MAYORAL RACE

PREVEDOUROS WOULD BE GREAT CHANGE FOR O'AHU

UH civil engineering professor Panos Prevedouros as Hono-lulu's mayor would be a great change that would benefit the majority of our residents.

He appears to be highly intelligent with good common sense, an honest person without obligation to special-interest groups.

His many ideas and recommendations would not increase financial hardships, such as increased taxes on the majority, especially residential owners on fixed incomes.

Former mayor John H. Wilson was a civil engineer, and in my opinion, a great mayor who benefited the common man.

VOTE FOR SENSIBLE SOLUTIONS THIS ELECTION

I heard Panos Prevedouros, the candidate for mayor who is a civil engineer, speak, and for the first time I understood that there really are other ways to solve our traffic problems besides steel-on-steel rail.

They are less expensive and will take less time than the rail Mufi Hannemann is proposing.

Mufi's system will cost about $6 billion and we'd have a big construction project to welcome our visitors for close to 20 years. It makes no sense.

We don't need Mufi's costly system, we can't afford it and we can't maintain it.

This election, we have to vote for sensible solutions.

KAPOLEI CANNOT BE CALLED A PARTIAL FAILURE

I attended the mayoral debate last Tuesday and was surprised to hear Panos Prevedouros claim that Kapolei is a "partial failure."

As chairwoman of the Kapolei Neighborhood Board, I know he obviously has not been to Kapolei recently because all you need is a quick drive around Kapolei to realize that there is a lot happening in the retail and commercial sector. There are no fewer than six commercial projects actively under construction that will bring 2,300 jobs to Kapolei.

The most notable of those projects is Kapolei Commons, the large regional shopping center that will house Target and the state's Kapolei court complex. There are five other projects close to breaking ground that will bring another 2,500 jobs.

Kapolei has made tremendous strides in the last decade toward becoming a city. Kapolei is home to 1,200 businesses and 28,000 jobs.

In the next 20 years, the total numer of jobs is expected to be about 70,000.

Mr. Prevedouros needs to check his facts before he makes statements that demonstrate his ignorance and lack of vision.

HANNEMANN POLICIES BAD FOR ENVIRONMENT

O'ahu's sustainability can't withstand another four years of Mufi Hannemann. On nearly every key environmental concern, Hannemann's policies have been devastating.

On energy, the city's electricity use has surged by 8 million kilowatt-hours annually and little has been done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On recycling, Hannemann couldn't be much worse. In 2005 he canceled the planned curbside recycling program. Then he opposed a measure at council to start curbside. Then he opposed the Charter amendment to require islandwide curbside recycling. Fortunately, that amendment passed. Hannemann was then forced by City Charter to begin curbside recycling — a task that he's begun with all the haste of an 'opihi race.

Our sewage collection system is still a leaky mess, despite the raw sewage spill into Waikiki waters and a string of losses in federal court against citizen groups trying to protect O'ahu's clean waters. And when the Environmental Protection Agency asked that Honolulu upgrade its sewage treatment facilities to 21st century standards, Hannemann fought it.

There's more: Hannemann also opposed an initiative to make Honolulu bike- and pedestrian-friendly. He initially supported a plan to develop Waimea Valley into private lots. He has supported development along Kahuku coastline and Turtle Bay.

Our environment and our future deserve better than Mufi Hannemann.

HANNEMANN KNOWS RAIL IS ONLY WAY TO GO

This morning, Sept. 15, I received a recorded message telling me to vote for Panos Prevedouros because of stop rail, etc. I take offense at this call to my home phone, telling me who to vote for.

Mr. Prevedouros and his supporters think that because he is an engineer, he will solve all the city's problems. Does he really think that there are no engineers working for the city? Mayor Mufi Hannemann has done an excellent job as our mayor. He had to undo a lot of our previous mayor's cosmetic approach to everything. He is working on the sewers, the streets, etc.

He is looking into the future of this island and the traffic situation. Rail is the only way left to go and he knows it. If it had been started a long time ago, it would have been a lot less expensive.

Ann Kobayashi was on the City Council and they have the final say on any project that the city wants to undertake. She states that people call her to tell her there needs to be a change. She didn't do it then, so why would we think that she can do it now?

