Final debates cover taxes, style

KAILUA-KONA » In their final face-to-face encounters before the Demo­cratic primary, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state Sen. David Ige on Tuesday quarreled over taxes, preschool and leadership style but did not identify any new policy differences that might help voters choose between them.

In a debate sponsored by AARP Hawaii on Tuesday morning at the King Kame­ha­meha Kona Beach Hotel, and in a forum before the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday evening at Kealakehe High School, the two Demo­crats had limited success in drawing each other out on policy.

Abercrombie, on a few occasions, showed flares of exasperation with Ige, who has mounted a credible primary challenge despite a lack of campaign money or name recognition.

Abercrombie, speaking about services for seniors and others during the AARP Hawaii debate, said that he had been "advocating for more than 40 years, not just the last 40 weeks."

The governor later raked Ige for speaking in "generalities and cliches and empty phrases" on economic opportunity.

But Ige did not look flustered or even respond to Abercrombie’s dismissive remarks.

Abercrombie had initially agreed to four AARP Hawaii debates with Ige statewide but withdrew from three of the events, citing scheduling difficulties. So the AARP Hawaii debate on Tuesday was closely watched because the governor had clashed with both Ige and the AARP over a failed pension tax to help contain a projected state budget deficit in 2011.

Gerald Kato, a University of Hawaii-Manoa journalism professor who moderated the debate, asked whether either candidate would consider a pension tax during another economic downturn.

"As you know, when the economy did go south four years ago, I stood up with the state Senate and absolutely insisted that we do not tax pensions," Ige said, adding that he also proposed a constitutional amendment that would have excluded retirement benefits from state income taxation.

Abercrombie countered that Ige had proposed raising the general excise tax as an option to close the deficit in 2011, an idea that "hits everybody — pensioners and everybody else."

But the governor assured seniors who dominated the audience at the debate that he would not call for another pension tax and now supports tax relief for seniors. "I think the message was received loud and clear by everybody that that’s not going to be on the table," he said. "That’s in the past."

Abercrombie pressed Ige on why the state senator opposes a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would allow public money to be spent on private preschool. The governor says he believes a public-private partnership would help the state to eventually offer preschool to all 4-year-olds.

Ige has questioned both the $125 million projected cost of a state early childhood education initiative and the ability of private schools to serve the children in most need of preschool.

"I am against taxpayer funds going to private preschools at this point in time for a number of reasons," Ige said.

Asked to describe his leadership style, Ige said he would be collaborative and would seek out all views on policy issues. "I believe that the broader perspective you can bring to any issue allows you to examine and provide a better solution for our communities," he said.

Abercrombie said the question is not about leadership style, but action. The governor pointed to the state’s economic turnaround over the past four years that he’s been in office.

"Leadership is getting the job done," the governor said. "It’s not looking at a problem and talking about it; it’s actually doing something about it. It has nothing to do with style. It has nothing to do with personality. It has everything to do with ‘Can you get the job done?’"

Both Abercrombie and Ige, meanwhile, said they oppose legalizing marijuana. The governor said he would consider some form of decriminalization, while Ige said he supports state marijuana dispensaries so medical marijuana patients can safely obtain the drug.

Ige said he does not favor state pre-emption of county laws regulating pesticide use or genetically modified organisms, such as the one on Hawaii island that bans new GMO crops. Abercrombie stressed that the state would follow the law, which right now, he said, means that the federal and state governments have the regulatory responsibility over GMOs.

Both candidates have said previously that they would look at a Vermont law that requires labeling on GMO food by 2016 as a potential model for Hawaii.

The one-hour AARP Hawaii debate focused primarily on seniors’ issues.

At the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce forum Tuesday evening, Abercrombie and Ige discussed a broader range of subjects, including several that dealt with issues important to West Hawaii, such as restoring an international inspection facility at Kona Airport, struggling public hospitals, food security and homelessness.

The 75-minute forum, moderated by Steve Petranik, editor of Hawaii Business Magazine, was the last of six debates between the candidates before the primary.

After Abercrombie dismissed a CNBC survey that ranked Hawaii 49th among states as a place to do business, Ige said Hawaii needs to take such rankings seriously. The state senator said he would form a group of large and small businesses to examine why the state is consistently ranked so low.

Ige also said the state needs to reduce regulations on business. "I have heard from many business people as I walk around the state and talk with people, especially for small businesses, that regulations are smothering them," he said, "that it is difficult to start business, and too many times regulations of state government really hamper their success."

Abercrombie said investors are putting money into Hawaii development projects, a sign of the state’s financial health.

"At some point can we get some recognition for the fiscal stability this administration has established?" he asked.

Ige cited a survey of school principals who said that there has been more centralization from the state Department of Education and less authority over decision-making at their schools over the past four years. He said he would empower principals and teachers.

"I don’t believe that one size fits all like the current Board of Education and Department of Education when they are dictating that every school look the same and act the same and buy the same books and implement the same curriculum," he said. "I think that that’s absurd."

Abercrombie was incredulous that Ige said he believes individual schools should develop curriculum. "Can the senator seriously be saying that school by school would determine their own curriculum? That we’re not going to have a core curriculum that will enable our students to compete in the 21st century so that they can establish a record at whether they can go on to higher education or not?" he said.