Just a couple of things that struck me watching last night’s mayoral debate on KHON. First, it doesn’t appear to be available for online viewing this morning, a measure of the station’s lack of progress on the digital conversion scale. If it is being streamed somewhere by KHON, it’s not apparent.
First, poor Kirk Caldwell. He looked somewhat uncomfortable and pained, tried valiantly to squeeze a smile out at the end of each answer, and just didn’t project well on television, despite the substantive content of his answers. Caldwell comes across much better in person. Peter Carlisle was much more at ease on camera, which gave him more of an air of authority. And Panos Prevedouros, whose campaign signs for the nonpartisan race are prominently displayed at Republican Party headquarters, tried to limit himself to carefully crafted sound bites.
Two points raised by Panos.
In response to a question on taxes, he said Honolulu’s property taxes are very high. It’s a familiar refrain.
But according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Honolulu’s effective real property tax rate is the lowest in the country when compared to rates in the largest city of each state. Our tax rate is not only low, it’s way below other states.
Here are the numbers for 2007 as reported by the Census:
You can view the full table online, or download it in excel format.
This is consistent with our recent experience. On a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, we visited an open house or two. Portland properties selling for about half the value of our house in Kaaawa had actual tax bills about twice what we pay here.
Calling Honolulu’s property taxes high just isn’t correct.
Then there’s the nuclear power issue.
Panos got a lot of attention this week by stepping up and suggesting that nuclear power may be the way to go for Hawaii.
Neither Panos, other candidates, nor the news media have pointed out that Hawaii already has a constitutional restriction on nuclear power plants.
No fission nuclear power plant can be built without approval of a 2/3 majority in both House and Senate, according to an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution adopted by the voters in 1978. It appears in Article 11, Section 8 of the constitution.
A candidate like Panos may indeed want to reopen this contentious public debate, but the public should be aware of and informed by the existing constitutional provision.
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“No one in Hawaii knows the transportation issue better than Panos.”
That’s blind faith in snake oil if I’ve ever seen it.
What Panos knows is the Grassroot Institute party line, the Hawaii Highway Users Alliance lobbying pitch, and the elitist toll-road-to-hell mantra.
He has his point of view and his axe to grind, but he is nowhere near an objective, reasonable, scholarly analyst of our island’s transportation issues.
I like Panos but he would be a better employee of the city than mayor. His ideas about nuclear, though nobody can argue with looking at a technology, are absurd…nuclear is not economically sensible on this scale, never mind the waste and security vulnerability.
After thinking it over and talking with friends, I’m back to supporting Kirk Caldwell. Hope he wins.
Hipoli,
I’d like to second your statements about TheBus. The Mufi administration has not been focussing on improving TheBus during the time he has been in office. I have used TheBus as a major means of commuting on and off over the years. Criticize him for other things, but Jeremy Harris took theTheBus seriously, seeking ways to imrpove service. The guy would personally study the experience from a rider’s point ofview. He quickly realized commuters needed more shelters to protect them from the sun and rain, so they were installed. Schedules were adjusted to make wait times shorter and transfers easier.
Under Mufi, bus service has decreased, adding significantly enough time to a commute to discourage anyone who does not live close to one of the more frequent routes. And the ever-rising fare also discourages ridership. Most bus riders are the economically marginal folks, without political influence, so it is easy to squeeze them for more money. Why would TheTrain ridership be any different?
If Mufi defenders want to say Mufi is reducing Bus service in an attempt to save taxpayer dollars, please explain how that “frugality” should not apply equally to TheTrain? (Or more embarrassingly, to TheBoat?)
I agree it would be an interesting to provide free bus service for a couple of months. Sounds like something a policy geek like Harris would have relished.
If Mufi were to take a small portion of the money he wants to spend on TheTrain and put it into make TheBus more convenient and less expensive, we would get a LOT more bang for the buck. But, as you say, that is not what TheTrain is about.
Mufi’s train is PARTLY about jobs, but I think you miss a lot of the motives if you stop there. Mufi wants to provide some jobs to the building trades, TRUE. But why omit his desire to award lucrative contracts, at taxpayer expense, to his political cronies, among the contractors, engineering firms, trucking firms, architects, etc? THESE are the people who have always provided the BIG BUCKS in political campaigns. These are the people who have the clearest financial interest in who becomes the next Governor and the next mayor.
