The fight for the Honolulu City Council 4th District seat features an up-and-coming legislator, a veteran government administrator and three new guys hoping to strike a chord with constituents tired of the status quo. Traffic a hot topic
for Fourth DistrictEditor's note: This is the ninth in a series of profiles about political candidates for the primary election Sept. 21.By Gordon Y.K. Pang
gpang@starbulletin.comThe race also features an intriguing geographical makeup stretching from Hawaii Kai through Kaimuki, Waikiki and Ala Moana and all the way to Kewalo Basin in what could be dubbed "the East Honolulu makai district."
Michael Abe, a real estate and trust planning attorney, is one of the three hopefuls stepping into politics for the first time.
Abe, who is 48 and has lived in Kaimuki for 11 years, is so fed up with government today that he put up $75,000 of his own money to run.
The recurring theme from those in the district is that there needs to be more accountability and openness in government, Abe said. While much lip service has been paid to vision teams and community participation, "a lot of decisions are being made upstairs, and I think it has added to the frustration and distrust in city government right now," he said.
He cited concerns about improvements made at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and the Kaimuki Master Plan as examples.
One move toward accountability, he said, would be to place all information involving contracts -- including costs and change orders -- on the Internet for easily accessible public viewing.
Charles Djou chose to forgo a re-election bid for the Kaneohe state House of Representatives seat he won in 2000, and moved to Hawaii Kai to run for the Council seat.
Djou, a 32-year-old attorney, is general counsel for KD Construction.
Djou said his key platform is "restoration of accountability back into city government." He believes he could be an independent voice and fiscal watchdog.
"What the voters are communicating to me that they want to see is the city get its act together," Djou said.
Djou said he is opposed to the taking of traffic lanes to be dedicated only for Bus Rapid Transit vehicles. Djou said the city should at least begin re-examining a light rail system. Extending contraflow lanes, expanding bike lanes and staggering work hours for city employees could also help, he said.
Bob Fishman, 55, was Mayor Jeremy Harris' right-hand man from 1994 to 1998, when he held the post of managing director. More recently he was chief executive of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and is currently a senior business development professional for Pacific Rim ADI Technology Corp.
Waikiki residents are worried that its elected representatives have subjugated the concerns of the community in favor of commercial interests there, Fishman said. Kaimuki residents and businesses, meanwhile, need help with traffic and parking issues.
All communities in the district are experiencing an increase in both residential and automobile break-ins.
"This has to do with community policing, resourcing police officers not only with people and money, but technology to provide more protection," he said.
Cameron Heen, 43, quit his job as director of hotel catering at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental and is now campaigning full time. He has lived in East Honolulu most of his life, the last eight in Kuliouou. His father, Walter, and his grandfather Ernest served on the Council.
Like Abe, Heen said there needs to be better accountability of the city's finances.
"We just need to be getting our basic city services back in line," he said, referencing recent city construction projects that he believes are costly and unnecessary.
One innovative idea Heen has is filling the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial with sand and then relocating the city's Sunset on the Beach program there.
"Operationally, you save a lot of money," Heen said. "You've already got built-in bleachers."
Terrance Teruya, a 43-year-old Kaimuki resident, is an electronic and transit technician for two separate city agencies.
Complaints he has heard repeatedly throughout the district have to do with traffic and other road-related issues.
In Hawaii Kai it's speeding, he said, while Aina Haina, Kaimuki and Waikiki residents "want more control of the traffic going through."
Teruya said the city needs to be more innovative in its transportation planning such as using helicopters to study traffic patterns so that signal lights can be better timed. The city's Bus Rapid Transit plan needs to be implemented on a trial basis before more funding is committed, he said.
