We find ourselves in a state of de-Neil as we "flASHback" on November’s news that amused and confused:
» David Ige completed his improbable quest to unseat an incumbent governor and will be sworn in Monday. His first challenge is getting constituents to remember his name and stop calling him Anybody-But-Abercrombie.
» Ige said he’s learned quickly that time is a governor’s most precious resource. Outgoing Gov. Neil Abercrombie knows all about that; he’s still wondering what happened to the four more years he expected.
» James "Duke" Aiona said after losing another bid for governor that the next time God tells him to run, he’ll ask first if he’s going to win. He should have guessed when God’s call to run came with a campaign strategy out of the Book of Job.
» Democratic U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said he can work with Republicans who gained control of Congress and has already reached his hand across the aisle. Unfortunately, a middle finger reached back.
» U.S. Rep.-elect Mark Takai said he sees opportunity in the congressional gridlock caused by bitter partisanship. How often does a good-paying job come with a built-in excuse for accomplishing nothing?
» The Hawaii Republican Assembly marked the local GOP’s dismal election showing with a pep talk from the head of the National Rifle Association. As if Hawaii Republicans need more help shooting themselves in the feet.
» The Hawaii Community Development Authority rushed to approve three more Kakaako condominium towers and give its director a raise before the Abercrombie administration ended. No debt left unpaid.
» HCDA paused briefly in rubber-stamping Kakaako luxury condos to seek ideas for more affordable housing. The area’s affordable inventory was depleted when authorities raided the tent city near the UH medical school.
» The city’s $5.23 billion rail project, still in Phase I in West Oahu, has already burned through half the $1 billion contingency fund for cost overruns. It’s not that they didn’t plan for incompetence, they just underestimated it.
» Ember Shinn retired as city managing director and said she has no plans other than raising miniature goldendoodle puppies. Now that she’s housetrained Mayor Kirk Caldwell, she’s ready for a whole litter.
» City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro took heat for his deputy’s involvement in a "rave" party, had a judge castigate his office in a gambling case and reported that several rape cases and a negligent homicide weren’t prosecuted because the office lost track of them. But hey, at least he’s in the rumor mill for attorney general in Ige’s administration.
And the quote of the month … from City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi after a rail design contractor bought another rail contractor responsible for evaluating its work: "Everything sounds so incestuous." Not to mention what it smells like.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.
