Excuse my indigestion.
It was just very hard to swallow the spin that has Mayor Carlisle posing as appearing to be a proponent of rural Oahu’s “keep the country country” attitude.
It popped up this week with a press release from the mayor’s office announcing the signing of the revised North Shore sustainable communities plan.
“We understand it’s important for the North Shore community to keep country ‘country,’” Carlisle said in the press release.
The stenographers for the powerful quickly took up the cry without a second thought and repeated the spin, again and again.
“Carlisle signs bill to ‘keep country country'”, according to the lede in the Star-Advertiser “breaking news” item.
Same thing at Hawaii News Now: “The plan to “keep the country, country” got a big boost on Tuesday.”
Why is this so galling? Because right around the corner in Koolauloa, Carlisle’s administration is backing a version of the Koolauloa sustainable communities plan that capitulates to developer demands and bends over backwards to accommodate the addition of new hotels for an expanded Turtle Bay Resort and the urbanization of Malaekahana being pushed by the Mormon establishment in Laie, developments that will directly impact those living on the North Shore. And the Koolauloa plan was rewritten by the administration to incorporate these developments, bypassing the established community process that had been ongoing for several years.
Carlisle’s “keep the country country” views apparently don’t extend past Kawela Bay.
Want to understand a bit more about the city’s handling of the Koolauloa plan? Read Honolulu Weekly’s fine profile of Cathy and Creighton Mattoon by Curt Sanburn, which was published back in March.
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We just received our Koolauloa Neighborhood Board election packets in the mail yesterday. After a little on-line research, it was pretty obvious how all 5 candidates for the 4 seats in Laie would be voting on the proposed development. After never having our opinions sought in the initial community survey on this development, we are now left with no choice of representation on the neighborhood board. Auwe!
What is scary is the type of political novices who are running for office out there. Some of them are young candidates who are somewhat slick and professional, but they have to be prompted and fed every line they read by their handlers. They seem like simple overgrown children being controlled like puppets. At the same time they sometimes exhibit an arrogant, sneering manner (look at their official photos), like they were so smart to catch onto this great job opportunity that is going to propel them into the stratosphere of power. It’s a disturbing mix of the naive and the cynical. They are also quite young, which means they could be gumming up the system for generations with their insider dealing and ineptitude. Our news monopoly timidly goes along with the powerful interests that these new politicians represent.
#1. If you live in Laie, don’t vote! They are all rubber-stamps for Hawaii Reserves, BYU and PCC.
#2. Hauula, vote for INDEPENDENTS Kahanal, Heath and Kelly-Paddock
Mormon bloc:
FALE, Nellie A.
FALE, Nina P.
FALE, Richard Lee
KEALOHA, Erin A. ( Married to Richard Lee Fale)
SALTS, Roy Kevin –
SUDLOW, Michael F.
ULUAVE, Jerome G.
#3 If you live in Kahuku, vote for INDEPENDENT Kent Fonoimoana.
Thanks, for this. We’ll pass it on to other like-minded residents.
Comment on voting for La’ie candidates. Since they will still have 4 seats no matter what happens and you live in La’ie and are concerned about expansion plans, Vote for Norman Kaluhiokalani. He is moderate and not as intoxicated on HRI coolaid.
Don’t forget the 222-room Marriott Courtyard in Laie. It’s a 4-story in addition to the roof monstrosity that got permitted under the radar of public eye. There was no Neighborhood Board presentation for this.
Every time I ride up the Windward side to the North Shore, I pass a house with a huge “Keep the Country Country” sign out front. And every time, I want to stop and ask the homeowner why he hasn’t torn down his house and moved to the city. I guess it’s just everyone else who should stay away.
I’m not loving the idea of building more inns/hotels in that area, but the unfriendliness of the “Keep Out!” message is disturbing.
Here come the flames …
” Keep the Country Country” is not about that. It is about smart planning and preserving our island charm & culture, food security, open space and more. It’s n-o-t about cementing the whole island.
Kamaainas will lose their homes and businesses along Kam Hwy from Kahalu’u to Haleiwa if Kam Hwy has to be widened. 2-lane Kam Hwy cannot support population explosion of 5 new hotels, the new Marriott Hotel, the new Envision Laie in Kahuku. We don’t need a new rich population to kick out the Kamaainas.
Taxpayers like you and us have to pay for the billions of infrastructure dollars for this alone. We could talk about water, facilities, schools, and other utilities and needs.
The sign says Keep the county COUNTRY which means maintain our rural atmosphere to most level headed thinkers. If you like living in a densely packed neighborhood, there are many options for you to choose from that hhave homes on the market.
http://www.civilbeat.com/posts/2011/05/06/10803-inside-honolulu-may-6/
The mayor is getting wrong information from the ‘experts’ i.e. Hawaii Reserves, Sanford Carr and the likes.
Mayor Carlisle should drive by Koolau Loa. He will see there is plenty of mountains and very little land area.
Open your eyes!!!!!!!! Stop getting conned by the ‘experts’.
Mike Levine from Civil Beat must do his homework. ‘Expansion of BYU-Hawaii’ is a farcade. Hawaii Reserves is hiding behind the ‘educational’ facade. A private university does not need 875 affordable/market value homes, a regional shopping center, a light industrial, a tech park, a school, retail professional buildings etc etc etc.
Don’t get sucked in by facade words.
Ian, you’re nothing but a stenographer yourself about half the time, and you’re frequently wrong.
Go look in the mirror.
I think we refer to that as an ad hominem argument.
Can Mayor Carlisle tell us who will pay for the infrastructure?
Who will pay for Kam Hwy widening or a new road through the mountains?
Who will pay for the homes and businesses along Kam Hwy?
Who will pay for the eminent domain galore and relocation?
Who will pay for the new schools and other facilities?
Who will pay for the impacts?
Which tourist will come to Oahu when it’s all cemented?