'Raising Cane' raises hackles
Politicians misused state resources
Governor Cayetano has defended his move of having his staff work on state time to dissect Republican gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle's published agenda. In a news story, Cayetano said that Linda Lingle also used government resources for political purposes when she was mayor of Maui.Two wrongs don't make a right. Wasn't former City Councilwoman Rene Mansho sent to jail for using her staff to do campaign-related business on city time? The governor's comment comes across as a "greater than thou" attitude. It seems things are going from bad to worse.
Jeff Kino
Light rail cheaper, better than BRT
Nationwide, those who oppose the return of electric-rail mass-transit service to cities are promoting bus rapid transit as a substitute for light rail. Aided and abetted by the Federal Transit Administration, they are claiming that BRT is equal to LRT in terms of carrying capacity per hour, less expensive to build and as attractive to passengers as LRT. It is none of these.Transit officials in San Diego, Portland, Los Angeles, San Jose, Denver, St. Louis and elsewhere will gladly explain the advantages LRT has provided them in terms of attractive, reliable and less-expensive service.
The few BRT projects that have been built have equaled or exceeded the cost of a light-rail line that would have served the same needs. Ridership levels on BRT lines are substantially lower those that would have been achieved on a light-rail line. The BRT project will provide such a small improvement in service that it is reprehensible to suggest spending $1 billion on it. I hope the next city administration will be more receptive to the need for a backbone rail system to serve Oahu.
Charles Lietwiler
Rockville, Md.
Leilehua High School, Class of 1951
Chick's fans in Hawaii will miss him, too
The butter's gotten hard, the jello has stopped jigglin' and the fridge light has gone out for the final time. With the passing of Chick Hearn a magic voice has been stilled (Star-Bulletin, Aug. 6). For those of us who knew Chick, either personally or from his 42 years as "The Voice of The Lakers," his passing is a great loss and his shoes will never be filled.On behalf of all Laker fans in Hawaii, mahalo and aloha.
Charlie Doremus
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| 'Raising Cane' raises hackles
One Kalakaua's problems will pass
Regarding Rob Perez's "Raising Cane" column on the One Kalakaua condominium ("Complaints fly at condo for seniors," July 14):The residents of One Kalakaua are sweet and friendly; so are the office staff, maintenance and housekeeping personnel, and especially the dining room servers. Amazingly, they greet each resident by name, a task next to impossible with more than 150 names.
I have been living here for almost two years. My children, all of whom live on the mainland, feel relieved that I am being taken care of without any worries at all. I am sure the other families at One Kalakaua feel the same about their parents.
There are many amenities for the safety of the residents, including a night and morning check of each apartment owner and emergency system. Each resident is provided with a bracelet button, which when pressed will sound an alarm at the apartment and main office alerting emergency personnel. Their response time is less than five minutes.
The condo management's present turmoil and dissension are created by three discharged directors who lack patience and compassion. We are in good hands now with the hiring of Chaney Brooks, a kamaaina firm, to manage our operation. Auditor Grant Thorton is working on our finances. Eventually, we will prevail.
Bill Wong
Member, Board of Directors
One Kalakaua
Condo's troubles are caused by a few
The Star-Bulletin's July 31 story about One Kalakaua Senior Living condominium was biased and misleading.The headline reads, "Condos ordered to arbitration." It was actually the condo association that moved for the judge to order arbitration in accordance with condominium law, which she did.
The arbitration was requested for and ordered by the judge in the lawsuit filed by owners Alice Clay and Lila Chrystal against the association. The suit is over the so-called assisted living services being provided to residents. They actually asked for a temporary restraining order to force the association to cease providing such services. This has been described as like "pulling the plug on a dying patient." Judge McKenna denied their request on May 5. (Clay and Chrystal were members of the board of directors at the time they filed the lawsuit, but have since been removed by a wide majority vote of the owners.)
A second lawsuit has been filed by managing agent Hawaii First, Inc. and its president, Richard Emery, who was terminated for cause as the condominium's managing agent on July 8. He is the one alleging that he has uncovered financial irregularities, but has yet to tell the board what they are. Surprisingly, his attorney announced in the courtroom that he was considering withdrawing his lawsuit. The judge took no action on his request for the appointment of a master or receiver.
The article mentioned "other homeowners had joined a breach-of-conflict lawsuit" (Emery's). An attorney has filed a statement listing the names of 23 residents in support of Emery's request for the appointment of a master. However, when many of these individuals saw what their names were being used for, they asked the attorney to remove their names. He therefore withdrew from the hearing. Meanwhile, the board members canvassed the building for signatures opposing a master or receiver and asking the judge to order mediation or arbitration. Signatures of 107 of 166 owners were obtained in just over one day.
Admittedly, at One Kalakaua we have a few malcontents. However, the vast majority of residents, most of whom are owners, are disgusted by their tactics and wish they would stop complaining and leave the rest of us to live in peace at this wonderful place. It is unfortunate that the Star-Bulletin has been used by these dissenters to further their disruptive tactics.
Richard W. Hartmann
President
Board of Directors
One Kalakaua Senior Living Association
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