• Councilman didn’t think bill through • Attorney good choice to prevent dairy farm • ‘Apollo Kauai’ endorsements for KIUC board
Councilman didn’t think bill through
At a public hearing for Bill 2573 on Feb. 11 Gary Hooser got pretty hot under the collar for what he called me “impugning his character” when I made reference to him being the wrong kind of transplant to Kauai. He attempted to use the race card but tried it on the son of a transplant! But what Hooser fails to recognize is that one’s character is judged for any decision one makes, and that being in public office obligates you to stand to judgment of your character. It also requires one to have a thick skin, something Hooser seems to lack.
Hooser kept saying his bill was modeled after a Maui bill, but he never once told us what was in that Maui bill. He also said that he had drafted some amendments to assure we wouldn’t lose our right to outdoor cooking. But this begs the question, why weren’t these detailed out in the original draft of the bill? Because Gary Hooser hoped he could sneak it past us as is, but when he saw the tidal wave of public resentment and lack of support from fellow council members he had to backpedal and take a smaller bite. Then at the public hearing, he attempts to align himself with the rest of the council members with “This council will not allow your outdoor cooking rights to be lost.” Yeah, that council minus you, Gary! You just had to cave.
Michael Broyles
Lawai
Attorney good choice to prevent dairy farm
The citizens of Kauai are very fortunate to have attorney Charlie Tebbutt agree to represent us in our battle to prevent Hawaii Dairy Farms from developing the 578-acre industrial dairy in Mahaulepu Valley.
Apparently, Pierre Omidyar and Steve Case are in need of a large tax write-off. I am told that this is the only possible reason for them to involve themselves in this misadventure. They obviously are unconcerned about the pollution and the stink this project would bring to Poipu. We are extremely lucky to have Mr. Tebbutt protect Kauai.
David Kennedy
Hanapepe
‘Apollo Kauai’ endorsements for KIUC board
Apollo Kauai considers climate change to be the most serious all-encompassing challenge facing the human race. We can meet this challenge by changing our human behavior, especially by the reduction of our use of fossil fuels for energy. Kauai Island Utilities Cooperative Board of Directors are in key positions to determine how our cooperative moves toward environmentally and socially responsible sustainable energy sources and policies for Kauai. Apollo Kauai sent a survey to all candidates recently (complete survey results at ApolloKauai.com) and based on responses to our survey and known history of past performance, incumbent Pat Gegen has our full endorsement. Gegen introduced the resolution for on-bill payment program that would allow members to install photovoltaic units, solar water heaters and other energy saving devices at no upfront costs. He continually advocates for clean, renewable alternatives to fossil fuel and has fought for services that would help members conserve energy. Gegen has articulated how impractical and expensive a small scale “waste conversion” operation would be for Kauai. Candidates Baldwin, Kimura, Peterson and Rowley do express reservations about “waste conversion” technology as well.
We support incumbent Karen Baldwin based on her performance these past three years. She is a strong supporter of forward thinking policies and open to community input. Bill Peterson advocates for moving from fossil fuels to renewables and understands the dire environmental consequences of extracting, transporting and storing “natural gas.” Dennis Esaki has a strong background as a founding member of KIUC, and former KIUC Board Chair, and understands that the coop needs to address energy storage if we are to continue adding intermittent renewable energy such as solar. Dennis Rowley wants a target of 100 percent renewable and is aware of the social inequalities that can result from policies that do not consider those who are economically disadvantaged. Harold Dias and Jan Kimura are also worthy candidates who support renewable energy and are open to educating themselves on the costs and benefits of different options. Stu Burley, a past KIUC director, has denied man’s impact on climate change.
AK believes we need to invest in long-term solutions that will lead to a self-reliant and environmentally responsible future that will lead to lower rates for everyone. Ballots for this year’s election will be in the mail this week. Please be informed and vote.
Laurel Brier
Pam Burrell
Sharry Glass
Cochairs for Apollo Kauai
