Honolulu Star-Bulletin
General Election GuideHonolulu Mayor We asked candidates in this race to address the following subject areas. Their responses are below.
1) Under your administration what will have changed in Honolulu by the year 2000?
2) What would you do to make your administration more accessible?
3) How would you alleviate the growing traffic problem on Oahu?
4) What is your vision of Waikiki's future?
5) At what point would it be necessary to raise property taxes on residential properties?
Jeremy Harris
Age: 45
Occupation: Marine biologist; mayor of Honolulu1. Honolulu will become a better place to live, work and visit. Our streets will be safer as we address the crime problem. Greater economic opportunity and better jobs for our people. More buses, better bikeways, and other measures will make commuting easier. More trees, parks, ball fields and playgrounds.
2. Formed Downtown/Chinatown Task Force, and similar groups for other communities. Sent mayor's team and mini-team to neighborhood boards to help citizens. Formed Council of Neighborhood Board Chairs. Used radio call-in show, TV morning news shows, and other media outlets to allow people to ask the mayor any and all questions.
3. We have a financial plan to expand our bus fleet from 525 to 650 and recently added 25,000 more hours of service. Most major signalized intersections in Honolulu are now synchronized, 60 have cameras linked to our traffic signal control center. All new buses have bike racks and more bikeways are coming. We support the Second City and telecommuting.
4. We are already planning for the Waikiki of the future through revitalization, beautification and infrastructure improvements. Other highlights: developing a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, historic marker program, Hawaiian sense of place, Ala Wai Canal dredging and major landscaping along Ala Wai promenade and Kuhio Beach.
5. Our residents are overtaxed and do not need an additional financial burden. My commitment to cost-effective government has made it possible for the City to continue offering quality City services through an innovative use of manpower without raising property taxes. We will continue to cut red tape and bureaucracy.
Arnold Morgado Jr.
Age: 44
Occupation: Vice president and community relations officer, First Hawaiian Bank1. Crime will be on a downward trend. City Hall will be managed for real results. Infrastructures will be maintained on schedule. We will become neighborhood-centered. We will be in the second phase of our transportation master plan for real traffic solutions.
2. Look at re-organizing the managing director's office along regional lines of responsibility for more accessibility and accountability. Regular electronic town meetings. Results-driven administration which will be graded by the people at the end of the year.
3. 1) Have operational, 100 more buses in the next four years; 2) Computerize bus schedules to increase reliability; 3) Properly staff the computerized traffic control system; 4) Partner with Gov. Cayetano to construct Nimitz viaduct; 5) Commit to Kapolei as a true second city; 6) Telecommunications, work at home options; 7) Provide HOV lanes along H-1 and H-2.
4. My vision of Waikiki puts people first, and starts with quality of life, rather than quantity of dollars. Revitalization and growth are essential for all communities - including Waikiki. But if Waikiki, and the economy it generates, is to once again thrive, liveabilty not profitability must be our benchmark.
5. It should not be necessary to raise residential real property taxes. We must first define the basis services that you pay for and prioritize those expenditures. We are in a financial crisis because of this Administration's desire to be all things to everyone.
Big Island Mayor We asked candidates in this race to address the following subject areas. Their responses are below.
1) Should Hawaii County police shift their drug enforcement focus from marijuana to harder drugs?
2) Should Hawaii County pre-zone large tracts of agricultural land to urban designation in the absence of specific development proposals?
Jonathan "MakeSense" Adler
Age: 44
Occupation: Owner, Big Island Steel1. Yes, absolutely misplaced priorities. If it kills; it's a public safety concern. Marijuana never kills.
2. Housing now is available but sales are dead, so why build more. Our economy needs help with new industries created.
Aaron Anderson
Age: 59
Occupation: Retired builder, healer1. Yes.
2. No.
Keiko Bonk
Age: 42
Occupation: Multi-media artist/politician1. Yes. Four years ago I was the only one listening to the experts. This year three other council members had the courage to listen to the experts.
2. No. We shouldn't be rezoning any agricultural land. We should be planning in terms of generations, not quarterly business cycles or election terms. Study after study shows that protecting agricultural lands and preventing urban sprawl is one thing that those places with highest quality of life share in common.
Jim Rath
Age: 44
Occupation: Businessman1. Whether marijuana is more or less harmful than other drugs is not the question. To obtain marijuana one must involve themselves in a criminal sub-culture, and thus are exposed to harder and more dangerous drugs. In this manner, marijuana becomes a gateway drug, and police efforts to remove all drugs from our schools and streets, should continue.
2. The County of Hawaii should follow the general plan along with approved area plans for land use. It is the county, and not the developer that should decide on the placement of road corridors and other such items. With prior condemnation, I would be fully supportive of zoning efforts.
Stephen Yamashiro (D)
Age: 55
Occupation: Attorney1. As long as marijuana is illegal, the county has the obligation to enforce the law and control the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana. Law enforcement officials, parents, schools and community groups must join together to educate young people about the dangers of drugs.
2. The land use boundary amendments proposed by the county in the Hilo and Kailua-Kona urban areas implement the general plan and also help alleviate pressures to develop more productive agricultural lands. I believe the county should take a pro-active approach to planning rather than just react to requests from developers.
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