Notes from the Connections forum
Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 08:08PM 
Six of the 11 who've pulled papers to run for mayor took part in a forum Wednesday in Hilo hosted by Connections Public Charter School. From left, Roger Christie, Lorraine Inouye, Jasper Moore, Angel Pilago, Randy Riley and Stacy Higa.
Mayoral candidate Randy Riley confirmed it was he that called West Hawaii Today to get a mayor's race survey pulled from the newspaper's Web site. Riley complained to Editor Reed Flickinger because he wasn't included among the candidates. He said Flickinger gave him a hard time but the survey was removed almost immediately. (BTW, no one called me back from the newspaper to answer my questions.)
Ganjanomics? I know Roger Christie is sincere and passionate about marijuana and hemp but his single-solution remedy for all the Big Island's ills sounds strained already.
Lorraine Inouye is all about experience and doesn't let you forget it. Two years as mayor and 10 as state Senator: "Doesn't that qualify me to come back and be your mayor?" she asked the crowd of mostly teenagers.
Stacey Higa was glib as usual. Running "for all of you" ... "it's all about the quality of life" ... and to serve, "you have to understand how to make things happen." The latter is what scares some people about Higa. Here's his take on donating to the campaign. "It buys you access."
Randy RileyRandy Riley, who runs the county's automotive division, had never run for public office and said this was his "very first" forum. But he was loose and all the candidates on stage seemed chummy with one another. At one point Riley couldn't remember a street name in Kona so he turned to ask Pilago and Higa for help.
Riley did say "we have to raise the fuel tax." Ouch. But he also advocated an emergency route out of Puna -- "they have one in Waikoloa, why not here?" -- and he doesn't like the beach smoking ban.
Jasper Moore, a likable guy, removed his slipper and held it up to show it was made of recycled material.
Angel Pilago wants recycling, a landfill and a waste-to-energy plant, and said trucking rubbish to Kona is "unhealthy." "My administration would bring up a new proposal."
A third of the candidates on stage volunteered that they were wearing hemp clothing.
Inouye also said the failure of the Yamashiro and Kim administrations to find a workable solid waste solution in 16 years is "shameful," and that "without me we wouldn't have geothermal."
Finally, the ever popular "most important issue" question will get the ball rolling here early in the forum season: Inouye said it's roads and transportation; Moore said it is health and pollution, especially by the military at Pohakuloa; Pilago said solid waste management; Riley said the incinerator; Higa said the economy, controlling spending and growth; and Christie, what else? Ending the war on marijuana.
The Connections Public Charter School kids did a bangup job putting on this event.
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Reader Comments (5)
They both listen to what you have to say, then tell you what you want to hear.
In both cases you're usually stuck with a rambler.
KEEP PUNA RURAL
Recently I discovered a rant on quite a respected figure in the tattoo community's Myspace. I say rant, it was more like pure venomous hatred.
It would seem that some find young people with visible ink, impatient and disrespectful, and they must all just think it's cool to have visible work.
I'm 23, My first tattoo was on my shoulder, then my wrists, then I got a full sleeve. Then I moved to my hands, then neck and I also have a large part of my leg tattooed.
It took me about two years to get the opportunity to get my hand tattooed by my idol, and then my neck by an artist I greatly admire, a lot of time, effort and thought was put into both of these.
Even though I'm somewhat older and do have a fair bit of coverage, I might still be classed as young and "under-tattooed" to have such visible work, and I can't help but think that's kinda crazy!
Sure I've seen some 18 year olds with kanji on their necks or poorly executed skulls on their hands, and you can almost tell they rushed into it, wanting everyone to see their new work as clearly as possible, and fine that to me is impatient and maybe even attention seeking.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that not everyone who has visible work is disrespectful to the art, some people invest a great deal of time, money and effort into getting that particular location inked with the highest standard work possible.
It's kinda funny to find prejudice within a community that tries so hard to divert it away from itself.
Thoughts?