Former U.S. Rep. Ed Case threw his support behind former Ben Cayetano’s bid for Honolulu mayor on Monday, calling the former governor a leader who is independent and realistic.
Case’s announcement came during a seven-day period that also saw two political action groups announce their endorsement of former city Managing Director Kirk Caldwell for the Honolulu mayor’s job.
Case, in a statement, said Cayetano would bring "leadership that thinks clearly and realistically, gets the big picture, looks to the long term, talks straight, asks questions and makes decisions."
While he has supported the city’s mass transit push in the past, Case said he believe’s Cayetano’s $1.5 billion Flexible Affordable Smart Transportation plan is "a reasonable alternative." Cayetano has come out against the city’s $5.26 billion rail plan and has vowed to kill it if elected.
Cayetano would bring independent leadership "that’s not directed by and dependent on special interests, but able to consider different perspectives and break through obstacles," Case said.
A majority of union and pro-business organizations has endorsed Caldwell.
The latest groups are the General Contractors Association and Build-PAC Hawaii, the political action committee of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii.
Both organizations cited the rail project in announcing their support for Caldwell.
The contractors group, which represents more than 600 general contractors, subcontractors and construction-related firms, "believes that Kirk not only understands the broader issues facing our state and county, but also understands the issues specific to the construction industry as a whole," association legislative committee Chairman Ray Skelton said in a release.
The group supports the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit project, Skelton said.
Build-PAC, meanwhile, supports Caldwell "because he understands the needs and concerns of our building industry and we believe he will keep construction as one of the major components of our community," said Build-PAC Hawaii Chairman Scotty Anderson.
