My Turn: Take on some lesser, but still important projects

Mayor Roth,

So happy to see your come back from your recent heart problem that had you laid you up for and extended convalescence. I suggest you lay back and continue to relay your heavy work load to subordinates while you take on some lesser, but still important, projects that would not put too much stress on yourself. May I suggest a few such projects:

1) The seemingly abandoned parking lot (parking, something that we will never have enough of) and its adjoining property at La’aloa (Magic Sands) that was purchased for improving and expansion of the park and its facilities some 30 years ago for around $3 million. So there is a heiau on the site. That was known at the time the property was being purchased. Preserve it by all means. Have the Hawaiian faction appraise the land value and make restitution to the public and they go ahead and protect it. But stupid is stupid to allow a parking lot or anything that belongs to the public to go unused for decades because of incompetence of politicians and a minor Hawaiian faction. As aforementioned “stupid is stupid.” Incompetence is not an excuse and should not be factored into anything that has to do with the public’s entities.

2) Explain to the public what the scoop is on the parking lot at Hale Halawai being locked up for the past 10-plus years. Is there any real legitimate reason for its lock down that makes not one “iota” of sense?

3) Now we have the brilliancy to want to Band-Aid Kuakini Highway by widening sections of it etc. to maybe improve this congested artery. Let’s face the facts, the highway would need a major rebuilding from Kailua on past Teshima’s all the way to the Hokulia bypass (for now) which brings up the $64 (today escalating that to, maybe $1 million) question. Just who and how are such improvement to be paid? It’s easy to to say government, but dummy, government is “we the people!” Where and what has happened to the Kailua to Keauhou (Alii Highway) bypass that “big money” was spent on designing. It has been gathering dust for like 50 years under all the previous mayor’s desks while our illustriously elected officials fail to act on behalf of the people and do justice to our vote. Can’t we constitutionally ever get what “we the people want?” In this case, the riddance of vehicle congestion on our streets and highways that we positively need to have before we implode.

Roth, these are my simple but, yes, complex thoughts on what “light duty” work you might think on while your subordinates carry the heavy load under your supervision. We need you on board — especially with the ongoing complexity going on in the county and the state. In closing get a bloody handle on this epidemic and start concentrating on the blasted economy of this island. Get involved in this state’s economic situation and its recovery. Unfortunately, there are politicians who only know how to run our county deeper in debt while creating more hardship on the people … mo easy fo tax da brada.

PS: See the Feb. 19 of West Hawaii Today’s editorial page and check out the “My Turn” by Kelly Greenwell. Fine article on “how to do it” the right and sensible way. We have the right but do we have the sense?

Hugo von Platen Luder is a resident of Holualoa.