Kim no west side solution
I read Andy Levin’s “My Turn” article in today’s paper. How laughable was his comment about Harry Kim’s main goals being to“heal the rift between East and West Hawaii?”
Well, if anyone remembers correctly, the hue and cry for two Big Island counties was the loudest ever right before Harry was term ended. Billy Kenoi is the one who healed the rift between the east and west sides of the Big Island. And taking credit for the construction of Ana Keohokalole Highway is a massive stretch. It was the Billy Kenoi administration, along with Warren Lee and Bobby Command, who was responsible for the construction of that road. As for the West Hawaii Civic Center, Harry did start the process, but didn’t appropriate enough funding to build the complex. Mayor Kenoi’s administration had to appropriate millions of additional dollars to even start the construction.
Speaking of Billy Kenoi, why is it that no one ever mentions the fact that Mayor Kenoi was awarded a $20,000 raise by the salary commission, but he refused to take it? His position was that as long as the county was in serious financial straits fromthe recession and economic downturn and as long as the people of the Big Island were hurting, neither he nor anyone else should receive a raise. Not only that, he and all of his administrative staff voluntarily took a five percent pay cut for the firstthree years of his administration. So tell me, how does it make any sense for Mayor Kenoi to turn down $40,000 in raises and reduce his own salary by five percent and then be accused of stealing $30,000?
So, if you are a voter in West Hawaii and you vote for Harry Kim, you can bet we will receive exactly what we got last time from the Kim administration — nothing! Harry Kim was the worst mayor ever for the Big Island and a repeat would be 10 steps backward from the Kenoi administration. Talk about the “good old boy” network. Well, that is exactly what we will receive if Harry is elected.
I repeat, if you live on the west side of the Big Island and you vote for Harry Kim, you will get exactly what you deserve —nothing!
Steve Arnett
Kealakekua