Mayor Mufi Hannemann got a dressing down from Democratic Party Chairman Dante Carpenter for not minding his manners at the recent state Democratic Convention, where Hannemann stumped as a candidate for governor. In a 2 1/2-page letter to Hannemann, Carpenter complained that the mayor and his campaign committee decided not to sponsor a breakfast it [...]
Archive for June 2010
Democratic chief takes Mufi to the woodshed
June 20, 2010Saturday flASHback
June 19, 2010The gubes have a starring role in this week’s flASHback column in the Star-Advertiser, “Inouye’s long Senate career is second only to 1 other.”
Roundtable unbusinesslike on HB 444
June 17, 2010We’re always hearing that government should be run more like a business. Well, if the Hawai’i Business Roundtable’s bungled lobbying on civil unions is an example of the ideal, spare us from that. The Rountable, a normally respected group representing Hawai’i’s biggest companies, came late to the game in urging Gov. Linda Lingle to veto [...]
Rod Tam sees the light; Abercrombie hears the music
June 17, 2010Councilman Rod Tam is pitching himself as “Lightning Rod” on his campaign signs in his run for mayor. The American Heritage dictionary defines a lightning rod thusly: “One that attracts and absorbs powerful, typically negative feelings and reactions, thereby diverting interest from other issues.” I guess it proves the old adage that if you give [...]
The governor’s race moves to Pittsburgh (Can we keep it there?)
June 16, 2010I’m finding it hard to get too bothered by the flap over Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s side trip to Pittsburgh for a campaign event while in Washington on city business. The Piitsburgh event, first reported by KHON-TV, was sponsored by a rail consultant and billed as a fundraiser for Hannemann’s campaign for governor, with donations of [...]
Jackass justice
June 15, 2010My head is spinning over the arrest on the Big Island of a Census taker in Puna for entering the property of an off-duty cop who didn’t want to be bothered. The cop called in his buds on the force and the Census worker, 57-year-old Russell Haas, waited outside the gate for the officers to [...]
Monday medley: teacher tenure, home runs and iPads
June 14, 2010Star-Advertiser editorial writer Christine Donnelly continued her look at the principals’ view of the education universe with an excellent piece on teacher tenure. In a nutshell, principals want more flexibility to hire teachers who best fit the needs of their schools and not be as bound to the seniority system. They’re frustrated that younger teachers [...]
flASHback’s new home
June 12, 2010I’m not going to get into a heavy critique of the Star-Advertiser’s launch week. I had my turn calling the shots, and others deserve to have theirs without me heckling from the cheap seats. But I’ll say this: Because of my Saturday “flASHback” column that reviews the week’s news, I’m very sensitive to local story [...]
Will Aiona veto HB 444 (II)?
June 11, 2010Would somebody kindly look at this press release from Rep. Tom Brower and decipher for me exactly what he wants Aiona to do and what his logic is — if there is any. Isn’t this the legislator who put out a press release calling the House passage of HB 444 a perversion of the Democratic [...]
Can principals save Hawai’i schools?
June 10, 2010Recommended reading in today’s Star-Advertiser is Christine Donnelly’s piece on the role of principals in reforming public education, “Principals take lead setting agenda.” I thought principals were notably absent from the school reform debate of 2003-2004; this time they are stepping up and speaking out. Admittedly, one of their motivations has been to fight off [...]
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