DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Small Business Hawaii held its 26th annual business conference yesterday at the Ala Moana Hotel. Candidates for governor were invited to speak. Those who attended were, from left, D.G. "Andy" Anderson, John Carroll, Ed Case and Linda Lingle.

Lingle pledges
not to lay off
state workers

Some candidates for governor
speak at a business forum

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By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com

Republican gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle said she will not support layoffs of state workers if she is elected this year.

"I did want to make that clear point today because I don't want there to be any surprises that I will not support laying off current government workers. I don't think that gets to the heart of the problem at all," she said at a candidates' forum yesterday. "However, as governor, I would ask at all times for their best effort, their commitment to excellence and their willingness to change," Lingle said.

Lingle, who will step down next month as chairwoman of the Republican Party of Hawaii as she formally begins her second consecutive bid for Hawaii governor, made her remarks at the annual Small Business Hawaii conference.

Four of the top five major gubernatorial candidates appeared together in a panel discussion on who should succeed Gov. Ben Cayetano. Along with Lingle, the other panelists were D.G. "Andy" Anderson, John Carroll and Ed Case. Absent was Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris, who through campaign staff said he could not attend because of the flu and a prior engagement.

Case, a Democratic state representative from Manoa, said he will not rule out layoffs because there is no way the state can revitalize the economy without reducing the cost of government.

"There is no way that any governor candidate can stand up here and talk about economic vitality without addressing the cost of government," said Case, who emphasized that 55 percent of the state's $3.6 billion general fund budget is devoted directly to personnel costs.

"You have to come to the conclusion pretty fast that you cannot make those changes, you cannot provide those options for economic vitality, without somehow reducing the current number of employees or the cost of sustaining that employee base," Case said.

Both Case and Lingle said they would oppose any type of gambling in Hawaii.

Carroll, a Republican, said he generally opposes gambling but wants to consider cultural forms of gambling, like cockfighting.

Anderson said he was open to gambling and welcomed lively debate on it. The next Hawaii governor, he said, should not be afraid of discussing any issue.

Anderson, former chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party who is now running as a Democrat, said he jumped into this race because of the need for an emphasis on economic diversification. While government reform will help the state economy, Hawaii needs to find additional new dollars, he said.

"This state has obligated more dollars down the road than we have a tax base for," Anderson said.

As for state spending, the candidates were split on whether the Hawaii Tourism Authority was doing a good job with the $60 million in annual revenue it gets from the state.

Carroll does not believe the HTA needs that amount of money to advertise what people worldwide already know about Hawaii. Lingle, former Maui mayor, added the Maui Visitors Bureau has a tourism promotion budget of about $3 million a year, and questions whether the HTA's tourism efforts are 20 times better than Maui's.

Case said HTA is doing the best job it can to market Hawaii without interference from politicians. Anderson said the agency was doing a good job.