[ OUR OPINION ]
Letter campaign
was cynical tacticTHE Harris administration's tactic of sending misleading letters to citizens and special-interest groups about possible cuts in the city budget inserted unnecessary conflict into a deliberative process. Further, the administration's invitation-only meeting on the budget -- conducted at a public facility on public time, using taxpayer money -- goes against democratic principles.
THE ISSUE The administration deployed an unusual confrontational strategy in its budget battle.
The administration would have done better to stand before the City Council to defend its spending priorities instead of attempting to manipulate public sentiment against Council members who were merely doing their legislative duty in examining the budget. The result of the maneuvering was to turn what should have been negotiation or collaboration into divisive confrontation.
At least 10,000 letters -- the administration can't say for sure how many -- along with e-mail notices were sent to neighborhood board and vision-team members, and to contractors and architects who do business with the city, asking them to lobby Council members against budget cuts that could have affected their particular areas of interest.
Urging citizens to participate in government would have been appropriate. However, to misrepresent the Council's intentions in an effort to churn the waters was not. To conduct a closed-door meeting at Blaisdell Center with only the 200 people who supported the administration, shutting out other members of the public, was improper.
The cost of the letter campaign and the free parking provided invitees at Blaisdell doesn't amount to a whole lot of money. Stamps, stationery and envelopes and the estimated $600 in waived parking fees probably add up to a few thousand dollars. Factoring in the cost of city worker hours spent on the effort could boost the cost, but this isn't so much about the money as the measures that were employed.
Why the administration chose this approach is puzzling. It may be that Mayor Jeremy Harris was overly sensitive to recent criticism about showy programs some say have more to do with his gubernatorial aspirations than about providing vital city services. He also was unused to a budget committee leader who is as aggressive as newly elected Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi.
Whatever the reason, the administration unwisely picked a cynical political fight, rather than work with the legislative branch to craft the best spending package for taxpayers in a rough economy.
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Wal-Mart, high-rise
will rev up economyIF commercial and residential construction can kick-start Hawaii's sputtering economy, two projects by Wal-Mart and local developers MacNaughton Group and Kobayashi Group may gas up the engine.
THE ISSUE The mega-retailer will build a store in the urban core and local developers plan a high-rise in Kakaako.
Wal-Mart, which closed a deal to buy the so-called superblock near Ala Moana Center this week, encountered opposition when it attempted to acquire the 10.5-acre parcel for a store two years ago. Labor unions protested its nonunion employment and its below-averages wages while area residents worried about traffic congestion. However, with the economic downturn and loss of jobs in Hawaii since Sept. 11, the world's largest retailer may fare better this go-round. Its concessions to the city to include space for a number of small shops and to take care of increased traffic in the high-density district may also make its presence more palatable.
Wal-Mart and its Sam's Club mega-center will compete for dollars with Daiei, Ala Moana Center and the small businesses in the area. These retailers will have to adjust, but no doubt the going will be rough. If nothing else, the big-box enterprise may draw new shoppers to the area and the spill-over may benefit the smaller businesses. Wal-Mart will at least fill the site in the heart of Honolulu that has been vacant for a decade, generating minimal tax revenues for the city and the state.
Meanwhile, the two local developers have energized plans for luxury high-rise residences on four acres in Kakaako, owned by Victoria Ward at Auahi and Ala Moana. Although the project is in a preliminary stage, it would enhance the urban scene of the area where Victoria Ward has shops, restaurants and entertainment venues within walking distance along with the nearby beach park and Ala Moana Center.
The construction work and retail jobs Wal-Mart and the high-rise would create are certainly needed in Hawaii. Although the tourism industry has rallied somewhat in recent months, the state has seen few bright spots on the economic horizon and with few incentives coming from government and the state Legislature, a bit of vigor from the private sector is certainly welcome.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
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