A tale of two salary recommendations

When it’s other people’s money, it’s easy to pontificate and say "they" should do this, or "they" should do that. But if it was your money, would you really be willing to pass up a 4 percent pay raise?

That’s what Mayor Kirk Caldwell and other city top officials look poised to do, and if they follow through should be lauded for leading by example. The mayor said he’ll forego a raise proposed by the Salary Commission and will hold off on increases for his department chiefs until labor union contracts are reached.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers also are facing a recommended pay raise — but they have more procedural cover if they take the money. While the city allows the City Council to approve or reject each pay recommendation — kind of like a line-item veto — the state’s top salaries are all lumped together in one omnibus vote. That’s pay for top jobs in the state executive, legislative and judicial branches, all wrapped into a single vote. What say you, legislators?

LPGA returns, with local talent in tow

The LPGA Lotte Championship in Hawaii teed up at Ko Olina Golf Cub Wednesday with hometown eyes on former Punahou classmates Michelle Wie and Stephanie Kono.

"There’s nothing like coming back home," said Wie, 23, who has struggled on the links since graduating from Stanford last year, winning the last of her two tour titles in 2010.

For Kono, a three-time All-American at UCLA, the tournament is a warm-up for her second-year schedule on the Symetra "Road to the LPGA" Tour, where she finished third in two starts.

Last year’s Lotte tournament began after two years of no LPGA events in Hawaii. With the economy improving, the women’s tour should find a way to return to three yearly events in the islands, as in 2008.