Dirty politics not welcomed here
I must respond to the outrageous accusations made by Jeanne Kapela regarding Rep. Richard Creagan quoted in your paper Tuesday. To say that Dr. Creagan is “bought by Big Tobacco” and other corporate lobbyists just shows how desperate and vicious Kapela really is.
Anyone who knows Dr. Creagan and his impressive record of sponsoring and passing legislation contributing to the better health of his constituents should tell Kapela to take her brand of slimy politics back to Oahu where it came from.
Dr. Creagan had an especially good record of success this past session — passing his legislation to ban a pesticide that harms babies (chlorpyrifos) and getting money for UH Hilo to study rat lungworm disease, among other things. The attack by Kapela is so blatantly false that it reveals a lot about her. Maybe this is how to win a beauty contest — by stabbing your opponents in the back while faking a smile — but here on the Big Island we try not to be so nasty.
Matt Binder
Waimea
Ford a doer, not
a schmoozer
West Hawaii Today’s endorsement of Dru Kanuha over Brenda Ford raised more questions than it answered.
The endorsement said WHT and Kanuha are “like-minded on several key West Hawaii issues,” but didn’t say anything about what those key issues are. Endorsements are supposed to stimulate conversation and debate. How can the West Hawaii community debate these key issues if we do not know to what they are?
WHT said, “Kanuha has built good relationships on Oahu” referring to organizations with which he has feathered his political hat using county taxpayer funded time and money. Are we to think WHT values the better schmoozer over the harder-working, more productive legislator? Didn’t WHT see Kanuha’s online campaign reports showing he has received 40 percent of his campaign funds from Honolulu and 84 percent from outside our Senate District?
Ford, the person most responsible for the Big Island having a fourth state Senate District, led the years-long West Hawaii community supported legal effort for fair reapportionment. It was a tooth-and-nail fight to get Oahu to cough up the state Senate District the Big Island legally deserved based upon the U.S. Census.
With Oahu seeking to tax us for the rail project and not giving our county its fair share of transient and accommodations taxes. Why should West Hawaii further enable its abuser? West Hawaii needs an advocate, not a schmoozer.
Oahu-based developers are working with the “good old boys’ planning the “city of Kailua-Kona” without regard for the impact on West Hawaii and its residents. Brenda Ford has a stellar record standing up to the good old boys. Kanuha is supported by them. WHT has our community asking questions about the credibility of its endorsement. I hope WHT will provide a better explanation before the election to help voters make a more informed decision.
Charles Flaherty
Captain Cook
Death story in poor taste
To West Hawaii Today, I was disappointed to see a friend’s tragedy blasted on the front page of today’s paper, Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Yes, you probably have to report this but on the front page? Could it not have been done more discreetly in respect for the family? Preferably, it should have run in the obituary section. Capitalizing on people’s tragedy is totally disrespectful.
Gayle Buckwalter
Kailua-Kona
