David Ige Sworn In as Hawaii's 8th Elected Governor

There is always a new sense of optimism at the start of a new administration. And so this is how things are in Hawaii. Yesterday (December 1), David Ige was sworn into office as Hawaii's 8th elected Governor. He succeeds Governor Neil Abercrombie who only managed to hold that office for a single term of 4 years. Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui continued for his first full term as an elected LG.

In his first speech as Hawaii's new chief executive, Governor Ige called for "Hawaii and its citizens to move forward in a collaborative fashion from the divisiveness of the past four years." referring to some of the turmoil that was sparked in the previous administration.

At this point in time we can be cautiously optimistic that the new Governor will do the right things to make Hawaii a better state.

Hawaii Governor's Website.

 

Top photo: Governor Ige is sworn into office by Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald. Above: The Governor and his wife Dawn, Hawaii's newest First Lady.



David Ige gives his first speech as Hawaii's new Governor.



The inaugural ceremony. All photos by Melvin Ah Ching Productions.

Governor's Race: Slim Pickings.

It looks like the election season is ramping up with new polls, news and speculation of who's running for what. This weekend Hawaii News Now and the Honolulu Star Advertiser released results from their Governor's poll that showed the following:

Candidate Name / Party	Favorable	Unfavorable	Never Heard
Governor Neil Abercrombie (D)	45%	48%	less than 1%
Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui (D)	20%	9%	56%
State Sen. David Ige (D)	30%	9%	38%
Former Lt. Gov. James Duke Aiona (R)	58%	26%	4%
Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann (I?)	45%	45%	2%

SEE THE POLL RESULTS AT HAWAII NEWS NOW with video

COMMENTARY: Duke Aiona ahead of the pack? Hard to believe that one at this time considering he had a lousy campaign in 2010 when he was running against Neil Abercrombie.

Of course it is early in the season and it is highly likely that these numbers will change and skew toward the incumbent. Hawaii is a Democratic state and there is no way that I can see Mr. Aiona winning this race.

With the speculative run of Mufi Hannemann as an independent, thereby throwing the Governor's race into a three way battle, it is more than likely Mufi will be the spoiler and Abercrombie will win another term. In recent Hawaii history, a strong third party candidate has only benefitted the incumbent and hurt the Republican challenger.

I remain undecided on this race though I already know that I won't be voting for Abercrombie or Hannemann. I don't like the fact that they are 2 of the biggest supporters of "rail".

- Mel

Capitol Round-Up: January 31, 2011

The Hawaii State Legislature completed its second week since opening day on January 19. Highlights (or lowlights depending on your point of view) so far include the following:

Governor's State of the State Speech: In typical fashion, newly elected Democrat Governor Neil Abercrombie made proposals to increase taxes or start new taxes and fees. Among them are a fee on timeshares, new taxes for soda and alcoholic beverages, taxing pension, and repealing tax deductions on state taxes paid. He likes to use the concept of "shared sacrifice". Sorry, but this is not good. Very bad for your wallet.

State of the Judiciary Speech: Recently appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Mark Recktenwald gave his first State of the Judiciary speech on January 26. Not suprisingly he asked for more funding to keep the judiciary branch going. Among his proposals is funding to fix the Honolulu Circuit Court building and constructing a new courthouse for Kona on the Big Island.

Senate Fast Tracks Civil Unions Bill: The Hawaii State Senate held a public hearing and voted in favor of passing a new Civil Unions bill (SB 232) with a 19 to 6 margin. Senators voting against the measure included Wil Espero, Mike Gabbard, Donna Mercado Kim, Ron Kouchi, Donovan Dela Cruz and Sam Slom. The bill heads over to the House for another round of hearings and a vote. It is likely this bill will pass there and be subjected to a final vote in both houses (if amended) soon before being sent to the Governor. The Governor is a supporter of civil unions. This is bad for people who understand and want to keep marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Governor Can't Get Obama Birth Certificate: Privacy laws have scuttled Govenror Abercrombie's plan to produce a copy of President Barack Obama's birth certificate. The controversy surrounding the President's birthplace continues. The President could end this himself by requesting a copy and producing it for the public. Probably not going to happen.

HB 1116: Rep. Rida Cabanilla introduced a new bill to slap a $100 additional fee on requests to get birth certificates for publicly elected officials. The bill is clearly aimed at those who have requested copies of the President's birth certificate.

Cats, Civil Unions and Senate Prayer: The issues that seem to be generating the most buzz this past week includes a bill banning feral cat trapping (SB13), the Civil Unions bill (SB 232) and the controversy surrounding the elimination of invocations at the State Senate. Numerous emails, faxes and phone calls are being targeted at state legislators on these issues.



Photo captions: Top photo, Governor Abercrombie's State of the State speech. Above: Gallery attendees at the Civil Union vote in the State Senate.

Can 2010 Be Better Than 2009?

Bring on 2010. Let's leave 2009 behind.

The previous year was quite bad - the economy still in the toilet, the Hawaii Superferry gone forever - the State Budget Crunch leading to more taxes, fees, teacher and worker furloughs - tourism continues to stagnate - agriculture is just about gone - Obama is in the White House turning the country into a socialist haven - bad, bad, bad.

I am not very optimistic for 2010 - the Year of the Tiger - the economy will still be at the forefront - and how to find ways to improve it without impacting our pocketbooks. 2010 is a census year - we have to let the federal government get into our lives to be counted and classified into regional and ethnic demographic groups.

It's an election year for Hawaii. A new Governor will be chosen. A Republican will probably not be following in the footsteps of outgoing Governor Linda Lingle - her term is up in December. Democrats will likely maintain and grow in their political dominance.

Barring any last minute snafu, the $5 to $7 billion Mufi train will start construction this year - this will be tragic for generations to come as the City and County of Honolulu will be sinking billions into a transit plan that will not solve Honolulu's traffic woes. Can anyone say "white elephant" and "financial black hole"? My pocketbook already aches from this pain.

Aside from these and many other concerns, let's hope that 2010 is a Happy and Prosperous New Year for us all.