UH chief search was poorly done

There was much public unhappiness about the outcome of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents search committee process in hiring a new UH president.

I am an executive recruiter, so some may consider my comments suspect.

Executive recruitment is a profession, one in which capable practitioners bring more to the table than the names of qualified candidates. The management of the search/recruitment process requires skill and experience.

The UH search committee apparently lacked both.

The result, it seems, was the loss of four potential finalist candidates, with the two remaining not conforming to the original policies and/or requirements of the search and the position.

The public sees this as poor performance. I agree.

Regardless of its strengths, the university must become more professional and sophisticated in the ways it conducts business outside its walls.

If it continues to fail in this, it will extend its developing reputation for incompetence. This would be a negative for all Hawaii.

Peter Glick
Waialae Nui

Traffic lights need adjusting

With all this rail construction going on in Pearl City, the traffic has become really bad at times.

Why don’t they adjust the traffic lights according to the flow of traffic? I’ve sat at red lights when there is no other car on the road, but the traffic lights still cycle through their pattern.

Adjust the lights accordingly.

Xavier Ishihara Jr.
Pearl City

Southwest Air welcome here

What Hawaii needs is Southwest Airlines.

It is big enough to encourage growth and give us good flights to the outer islands at prices lower than what we pay for taxes on our home.

I was going to Hilo and I looked for a deal. It was cheaper and more fun to fly to California. So I guess I will stay home.

Lucky I live Hawaii, but unlucky that the major gouger airline that flies interisland is charging so much — $250 and more.

Go! Airlines promised us lower fares. We bought into its flim-flam scheme and it put Aloha Airlines out of business.

I guessI am stuck. Oh, well.

Jim Delmonte
Hawaii Kai

UH needs broad financial support

Can you afford $10 a year to support something you believe in?

If there are at least 100,000 people who believe in the University of Hawaii and want to support the institution, $10 could become $1 million annually.

Where are our alumni? How come the professional athletes who came out of UH aren’t giving back to the school that gave them that opportunity?

Where are our successful businessmen and women?

UH cannot survive on tuition and state funding alone. It needs outside support to be competitive.

If you were a highly recruited athlete, would sleeping on cots in a dance studio for 19 days sound appealing?

Anyone reading this who would like to help our athletic program is encouraged to go to http:// www.koaanuenue.org and make a donation, even if it is only $10.

Steve Fukunaga
Ewa Beach

Education woes lead to governor

Twelve retired principals called for the state superintendent of education to be replaced due to failures in leadership ("Time to replace top DOE leaders and give more power to schools," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, June 1).

However, they don’t go far enough. It’s the governor who should be replaced.

Four years ago, Gov. Neil Abercrombie issued "A New Day In Hawaii," promising school decentralization to entrust "principals with program control and budget decision-making authority."

He talked about "empowering principals" and making sure that principals and teachers were supported.

After being elected, Abercrombie had the unprecedented opportunity to appoint all of the members of the Board of Education, which had just changed from an elected to an appointed body. He should have appointed people who concurred with his stated vision.

Instead, a recent survey shows that the public school system is still highly centralized.

Principals are not empowered. Principals and teachers are not supported.

The governor is ultimately responsible for the continued failures of leadership. Voters should replace him in the upcoming election.

John Kawamoto
Kaimuki

Killer of dog got off easy

It is a travesty that the woman who stabbed her dog repeatedly and mutilated him, was not at least prohibited from owning another pet ("Dog killer found not guilty," Star-Advertiser, Newswatch, May 29).

This dog was just doing what dogs do — sniffing and licking others.

He was not showing aggression.

Judge Richard Perkins is sending the message that one can plead insanity and get away with committing heinous acts, because that is exactly what Andrea Feigle did.

It is very troubling that there are people in our community who have such disregard for the suffering of another living creature, let alone a judge.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Obviously, Judge Perkins does not share the same ideals.

Ginny Tiu
Hawaii Loa Ridge

Cost is no issue for Natatorium

Would we consider tearing down the Arizona Memorial or the Vietnam Veterans Memorial because they start to deteriorate?

No.

Then why are we even considering tearing down the Natatorium?

The Natatorium is a war memorial. It was built to honor and remember those who died in World War I. It shouldn’t just be repaired; it should be restored to its full glory at any cost. Anything short of that would be a travesty.

Let’s do the right thing.

Save the Natatorium.

James Ward
Ewa Beach