Category Archives: Campaigns

Offer of assistance with COVID emergency citations questioned

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In a September 30th post, the administrator of the “My Kailua” Facebook page invited readers who have gotten tickets for violating the city’s emergency COVID rules to send in their citations, which “My Kailua” says will be then delivered to the campaign of Megan Kau, candidate for Honolulu Prosecutor, “to assist with them.”

The post implies a similar solicitation had been made previously.

There’s nothing in the post directly from Kau apart, but the moderator is quite specific that these will be delivered to her campaign. I received an inquiry from someone who said they had brought the post to her attention, “and she stated that she would clarify.” But there doesn’t seem to have been any public clarification offered to date.

This “My Kailua” post has generated some pointed questions and comments.

“Is this for real?” one person asked in a comment, referring to the contrast with Kau’s campaign theme.

Isn’t she like, the “law and order/I’ll prosecute any crime no matter how big or how smarll/and it’s not the prosecutor’s job to influence the criminal justice system or make judgement calls on sentencing or enforcement” candidate?

Beyond that are further questions. Is this legal? Is it ethical? Ask the same question for Kau as an attorney and as a candidate for proseutor? Is it any different from trying to buy votes? Questions. I don’t know the answers at this point.

I wonder what her standing is “assist” in these cases? What is she specifically offering to do? Is she in effect providing legal representation to those who send in their citations? Can an attorney do that without some more specific authorization from each person?

Blangiardi presents a strange out-of-body campaign ad

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Many candidates run ads featuring themselves.

Former media exec turned mayoral candidate, Rick Blangiardi, is running ads now in which he appears only as a talking head on a television playing in the scene.

It’s a strange, disembodied presentation of self.

It seems to be an attempt to remind people that he used to be an on-the-air personality with his brief commentaries on public issues. Hey, remember me, I’m the TV guy!

Clever, but very weird.

And while I’m talking about Rick, we just got a large postcard in the mail yesterday from Rick’s campaign.

On one side the headline reads: “My Only Agenda is You.”

It goes on: “My only agenda is you and what matters to you, your family, your neighborhood and your livelihood.”

Gimme a break.

There are nearly a million “you’s” in the city and county of Honolulu. If Rick really has no other agenda that what each of us wants, he’s in for a a rude awakening.

We’re not all on the same page. You might have noticed. That’s one thing I can guarantee you.

So which group of “you’s” is going to drive his agenda?

That brings me to the agenda. The other side of the mailer is “Rick’s Agenda for Honolulu’s Future.”

Okay. So what does he propose?

Here are a few of the bullet items.

– Help our economy recover in the aftermath of COVID-19.
– Address the continuing challenge of homelessness in Honolulu.
– Reduce inefficiencies in city governent.

Each of those is really meaningless.

What voters want to know is, just HOW is Rick going to “help our economy recover” and what “value added” will he bring to that endeavor?

Same thing for the city’s response to homelessness. Anyone who is elected will have to “address the continuing challenge.” How does Rick plan to address it? We’re left wondering.

Here’s another one I like.

– To not raise property taxes for local families.

In another place, Rick promises that he will not raise property taxes to pay for the rail.

There’s an obvious problem with this. Property taxes are the city’s primary source of income. Since it is clear that the visitor industry isn’t likely to experience a robust recovery any time in the new mayor’s term, is property taxes aren’t going to be raised, where does Rick think we’re going to find the money to continue essential services for the time being? Or to pay for rail?

This is one of those “tough decisions” Rick says he’s ready to make “when needed.”

Well, that commitment to making tough decisions, and being open and honest” about city operations, seem at odds the promise to not raise property taxes, since some tax increase appears impossible to avoid given the stark financial realities of the next few years. Property taxes for at least some local families are going to have to go up. So, Rick, why not tell us that you’re ready to make that tough decision and also be open and honest about it?

Anyway, you can always see more on the campaign’s website.

