My simple post late yesterday with the full list of HGEA endorsements already kicked up a little dust, with a call-and-response by Keith Rollman and Gerald De Heer that is worth reading. You’ll have to scroll down to the end of that unusually long entry in order to find the comments.

De Heer, who once served in the state legislature, addressed his comment to Rollman, first saying that, in his view, the HGEA endorsement likely wraps up the Democratic gubernatorial nomination for Hannemann. Then he continues:

In this campaign, you are the de facto leader of the ‘539’ forces for Hanneman and against Neil Abercrombie. The Republicans nationally have Fox, by comparison Hanneman has you. If anything needs to be ‘spit out’ it is the nature of that relationship, how it works, and why the only connection between you and the Hanneman Campaign is coordinated by ‘coincidence’ and nothing else. How does that work?

***

Political campaigns today are about destroying opposition through any means possible. You are swift-boating here and elsewhere. And we all know how that works. The official campaign perpetuates a half-lie about an opponent, and the unofficial-official campaign raises the half lie to a full lie. Than, a third tier of operatives start push polls and other whispering tactics which, when implemented, make the original half-lie ‘truth’ and the opponent is now defined.

I appreciate De Heer’s point, but am not sure about that “539” reference. Does he mean “527” organizations, the groups making “independent” campaign expenditures that recent court decisions have further empowered?

Rollman responded directly.

My “connection” to the Hannemann campaign is one of friedship only. I’m sure the campaign spending reports were scrutinized for any professional reimbursement…it simply wasn’t there.

***

I have never made a derogatory remark about Ian, and I have tried to keep my criticism of Aberccrombie based totally on verifiable facts. You suggest that people should participate in democracy…I agree…I’m just not on your side, and I hope your candidate loses.

Fair enough.

I didn’t mean to “bury” the HGEA’s endorsement of Hannemann. I just figured that’s just about all the mainstream media has reported. Even this morning, the Star-Advertiser 2nd day story still doesn’t appear to have reported the long list of HGEA endorsements. It seems to me that those down-the-ticket endorsements have a lot of impact statewide and are certainly worth noting.

And did you notice that HSTA, the teachers’ union, walked past Senate Education Committee chairman Norman Sakamoto and House Education vice-chair Lyla Berg to endorse Gary Hooser for Lt. Governor? Congratulations to Hooser.

Once again, I can’t find any information about the HSTA endorsements on the HSTA website, and clicking on “search” returns an error message.

If the goal of the union’s endorsements is to boost their selected candidates, isn’t that best done through maximum exposure?

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, the state’s largest public employee union, announced its endorsements today.

The Star-Advertiser posted a story at 12:43 p.m., but it only reported endorsements for governor, lt. governor, and Honolulu mayor. At 6:30 p.m., no additional information was available.

So here’s what I think is the full list of HGEA endorsements, as approved a couple of days ago.

One note: On the HGEA web site, the union’s endoresments are hidden behind in a password-protected, member-only section. Why the union leadership think that this adds to the union’s political leverage is hard to fathom. Aren’t endorsements made precisely to be public?

HGEA 2010 Primary Election endorsements
[Back to List]
On Aug. 7, the HGEA Board of Directors approved the list of endorsed candidates for the upcoming Primary Election. The entire list of HGEA-endorsed candidates for the Primary Election appears below.

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(Note: An “Open” endorsement means the union does not endorse a candidate. Members are encouraged to support and vote for any of the candidates in that race.)

* Incumbent
U.S. Senator
Daniel K. Inouye*

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 1
Colleen Hanabusa

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 2
Mazie Hirono*

Governor
Mufi Hannemann

Lieutenant Governor
Brian Schatz

State Senate

District 2: Russell Kokubun*
District 4: Shan Tsutsui*
District 7: Ron Kouchi
District 8: Larry Price
District 9: Les Ihara, Jr.*
District 10: Brian Taniguchi*
District 11: Carol Fukunaga*
District 13: Suzie Chun Oakland*
District 14: Open
District 15: Open
District 19: Mike Gabbard*
District 20: Will Espero*
District 22: Donovan Dela Cruz
District 24: Jill Tokuda*
District 25: Open

