Super PACs running roughshod over local politics
Along with many others in the country, I was dismayed at the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Campaign Spending Commission in January 2010. In a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums on advertising to elect or defeat individual candidates for public office. The State of Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission reports that there are now 25 so-called super PACs operating in our state.
In the current election campaign, it appears that a number of Honolulu individuals and others not living in Council District 9 have a keen interest in who should not represent District 9 for the next two years. Recently, we here in this district have been deluged with slick political ads from super PAC Forward Progress, many of these mailings negative in content against one of the council candidates. The mailings do state that they are without the approval and authority of any candidate, thereby complying with the Supreme Court decision.
Upon checking with the State Campaign Spending Commission, one will find that Forward Progress is yet another name under which super PAC Pacific Resources Partnership attempts to exercise political influence. As some may recall, Pacific Resources Partnership was sued by 2012 Honolulu mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano for defamation in conjunction with a negative campaign against him. As part of the settlement in this case, Pacific Resources Partnership issued a full page public apology in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and paid a considerable sum to the University of Hawaii Medical School and the Hawaii Humane Society. Further investigations by the State Campaign Spending Commission are still pending on other charges against this PAC.
While we can regret the Supreme Court decision regarding campaign spending by corporations and unions, there is little voters can do to alter this situation at this time. However, what each voter can do is to determine the role Honolulu super PACs should play in our local council elections. How do we as voters respond to negative campaign advertising of any nature, whether it comes from inside our district, or as in this instance, from sources outside the County of Hawaii? It makes no difference who a super PAC targets for negative criticism in this campaign. This form of high-priced political nonsense is neither who we are nor who we should aspire to be.
All our District 9 candidates — whether it be Sonny Shimaoka, Margaret Wille or Ron Gonzales — should publicly reject such negative advertising. These candidates deserve to be elected on their own merits and dedication to our community’s best interests. Our elections are local and we must treat each other with respect. Super PACs from Honolulu should not run roughshod over our values.
Pete Hoffmann
Waikoloa
Uglification of Mauna Kea a sad thing
What an eyesore it will be, this telescope on top of Mauna Kea. What a slap in the face to the great spirit of this island.
It is a testament to the fact that any intruder with a plan can walk in and play havoc with our paradise. The Hawaii County Council and the other head biggies in charge are rubber stamps for anyone with a checkbook that steps off the plane.
And what is this monstrosity they are building up on our beautiful mountain? The sheer size of it is mind-boggling. It will be a glass and cement structure 18 stories high, almost three times taller than King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Its dome is two-thirds of a football field across.
It will sprawl 5 acres across the top of the mountain, roughly the size of downtown Kailua-Kona. It is a building three times bigger than all the present domes on Mauna Kea. It will be a gigantic silver wart disturbing to look at.
Is it beneficial to furthering human knowledge? Of course it is but that is not that issue. It is an unsightly development marring a majestic mountain, desecrating an age-old region, a cement blob that could have easily furthered human knowledge somewhere else far away and unseen.
It is too bad that our politicians have no sense of beauty, no sense of culture, no style, no vision and they are in charge of framing the look of our island. The result is pristine areas stripped of beauty, culture and style and the cheapening of our precious paradise.
Tacky-looking drugstores plopped down in rustic Pahoa, pre-fab buildings thrown up everywhere, unplanned suburbs turning traffic into gridlock, all compliantly approved by the council and planning department.
It is sad that the caring public is controlled by uncaring politicians. Business as usual makes our glorious island so “usual.” The uglification of Mauna Kea is the ultimate symbol of this uncaring blindness of politicians and their subservient relationship with developers.
Dennis Gregory
Kona