Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Big Isle prison
won’t be built;
Gov will veto
‘convoluted’ bill
Legislators express shock
By Richard Borreca
as Cayetano blasts what he
calls an unworkable plan
Star-BulletinNo new prison will be built on the Big Island because Gov. Ben Cayetano says he will veto the prison construction bill passed by the just concluded legislative session.
Shock and surprise are the reactions of legislative leaders as they learned Cayetano's plans.
Cayetano told reporters yesterday he would veto the bill that calls for "managed competition" to run a state prison to be built on the Big Island.
Speaker of the House Calvin Say said he was "surprised; it was a responsible bill."
Sen. Avery Chumbley, Judiciary Committee co-chairman, who helped negotiate the bill, said Cayetano's reaction was "confusing."
And Rep. Nestor Garcia, Public Safety Committee chairman, said he was shocked and "disappointed."
For his part, Cayetano called the compromise bill a "convoluted effort" that failed to provide the money needed to go ahead with the prison.
He said the bill would authorize the managed competition project for only six years, so no private business would bid against a public union for the chance to run a prison, if the deal only lasted six years.
"I don't know what these guys were thinking," Cayetano said of the Legislature.
Chumbley, a Democrat from Maui, said Cayetano should have been in on the negotiations.
The governor complained yesterday that one of the problems with the prison bill was that United Public Workers leader Gary Rodrigues, who represents the prison workers, was closely involved in the last- minute discussions.
"I am disappointed in the bill, which was not well thought out, and part of that reason is because Gary Rodrigues became part of the conference committee," Cayetano said.
Garcia, however, said Ted Sakai, state public safety director, also was involved in the last-minute talks.
"Ted Sakai was part of the conference committee decisions, Ted was always in the room and we kept asking him," Garcia said, explaining that they thought Sakai was in touch with or representing the governor.
Chumbley said Cayetano "should have been with us in creating this bill."
http://www.hawaii.gov/