Where a rational PLANNING approach to transit might be trying to find the most efficient means form transporting people AND reducing traffic congestion, with a nod towards aesthetic concerns, the incentives driving Mufi’s logic are MOSTLY “How do I build the BIGGEST system capable of generating massive contracts which can then award to my financial backers in exchange for financial backing for my political career?”
So the MORE steel used, the MORE framing needed, the MORE concrete poured, etc., the MORE useful this train is to Mufi.
Another dimension which rarely gets talked about explicitly is the decades long effort to develop Campbell Estate land on the Ewa Coastal plane. The massive sprawling housing developments, Ko Olina, the new Disney resort. There are well-connected interests who have been driving a lot of public decisions to encourage growth there. A case can be made this is guided by legitimate “planning criteria.” I suggest the “planning” arguments are in service to enriching these development interests, initially driven mostly bby the need for Campbell Estate heirs to maximize the value of their holdings before the termination of their trust. Now, other interests have a lot at stake in increasing the value of their holdings and expanding developments. The $70 million gift from the taxpayers to Ko Olina developers to build an aquarium is part of that subsidy, the continuing efforts to build a West Oahu UH campus even as the First Campus in Manoa is deteriorating for lack of funds. (Compare with TheTrain taking funds from TheBus. Somehow it “makes economic sense to OVER-spend on the latest project and UNDER-spend on the existing, successful project)?
From a PLANNING perspective, the Ewa plain developments have been a MAJOR failure. But from a BUSINESS perspective, BILLIONS of dollars have been made, with some of those dollars being reinvested in the careers of suck up politicians eager to serve the interests of those financing their careers.
I see TheTrain as yet another subsidy to the developers and resort owners on the Ewa plain.
If we are going to spend taxpayer dollars on “JOB CREATION’ projects, which I think is a legitimate consideration, we still have a responsibility to try to get the most bang for our bucks in exchange for those jobs. Yes, we could hire one group to dig trenches and another to fill them in. And a simpleminded person could say, “We created jobs!” And there WOULD be some public good from that. But we could also take the same number of workers and underground telephone and electrical wiring for a greater gain. We can build housing for low and middle-income families. We can hire more teachers and pay existing ones better. More social workers to help abused kids, open neighborhood health clinics, etc. All of which provide “jobs.” As a “Jobs Program,” Mufi’s train still sucks.
But that is not the only thing driving this train.
Word to hipoli & kolea on The Bus. I hold a yearly bus pass & use it, or try to, most days. Harris really did appreciate the potential of the bus & made major improvements. The excellent City & Country expresses were his idea and they have more than proved their worth in the 10 or so years since those routes began.
I’d also like to see some bolder initiatives at disincentives for driving. High fuel prices work but only while they’re up. Jacking up vehicle registrations, congestion pricing for driving, restricting the numbers of vehicles registered to a residential address, restricting on-street parking are all things to think about. Will people howl? Of course, but until we look at all ways to improve traffic & on-island transportation, things will not get better. I believe that many in favor of the rail are not-so-secretly thinking that if rail gets built, all those other guys on the road will use it, leaving the road clear for me!
I actually support the concept of rail but what we’ve been given, via Mufi, PB & the contractors, will not work. It’s so obviously development driven that it isn’t funny; sad to say, it will also not bring nearly the number of jobs that the construction unions imagine it will.
I don’t care for Panos’ campaign positions in general, and I’m highly suspicious of his ties to the GrassRoots Institute, but I think he’s correct about the currently proposed rail system.
I’m so cracking about the “concerns” about Panos and Grassroots while not even mentioning the Union endorsements the other candidates have.
It’s like there’s outrage over the flea for the buzz it’s making while completely ignoring the elephant that’s stomping all over the jungle.
Come on folks, lets get real. Who’s behind the rail line? Unions, Developers, Banks, HECO. What is their combined financial and human capital?
And you compare this to Grassroots and Hawaii Highway Users Alliance?
Before you complain about the splinter in your brother’s eye, take the log out of your eye.
Actually, Doug, there might be more than several at one time since the Navy has more than 80 nuclear-powered ships including 11 aircraft carriers.