For GOP: And then there was 1 fewer

Few people could claim to be surprised at former GOP lawmaker Gil Riviere’s decision to switch parties. Riviere, a staunch environmen- talist, seems an easy fit within the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s big, big tent.

He undoubtedly sees it as his best course toward reclaiming the North Shore seat he lost in last fall’s primary to Republican Richard Fale. It’s hard to get much of a turnout in a Republican primary, and Fale has a lot of the GOP vote locked up in some of the district’s more conservative, largely Mormon communities.

In a state where the minority party struggles to stay afloat, there’s not a lick of difference between Hawaii’s fairly liberal Republicans and the more conservative Democrats.

If Riviere’s switcheroo pays off at the ballot box, it will be interesting to see if any more dominoes fall: GOP legislators who choose moving into the big tent over staying out in the cold.

Repairs at airport finally taking off

Increasing numbers of Asian tourists arriving in Honolulu may have been grimacing while arriving at Honolulu Airport after leaving from gorgeous terminals in their home countries, but that should change soon.

An expansion broke ground Thursday for Honolulu Airport’s overdue modernization. While the overhaul will be mostly away from aging main and interisland terminals, cosmetic changes are planned in that area through new design and artwork.

Improvement is needed badly, since airports in Seoul, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo are included among the world’s top 10 by London’s Sky Trax Research, while Honolulu’s fails to make the top 100. The U.S.’s fourth-largest port of entry deserves the makeover, even at the cost of $739 million for visitors; they spend more than $14 billion a year in Hawaii.