Alleged gang kingpin contributed $2,500 to Ernie Martin’s unsuccessful 2018 congressional campaign

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My earlier attempts to track any campaign contributions made by Honolulu businessman and alleged gang leader Michael Miske didn’t get very far. My review of contributions to candidates for state and local offices found Miske associated with only three contributions between 2006 and 2020.

Two of those contributions (totaling $3,000) went to Donna Kim in 2009 and 2011, and another $500 went to Heidi Tsuneyoshi in 2018. That’s not the kind of contribution record that suggests any attempt to gain undue influence on the candidates.

I was able to glean a bit more information from a review of contributions to federal candidates via the Federal Election Commission website.

Here are the contributions that I could find associated with Miske.

He gave $1,000 to Senator Dan Inouye’s campaign in March 2012, and $2,600 to Donna Mercado Kim for Congress in December 2013.

Miske FEC

Once again, these amounts, while more than he had previously contributed to candidates, aren’t large enough to raise eyebrows.

But they are interesting due to the timing. All but one of the contributions were made in May 2018. This was more than 18-months after Miske suspected he was the target of a federal investigation, and almost a year after Miske retained criminal defense attorney, Lynn Panagakos, to represent him. His suspicions about a federal investigation had been confirmed when a search warrant was executed to seize his Boston Whaler (in August 2017) as part of a “murder for hire” investigation.

So while Mike Miske was under intense federal scrutiny, and the federal investigation was already encumbering many of his personal and business bank accounts, he suddenly became more active as a campaign contributor, giving a total of $2,500 to Ernie Martin’s congressional campaign. Another $1,000 was given in the name of Delia-Anne Fabro, his late-son’s wife, who business registration records now listed as the person running Kamaaina Termite and several other Miske-controlled businesses. Miske also contributed another $1,000 to Sen. Donna Kim’s congressional campaign.

Martin ended up in sixth place among the seven candidates in the Democratic primary for the congressional seat, getting only 3.2 % of the vote, while Kim placed 3rd with 18.2%. Ed Case won the primary, and went on to win in the 2018 General Election to become our congressman from Hawaii’s 1st Congressional district.

All but one of these contributions were made in May 2018. On May 29, 2018, the FBI offered a $20,000 reward for information regarding the disappearance of Jonathan Fraser, who had been the best friend of Miske’s son, Caleb. The two young men were involved in a serious automobile crash in late 2015. Caleb Miske died several months later of injuries received in the accident. Fraser survived. Several months later, Fraser left his home and was never seen again.

Democratic voters apparently split over Honolulu mayoral

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Earlier this week, I found myself in a conversation with a couple of political veterans, both longtime Democrats, and both with experience as legislators. So I asked them about the choice between the candidates for Honolulu mayor in the upcoming general election.

One responded after a very brief pause.

“Blangiardi,” he said.

I asked why, in light of the recent endorsement given Keith Amemiya by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, and that Amemiya has openly campaigned as a Democrat, although the office is nonpartisan.

He replied thoughtfully. He said he did not believe Amemiya had demonstrated that he has what it will take to say “no” to requests from the well-healed and well-placed insiders who have lined up to support his campaign.

We had been talking about the pressures the are brought to bear on elected and appointed officials from various directions by special interests, and the toll it takes on those who try to fend off those pressures and make their own way.

The second person nodded in agreement, although I don’t recall if they actually confirmed their agreement.

In any case, it appears to reflect a schism in the Democratic Party, already signaled by Colleen Hanabusa’s decision to move into Blangiardi’s camp.

And this appears to be separate from and in addition to the split between the traditional party mainstream and the pack of Bernie backers, which is still sorting itself out as the 2020 election nears.

Does this latest rift reflect jockeying for position as we go into the 2022 election cycle and the next gubernatorial election? How

It’s going to take some thought and analysis to sort out what’s happening within the party. Right now, I don’t even know how to properly characterize it.

Your thoughts?