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John De Fries is the best person to run the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA). He cares deeply about the Hawaiian culture and the aina. He tried to educate and ensure that the tourists respect and understand all that Hawaii has to offer.
For doing his job honestly and honorably, the Legislature took away dedicated funding through the hotel room tax. The Legislature then drastically cut funding and tried to abolish the HTA.
The governor should have stood up for De Fries (“Hawaii Tourism Authority chief John De Fries to step down Sept. 15,” Star-Advertiser, June 16). What were the Legislature’s motives? As a voter I am very interested in what comes next.
Pauline Arellano
Mililani
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