PUC is one issue avoided by candidates for governor

There is something that is just nebulous about this race for governor.

In a historic year that saw the unheard of defeat of a sitting Democratic governor in a Hawaii primary and now features more than a dozen debates and forums in the general election, there is still fuzziness about this year’s contest.

The three major candidates all have their own issue pages, with varying degrees of vagueness.

The Democrat, state Sen. David Ige, touches on the most subjects with thumbnail descriptions of 11 issues that he wants to work on (http://goo.gl/dbgwWt).

Ige is best discussing the state of state finances. Hint: It could be better.

"My philosophy in budgeting is that the State must operate within its means instead of raising taxes. I will not propose new programs when our state budget lacks the resources to pay for them," said Ige’s website.

Republican former Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona has the shortest list of campaign issues and solutions, but include several detailed plans for affordable housing, homelessness and educational funding (http://goo.gl/ MnnCA7).

With two sons and two daughters, including several living with him, Aiona is more than acquainted with the need for affordable housing, and his campaign has pitched several plans in that area.

The platform of Democrat-turned-Independent, former Mayor Mufi Hannemann, swings from the finely detailed to the briefly noted (http://goo.gl/cghZnC).

Hannemann’s issues also go into areas where many voters didn’t know there were issues. For instance, Hannemann is calling for bringing back the Superferry, a popular but controversial service that is now bankrupt. The two ships were bought by the U.S. Navy, so the only way you can get on the Superferry today is to enlist.

Also Hannemann is promising to bring a racetrack back to Oahu, saying "thousands of Hawaii’s people love motor sports and the jobs and businesses that depend on it."

One important issue that is so far untouched by all three candidates is what specifically to do with the Public Utilities Commission.

Yes, pondering the future of the PUC is a guaranteed table-clearer, but before that three-person panel are most of the state’s energy issues, including how much you will pay for electricity for the next decade.

Confusing the issue is the holdover tenure of former Democratic Kauai state Rep. Hermina Morita as PUC chairwoman. Her passionate support for the environment helped convince Abercrombie to name her to the board, but he had grown dissatisfied with the speed of PUC actions and was going to replace her. Then news broke about an illegally-zoned vacation rental on her Kauai property and everything was put on hold.

"We are at a very critical juncture in developing our clean energy future and the PUC needs stability to continue to address many of the important regulatory issues before it. Therefore, I intend to keep Mina Morita as chair of the PUC, on a holdover basis beyond June 30, 2014, when her term ends," said Abercrombie in May.

Of the three main governor candidates, Hannemann moves the closest to saying he would keep Morita.

"I have heard good things about Mina, so definitely I would consider keeping her on, no question," Hannemann said in an interview.

Ige would not take a position, saying in an interview that "I don’t know; if I have the opportunity, I will look at all the candidates."

Aiona also punted, saying, "Basically our administration wants someone who is confident they can deal with the issues before the PUC and be able to move the docket along in a timely fashion. I will reach out to the community to get feedback in regards to the leadership and team currently serving."

For much of a governor’s actions, things rest on not what he or she will do, but who the governor picks to do it, so the PUC question is both important and unanswered.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.