Aloha Kakou,
Although the mounting public pressure did not prevent the City Council from approving the purple spot, it did succeed in exposing the extent to which campaign contributions and special interests dictate the decisions of the Council. Our preliminary research into the campaign finances of Honolulu's city councilmembers indicates that the six council members voting for the purple spot received campaign financing from the owners of the purple spot. The three council members who voted it down, appear to have not gotten funding from the owners. The owners of the property -- Thomas Enomoto, Clyde Kaneshiro, and Michael Nekoba -- and their associates are frequent contributors to the political campaigns of all the members who voted to kepp in the Purple Spot: Romy Cachola (Kalihi), Nestor Garcia (Mililani), Stanley Chang (Hawaii Kai), Ann Kobayashi (Makiki to Kaimuki), and Ikaika Anderson (Waimanalo to Kaneohe). Council Chair Ernie Martin (North Shore) has also received funding from the owners of this property and their colleagues. Elected officials are supposed to represent the constituents that elected them, not the deep pockets of developers that paid for their campaigns. The only way to fight this kind of insider trading of public votes is by directly engaging with our elected officials. Write to them now to let them know what you thought about how they voted. We’ve written some samples to get you started, but please add your own thoughts--changing the wording of the subject line is a way to increase your chances of a personal response. This is your chance to push back and let them know that they messed up big. Call out their hypocrisy, express your outrage and disappointment. Remind them that they are supposed to represent us, not those who lined their pockets. Make sure to tell your home council member that you will remember how they voted on the Purple Spot in future elections. If can, offer to meet with them too, we have to get to know our council members as well as these developers apparently do. Click here to find out who your council member is and their phone numbers. We've also included an e-mail to Mayor Carlisle, who has the power to veto Bill 50 with the Purple Spot in it. It's a long shot, but definitely worth that shot. He has 10 working days to take action (March 2) - and if he vetoes it, the Council will take up a public hearing to either sustain the veto or override it (a two-thirds or six votes are needed to override a veto). Support KAHEAʻs Environmental Justice Program with a tax-deductible donation, click here to donate now. Mahalo again to everyone for all the energy they've given to this fight, feel free to forward this e-mail to family and friends. Mahalo nui, | ||
KAHEA: the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance is a network of thousands of diverse individuals islands-wide and around the world. Together, we work to secure the strongest possible protections for Hawaii's most ecologically unique and culturally sacred places and resources. |
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