It’s the last Sunday in October and time to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused:
>> The City Council, at Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s urging, is moving to break a long-standing promise not to use property taxes to pay for Oahu rail, but pledged it won’t be a blank check. It’s more like a
no-limit credit card.
>> The Council may also tap the “rainy day” fund to cover rail shortfalls while the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation is looking at cost cuts such as trimming rain canopies at stations. The common theme is we get soaked.
>> Council members Trevor Ozawa, Ikaika Anderson, Ernie Martin and Kymberly Pine exchanged accusations of intimidation and backstabbing. Perhaps it’s time we adopt the German term for city hall: “Rathaus.”
>> County clerks across the state sent out tens of thousands of absentee mail-in ballots for the general election. It marked the traditional start of Pick-Your-Poison Month.
>> Gov. David Ige and GOP challenger Andria Tupola both said they achieved their goals after their first televised debate. Ige showed up without really being there, and Tupola distanced herself from Donald Trump’s comb-over.
>> Ige got behind the wheel of the Department of Transportation’s new $2 million ZipMobile and immediately said he wanted to drive it. Not until he passes his learner’s permit for steering the ship of state.
>> Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Josh Green denied he eventually hopes for higher office, saying, “I don’t have any aspirations beyond these four years.” The only thing growing faster than his ambition is his nose.
>> The state Supreme Court struck down a ballot question on property taxes for education, ruling the language was unclear. In these times it should have said, “Hey, you like pay the @#$&*%! tax surcharge or what?”
>> A well-heeled super PAC of unions, businesses and environmentalists aired an ad blitz exaggerating the cost of a proposed constitutional convention and warning voters, “Don’t Be ConConned.” By nobody but them, anyhow.
>> The Department of Education issued a plan to end bullying in Hawaii’s public schools. How will our next generation of political leadership be trained?
>> Local humpback whale researchers have recorded far fewer male humpbacks singing this year. They took it to heart when U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono told men to shut up.
>> NASA’S new rocket to get to Mars faces overruns that would double the original project cost to nearly
$9 billion. It’s eerily similar to our rail budget, except they go 140 million miles for their money and our train goes only 20.
And the quote of the month … from Councilman Ikaika Anderson on his vote against measures making it illegal to obstruct or “lodge” on sidewalks: “In my estimation, that language made the bills both limp and ineffective.” Most Council bills are only one or the other.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
