Every once in a while, someone has such a great idea that we have to ask, “Why didn’t we do this before?“ That’s exactly the thought I had about the mayoral debates that brought together candidates from Kauai (Bernard Carvalho and JoAnn Yukimura), Honolulu (Mufi Hannemann and Ann Kobayashi), and the Big Island of Hawaii (Billy Kenoi and Angel Pilago) this past Tuesday. It was presented by KGMB9, our CBS affiliate, and The Honolulu Advertiser, a Gannett outlet, with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as the sponsor. The only county not in the debate was Maui because their mayor was elected in 2006 and is not up for re-election until 2010.
Although I had to go for work, to ask a question, at least I got the best seats for any event I’ve ever been to at the Hawaii Theatre (Seat C1, which is the third row, just left of center). The question I asked was, “Aloha candidates. Um, as mayor, what uh protocols or procedures would you implement under the county’s management to address some of the problems from iwi kupuna burial sites like Naue and Wainiha?“ Yes, I’m a bit of a stickler, so I transcribed that from the DVR playback. The crowd was smaller compared to the debate preceding the Primary Election, and more subdued, which perhaps was a good thing as they did look a bit rowdy at times last time.
Again, continuing down my nerdy path, while most people were excited to meet Keahi Tucker, Kim Gennaula, other panelists, or even the candidates themselves, my “star” moment was when I finally got to meet Howard Dicus in person. After following him for years on TV and online, THAT was the highlight of the night for me. Howard is the other icon/hero of local journalism that I mentioned yesterday. Like Ian Lind’s blog, I read every post and watch him every morning on Sunrise on KGMB. Luckily, before I could come off as a stalker, Fernando Pizarro of the Advertiser and KGMB’s webmaster noted that we all met at PodCamp Hawaii – whew!
While there is a lot to be said of how the candidates performed and where they stand on issues, you can find that information readily from the professional news outlets or even from local bloggers. What I wanted to share were my favorite quotes from the night:
- Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann: “In the real world of doing things, you don’t decide to spend $3 billion in three weeks.“ Whether you like the Mayor or not, he does know how to get a reaction!
- Honolulu Councilmember Ann Kobayashi: “It’s not that I want to be Mayor…“ After all these years in politics, I’m surprised she would use conciliatory wording like that.
But by far the best quote was from Hawaii Island Councilmember Angel Pilago, quoting legendary navigator Mau Piailug: “We can’t control the wind, but we can adjust the sail.“ I was also impressed by how genuinely friendly Pilago and fellow candidate Billy Kenoi were with each other – makes me proud to be from the Big Island.
If you missed the debate the first time, you can still see it on KGMB’s website. It will also be rebroadcast on PBS Hawaii on Saturday, November 1 (TOMORROW) at 6:30 pm.
Mahalo!
[...] I saw Mayor Mufi Hannemann and ate Marian’s Catering food. On Tuesday, I went to the mayoral debates. At the after-event heavy pupus spread, I saw Mayor Mufi Hannemann and ate Marian’s [...]
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