Perhaps that is the lesson from the comeback class of 2026. Having won before may help, but it isn’t enough by itself. You still have to give voters a reason to vote for you today, rather than reminding them why they voted for you years ago.
Big problems don’t lend themselves to quick-to-decide solutions. Mayor Blangiardi is only the latest leader in this state who has discovered the rock wall of opposition in Hawaiʻi, on any issue of controversy, is both well-built and able to withstand withering attack, both through policy and rhetoric.
The real question, still looming, is what happens next year when the bills keep coming in, but there are no more vacant positions to shuffle around.
In the primary election, Tulba received over 10,000 votes despite a lower turnout compared to the 2020 general election. He had the lowest percentage of blank votes among the three unopposed Honolulu Council members.
It is the time when the ballots are being sent out to registered voters. Some acquaintances of this blogger have…
[R]emember those phone calls that you got to reject the pay raise before the hearing? Well, I am here to tell you that the volume, and “candor” of people calling – most of them your constituents – is about to get much higher.
“[n]epotism erodes public trust in government institutions, their integrity, and operations. It creates reasonable concerns that the decisions of government are not based on merit and objectivity, but on family relations.”
I was given the opportunity to attend a candidate’s fundraiser this last Friday (10/18). It was the first fundraiser for…