Honolulu appears to be falling behind in web access. For example, the city has a publicly accessible GIS system which works. You can look up an address and get info on the property, ownership, zoning, etc.
But it pales in comparison to the system provided by the city of Portland, Oregon, both in content and especially in the user interface and ease of use. Enter an address (or an intersection) and you’ll instantly get comprehensive data, from ownership, zoning, and tax information to school district, neighborhood crime statistics, etc., even a link to the address on Google Earth. You are shown the location of nearby parks and businesses. I entered the address where Meda’s family lived back in the 1980s (4344 SW Hewett Blvd–oops, I had it wrong the first time around!) as a sample search. It’s fast and easy.
It’s time for Honolulu to upgrade in this area of public services.
Memo to the HTA: Here’s a quick fix for our ailing visitor numbers. Ask Governor Lingle to convene a special legislative session to pass a law legalizing same sex marriages. Open the reservation lines. Problem solved.
It’s not an original idea. The Star-Bulletin looked at the potential impact a couple of months ago, with one estimate of $79 million in revenues over three years. I would think it could be more. Check out this web site maintained by the California Travel and Tourism Commission which lists same sex marriage locations and honeymoon packages.
Pricing is another major issue. An advertised “sale” on Marriott properties arrived in my email yesterday, and it showed Hawaii hotel prices mostly between $250 and $350 per night. I don’t think we’ve ever paid that much for a hotel, anywhere, for any reason, and I certainly wouldn’t come to Hawaii if that’s what you have to pay. Of course, our travel is primarily utilitarian, not the resort-oriented stuff. But I would would still have to put myself among those who say we’re just pricing ourselves out of the market.
I thought Rick Daysog did a good job assessing the layoffs at Maui Land & Pine in a couple of stories last weekend.
I was struck by the two views of the company’s efforts, both probably correct in their own way.
On the one hand, some recall when the company put its employees and community first.
John Arisumi, longtime Maui division director for the ILWU before he retired in 1991, said much of Cole’s 2007 pay increase would have been better spent on the employees who lost their jobs last month.
“If that’s his pay, that’s nuts,” Arisumi said.
“If Colin (Cameron) were here, this wouldn’t have happened. He would have found a different way to survive.”
I think that last paragraph is probably correct.
But the ways of business have changed. Now the system needs to squeeze more out of everyone, whether the business is land or newspapers. So perhaps its not surprising that the current generation of union reps are more “realistic”.
Willie Kennison, Maui division director for the ILWU which represents ML&P’s pineapple workers, believes Cole is making an honest attempt to save pine. Kennison cited $18 million investment in modernizing the company’s Kahului cannery.
“At first, I was taken aback by some of the decisions he made but after talking to a lot of people, I believe he’s trying to do his best. I just think it’s bad timing on how things turned out,” Kennison said.
A prolonged dip in the number of visitors and continued troubles in the world of airlines may put this all to a test. Hawaii businesses may have to find that “different way to survive” or we’ll all be down the tubes.
Along the same line of thought, here’s a long but quite interesting story on some of the strains and divides in today’s labor movement.
And, finally, how about a couple of our Kaaawa morning dogs to brighten your day?
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dog video definitely brightened my day, but why only half a dog biscuit each? and what happens if they bark? no biscuit?
as for your tourism ideas, i think the gay marriage one is a great idea.
as for the pricing, let me give you the party line:
1) we don’t want to lower prices because it will “cheapen” the destination and people will come to expect those prices, even during good economic times, 2) the HTA is trying to elevate the visitor market, so that we attract only high-spending, active visitors and less people who just want a cheap hotel room and then just sit on the beach all day, 3) the hotels need those higher prices to justify the billions that have been invested into the product, 4) this year’s visitor spending is higher than last year’s, yet the number of visitors is down – isn’t that way we want? more money coming into the state but less visitors?
Speaking of the HTA, leads me back to my continued issue with the Rex Johnson affair. This link describes an academic situation, but IMO it’s nearly the same as what’s happening at HTA. ‘Oh, he’s an important guy to the economy. Can’t discipline him for something simple like inappropriate email’. Egads.
FWIW, I stopped and had a discussion on the issue wit Calvin Say, who was out sign waving on my street yesterday morning. Didn’t get very far with him either…
Gay marriage won’t bring back the tourists. Gambling is the only proven way new tourist will be coming in to experience Hawaii. Leave the social engineering to other states. Hawaii has taken a vote and if it is that big a deal, put back on the ballot. To waste the political capital on this issue is detrimental to the state when other more dire issues are facing use, just look at the neighbor island hospitals.
No, Hawaii has a property search web site that comes close to Portland’s, tho’ not exactly designed like theirs, it does offer similar / complete content as search results and it’s easy to use and read. Just because a badly designed ONE (publicly accessible GIS system) was found here in Honolulu doesn’t mean it is the only one.
What makes cases like Johnson’s difficult to read is that most of us don’t know the details. When I read the blogs, it runs the gamut from slapping him on the wrist to running him out of town.
My hunch is that most of those posting comments don’t work for the auditor’s office so they don’t know the exact details of these e-mails, are not close personal friends of Johnson, were not the senders or recipients of these e-mails, and have not talked to Johnson himself.
Without knowing all the details of the situation, how can anyone judge it in an objective manner?
It’s like when people read about an arrest or a conviction and are quick to come to a conclusion.
something i’ve been wondering is who those “buddies” were … if they might be other high-profile people in hawaii or elsewhere.