he believes the race can be won without a lot of money. In the past four years, Yagong has accepted only one off-island contribution, according to the West Hawai`i Today analysis.
      According to his most recent campaign spending report, Yagong took in a $2,000 contribution from Kailua-Kona fish collector James Lovell. He also received $1,000 each from Nadao Honda, a Honoka`a farmer; Larry Ford, an accountant, farmer and husband of County Council member Brenda Ford; and Peter Vanna, a Hilo business executive.
      According to the Yagong report analyzed by Stephens Media, 46 percent of his contributions are $10 or less, 92 percent gave $100 or less while 70 percent gave $50 or less. Yagong told West Hawai`i Today: “The people who donate to my campaign are everyday people, they’re not corporations or PACs or anything like that…. Big Island voters and Big Island people have never been a county that can be bought with big money.”
      The newspaper also reported that Harry Kim’s wife Bobby said that his smallest contribution was 20 cents and that his campaign contributions came from Big Islanders, plus $10 from a California nephew and another $10 from a part-time neighbor in Kapoho, making his contributions 98.6 percent local. See more at westhawaiitoday.com, hawaiitribuneherald.com and on the Hawai`i campaign commission website.

MORE TRAFFIC TRAGEDY YESTERDAY: Hawai`i 24/7 reports that a man was hit by a vehicle and suffered injury to his arm before 1 p.m. near the 85-mile marker north of Manuka State Park. Fire/Rescue crews found the man on the roadside with a companion. The victim was airlifted to Kona Community Hospital, and police are investigating. See more news at hawaii247.com.

Kane and wahine with Paul Neves' halau danced on the hula platform at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park yesterday.
Photo by William Neal

MORE THAN 1,000 people enjoyed Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s 32nd annual cultural festival yesterday with music, hula kahiko and crafts.

NA`OHULELUA HISTORICAL CHURCH AND GARDEN holds its monthly talk story and plant and seed exchange today from noon to 3 p.m. The garden is on Kama`oa Road between Wai`ohinu and Discovery Harbour. For more information, call 929-8164.

A CONCERT on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. features Hilo One, with R. Likeke Teanio on lead guitar and `ukulele, Aaron Agres on electric upright bass and Kahele Miura on electric 12-string rhythm guitar. The concert takes place at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Five-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.