State House of Representatives

District 1: Mark Nakashima*
District 2: No action taken
District 3: Clifton Tsuji*
District 4: Faye Hanohano*
District 5: Robert Herkes*
District 6: Denny Coffman*
District 7: Open
District 8: Joseph Souki*
District 9: Gil Keith-Agaran*
District 10: Angus McKelvey*
District 11: Joe Bertram*
District 12: Kyle Yamashita*
District 13: Mele Carroll*
District 14: Hermina Morita*
District 15: No action taken
District 16: Daynette Dee Morikawa
District 17: Open
District 18: T.J. Lane
District 19: Open
District 20: Decision Pending
District 21: Scott Nishimoto*
District 22: Scott Saiki*
District 23: Tom Brower*
District 24: Open
District 25: Della Au Belatti*
District 26: Sylvia Luke*
District 27: Lynn Vasquez
District 28: Karl Rhoads*
District 29: Joey Manahan*
District 30: John Mizuno*
District 31: Linda Ichiyama
District 32: Randy Swindell
District 33: Blake Oshiro*
District 34: K. Mark Takai*
District 35: Henry Aquino*
District 36: Roy Takumi*
District 37: Ryan Yamane*
District 38: Marilyn Lee*
District 39: Marcus Oshiro*
District 40: Open
District 41: Ty Cullen
District 42: Mike Schultz
District 43: Jason Bradshaw
District 44: Open
District 45: Maile Shimabukuro*
District 46: Open
District 47: Jessica Wooley*
District 48: Open
District 49: Open
District 50: Open
District 51: Chris Lee*

City and County of Honolulu
Mayor
Kirk Caldwell

Prosecuting Attorney

Decision Pending

City Council
District 2: Open
District 4: Open
District 6: Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo
District 8: Breene Harimoto

County of Hawaii
Hawaii County Council

District 1: No action taken
District 2: Donald Ikeda*
District 3: J Yoshimoto*
District 4: Dennis Fresh Onishi*
District 5: No action taken
District 6: No action taken
District 7: No action taken
District 8: K. Angel Pilago
District 9: Open

County of Kauai

Mayor
Bernard Carvalho*

Kauai County Council
William “Kaipo” Asing*
Jay Furfaro*
Derek Kawakami*
Tim Bynum*
Nadine Nakamura
Mel Rapozo

County of Maui

Mayor
Charmaine Tavares*

Maui County Council
East Maui: William Medeiros*
Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu: Michael Victorino*
Kahului: Joseph Pontanilla*
Molokai: Dennis Mateo*
Pukalani-Kula-Ulupalakua: Gladys Baisa*
Lanai: Riki Hokama
West Maui: Open
South Maui: Open
Makawao/Haiku/Paia: Open

From a comment left here yesterday:

You implied that many of the people contributing to Hannemann were involved in the Harris incidents. Can you please name them and show us your sources…

Yes, but…

First, focusing on those who have been named in past scandals is akin to planning to fight the last war. It usually takes you in the wrong direction and leads to overlooking what’s happening currently.

Second, there’s nothing illegal or improper about these contributions, as far as I can see. That’s no surprise. Getting burned publicly for violating campaign spending laws is probably a pretty good guarantee that future campaign contributions will be strictly by the book.

And, third, I haven’t done a complete analysis of contributions from those caught in prior probes. For a more complete answer, I’ll have to track down a list of all those caught up in the enforcement actions stemming largely from the Jeremy Harris campaign.

Remember SSFM, the engineering firm that was hit with a record $303,000 fine by the Campaign Spending Commission in 2003 for illegal contributions?

During this election cycle, SSFM President Michael Matsumoto contributed $6,000, the maximum allowed by law, to the Hannemann campaign in November 2009, and company VP Norman Kawachika added another $6,000 in June 2010.

Matsumoto’s wife, Theolinda, also contributed $6,000 on June 22, 2010. Matsumoto’s son, Paul, a physical therapist, gave $6,000 on the same day.

Total of these SSFM-related contributions: $24,000.

Gary T. Okamoto, president of Wilson Okamoto & Associates, and his wife, Lori Okamoto, were fined $44,500 in 2003 for making contributions under false names.

The Hannemann campaign reported receiving $6,000 from Gary Okamoto on June 30, 2009, and $6,000 from Lori Okamoto on June 28, 2010. Myron Okubo, senior vp of Wilson Okamoto & Associates, gave $2,000 on the same day, as did Barry Toyota, another company officer. Michael Fujita, a planner with the firm, gave $1,000 on June 17, 2010, and $300 in November 2009.

Total from those associated with the firm over the past 18 months: $15,300.

Brian J. Bowers, president of KFC Airport Inc., was fined $31,000 by the Campaign Spending Commission in 2004 for false name donations.

Business registration records show the officers of KFC Airport are Bowers and Dexter Kubota, vice-president, secretary, and director. The two also control a sister company, Bowers + Kubota Consulting.

Bowers and Kubota each contributed $6,000 to Hannemann on June 30, 2009, and a number of other employees added smaller contributions.

Total: $26,000.

Then there’s R.M. Towill Corp.. Company president, Russell Figueiroa, was hit with a $50,800 fine by the Campaign Spending Commission in April 2006.

And here’s a current list of contributions from individual company officers and employees to the Hannemann campaign since the beginning of 2009:

Company total in this cycle, a nice round number: $54,000.

In any case, that’s enough to give you a flavor. Now it’s 6 a.m. and time to go walking.