My vote goes to Mayor Mufi.

HTA

JOHNSON MUST RESIGN OR BOARD MUST FIRE HIM

Now we find out Hawai'i Tourism Authority CEO Rex Johnson not only e-mailed pornography on his state computer, he also used it to send racist and sexist jokes.

What kind of example is this flagrant and disgraceful behavior setting for taxpayers who are footing this guy's hefty salary?

I don't care how important he or his supporters may think he is to our tourism industry, I say enough already. If Johnson doesn't have the character or good sense to resign, then dump him — and fast. No more ridiculous three-week deliberations by the spineless HTA board.

If they won't can him after two minutes of discussion, then dump all of the HTA board as well.

TEACHER DRUG TESTS

IMPORTANT TO ENSURE SCHOOL STAFFS ARE SOBER

While I do not have the legal expertise of Richard Miller (Island Voices, Sept. 12), I do have more than 35 years as a high school teacher in the public school system.

Miller's assertion that depriving "(students) of ... critical services" results from either the actual testing of teachers, or the cost of testing is ambiguous. In either case, how can a teacher with illicit drug problems be functional?

My children have been blessed with skilled and nurturing teachers, yet we are all aware of the few cases of educators with drug problems. Conducting a class while clear-headed is challenging enough; how can a less-than-100-percent sober teacher provide "critical services?" Or, if his fears of deprivation stem from the relatively small expense, I find it a sad commentary on what we believe is important in ensuring a safe campus environment.

Miller states that only 43 percent of the teachers ratified the contract, whereupon he implies that the contract is less than valid. As our elected officials are often elected with a vote totaling less than 50 percent of eligible voters, we face even more problems.

Let the ACLU file suit for teachers protesting random testing. Let us have a decision once and for all. My suggestion is to have dissident teachers refund all raises and refuse future ones. Would that be against the law? At least, they would live up to their principles.

We often hear that children are our most "precious resource." Notwithstanding the domino theory of waiving constitutional rights, and before my anti-testing colleagues get too upset, we need to ask whether knowing our schools are staffed with sober employees might be a little more important than the minor inconvenience of a few teachers being tested.

MAHALO

U.S. COAST GUARD THANKS ISLE COMMUNITY

On behalf of the men and women of the 14th Coast Guard District, I extend my deepest gratitude for the outpouring of community support shown during our recent loss.

The tragedy of "Coast Guard 6505" reminds us all too well of the perils our air, boat and cutter crews face on a daily basis. These valiant guardians perform these missions with confidence and pride because of their training and teamwork, as well as the admiration and support of the people of Hawai'i and this region.

Mahalo to all those who have kept in their prayers and thoughts the families and shipmates of Cmdr. Thomas Nelson, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Wischmeier, Petty Officer 1st Class David Skimin and Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Nichols.

While we mourn the loss of these heroes, I'd like to take this opportunity to reassure the residents of Hawai'i that the U.S. Coast Guard stands ready to answer the call as America's maritime guardians. We have augmented our air crews at Air Station Barbers Point with personnel from Mainland air stations and have worked with the Coast Guard's leadership in Washington, D.C., to ensure we have all the support possible for our personnel and their families.

It is the sustained support of the people we serve, however, that makes a job in the Coast Guard worthwhile. So, mahalo again. Semper Paratus (Always Ready)!

OIL COSTS

HAWAI'I MUST RETURN TO GAS PRICE REGULATION

The governor and the Legislature must bring back some form of gas-price regulation. We can't let the oil companies consistently drive up prices here just because of the lack of competition.

We are unfairly paying one of the highest gasoline averages in the country. While the rest of the U.S. is paying in the mid-$3 range we are stuck paying more than $4.

Don't let the oil companies fool you when they say that Hawai'i prices lag behind the national average. Go to the gas price charts on www.Honolulugasprices.com and you can see since February as the price of a barrel of oil rose, so did gas prices. But when the price of a barrel of oil dropped by 30 percent in mid-July, prices here have only dropped about 3 percent.

We have regulation for electricity and water, why not with the gas companies that have been taking advantage of this state for decades?