By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Gov. Ben Cayetano's "town hall" meeting last night
at Kapalama Elementary School drew about 200 and included
a slide show on what he believes are his administration's
main accomplishments. State economy was the highlight.

---

Cayetano hosts lively
‘town hall meeting’

Even after heated criticism,
the governor wishes 'more of our
meetings were like this'

By Mike Yuen
Star-Bulletin

Call it deja vu. Even Gov. Ben Cayetano's supporters were doing so.

Cayetano's first "town hall meeting" -- held last night at Kapalama Elementary School, where he also held campaign rallies in 1994 -- evoked memories of his first gubernatorial run and pointed to his re-election bid next year.

Among the early arrivals were real-estate broker Jake Manegdeg and legal assistant Ted Saribay, stalwarts from Cayetano's '94 campaign, who walked their Kalihi turf passing out fliers announcing the town hall meeting.

Said Amy Agbayani, the 1994 co-chair of Women for Ben, as the first wave of a crowd that would grow to 200 arrived: "Deja vu -- that is what we want. There are old and new faces here, and we have to build on that."

Attendees were given the three latest issues of "The Governor's Community Report" and a six-page flier titled "The First Thirty Months: Implementing The Cayetano Administration Plan for the New Millennium," which touted what Cayetano saw as his accomplishments.

Inside, cameras from Olelo, the corporation for community television, were recording the meeting. Olelo's executive director, Richard Turner, said the governor's office requested that the meeting be taped. He agreed, Turner said, because he sees it as a community -- not a political -- event.

By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Yvette Gabriel, a former resident at Kamehameha Housing
who now lives on the beach with her six children, complains
to the governor at last night's meeting about the state's
handling of her public-assistance housing case.

---

During the two-hour meeting, the state's flat economy, which is expected to be the dominant campaign issue next year, received the most attention.

Cayetano spent much of an hourlong slide presentation stressing what he has been attempting to do -- streamline government, woo businesses, reverse state government growth and accelerate government construction projects -- to turn around Hawaii's economy.

Still, some were skeptical.

"You're very shortsighted in your vision," Lisa Mitchell told Cayetano during the question-and-answer session.

She slammed Cayetano for traveling to Asia in search of foreign investors rather than nurturing local businesses. She also questioned his push for developing Kapolei as Oahu's second city and whether it can support the University of Hawaii's West Oahu campus. Mitchell wondered if Cayetano's quest for development would also endanger the environment.

Cayetano emphasized that he's trying to diversify the economy. There is a need for Kapolei and UH-West Oahu because population growth is occurring in Central Oahu, where jobs and services are needed to alleviate traffic tie-ups leading into downtown Honolulu, he said.

After the town hall meeting, Cayetano said: "I can understand (Mitchell's) concern. But I don't think she's being very realistic. The fact of the matter is we've got to create jobs.

"And that university is going to be needed for future generations."

Cindy Rasmussen, president of the Kalihi Business Association, told Cayetano that isle businesses are burdened by high taxes. Local businesses, particularly those construction-related, need some breaks from government, said Rasmussen, whose company supplies building fixtures.

Cayetano replied that his administration and the Legislature are trying to assist local contractors, who are favored in law with a bid preference of 7 percent.

This means isle contractors will automatically be awarded work on a state construction project if their bid is no more than 7 percent above the low bid.

After the meeting, Cayetano added: "As a matter of policy, we try to give local companies preference. But local companies have got to learn how to compete. That's the bottom line.

"We also have the duty to give the public the best deal possible."

The gathering, Cayetano said, gave him an opportunity to meet with the public directly and accentuate the positives of his first 2-1/2 years in office.

Cayetano even liked the occasionally rough question-and-answer session.

"I enjoyed this. I really did. I wish that more of our (town) meetings were like this," Cayetano said.