Capsun's Corner – by Capsun M. Poe

Warning:  long post ahead.

This is the second installment of my election reactions.  You can see the first installment here.  If you stopped by today looking for my post on youth involvement, I had to move it to tomorrow to allow both posts on reactions.  Sorry, but I do hope you’ll come back.

And now, for your reading pleasure, here are some of my election observations and reactions from here in Hawaii nei:

• On the heels of widening their margins in the U.S. House and Senate, Democrats did the same in Hawaii.  The State House now has 45 Democrats (out of 51 seats) and the State Senate has 23 Democrats (out of 25 seats).
• Mayor Mufi Hannemann staved off an effort to make him the first one-term mayor since Eileen Anderson lost her re-election bid in 1985.  I was surprised this race wasn’t closer, given the under-funded Kobayashi campaign’s truly grassroots efforts.  But as a Mufi supporter, I was happy with the outcome.
• The Rail vote passed.  In addition to silencing his critics on all sides, we know what the centerpiece of the Hannemann Administration will be in his second term.  While I got to truly enjoy light rail on my recent trip to Washington, DC, I am still not convinced it will work in Honolulu.  I don’t mean the technology won’t work, I mean I’m not sure Honolulu residents will embrace it.  But with a clear majority voting for it, perhaps there is more interest and support in rail than I originally thought.
• Duke Bainum was elected to the Honolulu City Council, but that was no surprise as he was running unopposed, thanks to what I and many others think looks to be some last-minute deal-making between him and the Ann Kobayashi camp.  But he better watch out for all the disgruntled Council District 5 constituents, especially the ones who want to get him out via a recall petition.  The fact that 15,108 voters (or 42.8%) in his district left their ballot blank should be a cause for concern.  This probably explains all the advertising his campaign has been doing despite the fact that he would be elected as long as one person showed up and voted for him.
• All four OHA trustees in the election were re-elected, as I had expected.  Most thought Trustee Colette Machado was in trouble, but I think that was limited to Maui County (specifically Molokai, where she did lose to Waipa Purdy), and that she continued to have high name-recognition outside of her home island.  As an aside, OHA trustees run from and represent one particular island (or Molokai and Lanai), but are elected at-large by everyone in the state.  I wonder if any voters were convinced by their robo-call from Trustee Walter Heen (whom I still affectionately call “Judge”) trumpeting the successes and personalities that are his “women warriors” – Trustees Haunani Apoliona and Machado.
• The Con Con vote failed, so with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, native gathering rights, and many other protections safe, I guess I will have a job for the next few years.
• Entertainer and former Democratic Party of Hawaii Chair Brickwood Galuteria won in his race against State Senator Gordon Trimble.  I’m surprised it wasn’t a tighter race, especially since some of the last-minute carpet-bombing by Brick’s foes.  I think Brick will make a great senator and he’ll definitely be one of the easily-recognized faces at the State Capitol once the Legislature convenes in January.
• On Maui, Sol Kahoohalahala made his triumphant return to elective politics.  I still remember him as State Representative Kahoohalahala from my days working at the Hawaii State Legislature.  His caring and compassionate manner as well as his true concern for how public policy will affect people will serve his constituents and Maui County well.
• There will be two new Native Hawaiian mayors as Billy Kenoi won on the Big Island and Bernard Carvalho won on Kauai.  I think it will be good for public policy in Hawaii to have native views represented at the highest levels of county government.

One of my friends said I should have posted my predictions before the election, but I guess it’s too late for that.  In my mind, I had two reasons for not blogging my predictions before the election, although I had been espousing them verbally to anyone who would listen:

1. I like to comment on and analyze political and other happenings, not necessarily influence them, at least not on this blog; in real life I’m far more evangelic about my political leanings.
2. Dan Boylan has gotten it wrong many times – and he’s the pro; I’d be embarrassed how many corrections I’d have to print on my calls on races.

What do you think?  Do you agree or disagree with me?  Did you vote?  If you didn’t like who won in your district and you didn’t vote, why not register and make your voice heard next time?  As I’ve told my friends, as much as I might disagree with the result of an election, I can accept it because that is what the majority of my fellow voters wanted.  That is what democracy is all about.

Mahalo!

Tags: apoliona, bainum, Con Con, dan boylan, Hannemann, Hawaiian, kenoi, mufi