I spent yesterday at Olelo moderating three panels featuring candidates for Lt. Governor, so read Richard Borreca’s latest column about the job with interest (Lieutenant governor’s job has potential — for irrelevancy).
He did a good job rounding up former lt. governors John Waihee and Ben Cayetano for perspective on the job. And his first two paragraphs unintentionally underscore his overall point.
Borreca writes:
How do you decide?
There are six Democrats running for lieutenant governor. I bet you will see every one of the candidates’ signs as you drive to work and by the time you arrive, you will not be able to recall any of them.
I guess they really are hard to recall because although Borreca says there are six Dems running, there actually are seven in the race: Lyla Berg, Bobby Bunda, Steve Hirakami, Gary Hooser, Jon Riki Karamatsu, Norman Sakamoto, and Brian Schatz.
The League’s three candidate forums included six of the Democrats (along with nonpartisan Leo Kama and Republican Adrienne King), and will be broadcast on Olelo several times next week. They will will be available online after they air for the first time.
Insights on PBS Hawaii had all seven of the Democrats on its broadcast last night.
…each week’s episode is rebroadcast on Fridays at 9:30pm and Sundays at 3:00pm, and you can also listen to an audio rebroadcast each Sunday morning at 6:00AM on KUMU 94.7 FM. Insights on PBS Hawaii is also available on demand to Oceanic Time Warner digital subscribers by tuning to channel 110.
The program should also show up soon for online viewing on the stations “On Demand” service.
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I too counted 7 (4+3) and wondered what program he watched with 6. Unlike Borreca, I thought Lyla Berg outshined all the men with her request to “reframe the questions” because if we ask the same questions you get the same answers. And she clearly was standing up for our keiki and not the teacher’s union who didn’t give a rat’s ‘okole about them.
We should reframe your question: what has Lyla Berg shown by her time in the House to indicate she can get anything done as Lt. Gov.? She was a member of the uncooperative, do-nothing “dissident” Democrats faction and I only recall a proposal with the Hawaii Kai Rep. to enshrine one of Obama’s small kid time rental homes as a monument, and the mean-spirited shooting down of the ceremonial sendoff of retiring Fred Hemming with a paper surf reserves bills. As the two former Lt. Govs. interviewed by Borreca describe, you gotta be able to work with people (and if you become Lt. Gov., get the confidence of the Cabinet that you have something on the ball). Lyla is nice but she’s just airy fairy talk and no action.
I gotta go (as a liberal) with Brian Schatz or Gary Hooser– if the best part of the office is the bully pulpit being Lt. Gov. provides, then those two may have the best shot at pushing certain issues forward (Norman Sakamoto and Bobby Bunda worry me with their stands on certain social issues and would not be a good counterpoint to a moderate/conservative Governor Hannemann).
Anyone notice Keith Rollman has been muzzled lately? Even on Civil Beat, he hasn’t posted since August 18.
This radio silence is suspicious after his brash proclamations about his right to exercise his so-called freedom of speech.
The lieutenant governor’s position is an unfortunate example of the inability of government to discard entities which no longer serve a useful function. There is no purpose to this office, and it should disappear if for no other reason than to keep legislators from padding their pensions with a generous “high three” snooze. In these terms Rod Tam would be the ideal candidate, and I wonder why he’s not running.
The bottom of the gubernatorial ticket is very important. I believe that the top of the democratic ticket has already been decided by the debate of August 30, 2010 with Mufi and Neil.
The question maybe asked; Who is going to be a good LG for Neil? Bunda, Sakamoto, Schatz and Berg are very hard for me to grasp. Hooser rings out load and clear. We need a neighbor island person in the seat of power. Hooser fits the bill. Issues on 444, marijuana, education, super ferry seem to fit with Hooser. Just a thought.