It’s the last Sunday in October and time to flASHback on the month’s news that amused and confused:
>> Gov. David Ige was in Japan for Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement while Mayor Kirk Caldwell junketed
to Europe for a conference. Lt. Gov. Josh Green and city Managing Director Roy Amemiya were left to fill their empty aloha shirts.
>> To nobody’s surprise, Caldwell filed a report declaring himself a candidate to succeed Ige in 2022 and held a $4,000-a-head fundraiser at Waialae Country Club. He’s officially a fox in search of a bigger henhouse.
>> Former Police Chief Louis
Kealoha and his prosecutor wife, Katherine, took plea bargains for bank fraud in hope of reducing their sentences in a federal corruption case. Thus ends the most epic crime drama since “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
>> The Kealohas, who claim they’re broke, must pay hundreds
of thousands in restitution to their victims and the city wants back its secret $250,000 retirement payout to the chief. That’s a lot of license plates.
>> Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, on paid leave since March after being named a target of the federal probe, got a $12,000 pay raise to $176,688 while doing
no work. And this is the guy whose job is to make sure crime doesn’t pay.
>> After Donald Trump gave up on hosting next year’s G7 summit at his own Florida resort, the White House said Hawaii is on the short list of possible sites. The main hangup is getting the president’s hair through animal quarantine.
>> Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s
lagging presidential campaign got a publicity lift when Hillary Clinton called her a
Russian favorite. If Clinton really wanted
to sink Gabbard’s reputation, she should have endorsed her.
>> Trump quickly jumped in to defend Gabbard, saying, “I don’t know Tulsi, but she’s not a Russian agent.” Vladimir Putin would have told him if he was adding to
the team.
>> House Speaker Scott Saiki accused protesters at Mauna Kea, Waimanalo and Kahuku of flouting the rule of law to impose their will. He prefers to impose his will with “Frankenbills” conceived in secret caucuses.
>> Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye
International Airport was rated among the nation’s three worst for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power. No wonder the late senator said he didn’t want anything named after him.
>> City transit officials said they no longer have a promised “off-ramp” if their scheme for a public-private partnership to finish the $9.2 billion rail system doesn’t work. This horror show took the off-ramp to Amityville years ago.
And the quote of the month … from Waikiki Neighborhood Board member Kathryn Henski on the upcoming dredging of the Ala Wai Canal: “I don’t think people are going to be prepared for the stench.” With local public works, we’re always prepared for stench.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
