TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Nader praises governor
in new bookThe business of politics is in full swing at what KSSK radio morning man, MidWeek columnist and academician Larry Price affectionately calls that "square building on South Beretania Street," but it's the resident from across the way that's been mentioned in "Crashing the Party," the new book by former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
The reference to a lunch with Gov. Ben Cayetano is followed by a separate mention of failed Big Island Green Party mayoral candidate Keiko Bonk.
Of Cayetano, Nader says, "He is my favorite of all incumbent governors. Without much organized citizen support, he, more than the other state chiefs, stands up for workers and consumers when companies overreach or bully them." Nader also mentions the guv's battles with "rapacious auto insurance companies, often against a hostile legislature controlled by his own conservative Democratic Party."
Nader also writes of breaking bread with "the pride of Hawaii's Greens -- the compelling Keiko Bonk," who he predicts will return to the Big Island's political scene.
The Hawaii references are preceded and followed by paragraphs about industrial hemp, as those were apparently the issues that came up before and after his Hawaii stop "On the Road to Fifty States," which is the chapter title.
D&B is not alone
The cluttered appearance of Kona's Kailua Village area has apparently revived emotions lyricized in the 1971 Five Man Electrical Band song "Signs" -- "Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind."Kona-based Planning Program Manager Daryn Arai described a "proliferation" of signs, which has been photographed and described as "tacky" in some publications.
Following a tour by the Hilo-based zoning inspector, Arai said, "We've identified those business entities which have signs which are in violation of the Kailua Village sign code," which is more restrictive than the county code.
His office will first send out warning letters because, "a lot of these businesses may not be aware of the code requirements, so we want to be understanding and give them the opportunity to comply." Failure would net a "notice of violation," he said, which then becomes a criminal matter.
Persons convicted of violations of the sign code, he said, will be subject to a fine of not less than $25 but not more than $500, "or imprisonment of not more than one month," Arai said.
"They may argue that businesses need the signs in order to sustain business in these hard economic times," Arai said, "but (the clutter) could be counterproductive in the long run."
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com