Letters: Bill 41 would punish Oahu property owners; Proposal for Red Hill tanks makes sense; Fire those involved in football coach hiring

Our City Council is advancing Bill 41, which would negatively impact the property values and rights of every Oahu property owner (“Honolulu Council considers new rules for short-term rentals,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25).

This bill would make it illegal to rent your home to anyone for less than 90 days. After years of negotiation, Bill 89 was enacted a short time ago to address the unregulated short-term rentals that have proven problematic in certain areas. The city declined to hire the budgeted agents to enforce the rules.

Tenant noise and traffic congestion generated by short-term renters are most often cited as the primary motivator for this bill. However, both college students and military personnel are proposed exemptions. Does anyone believe that living next door to a bunch of college students or a house full of young Marines will be less disruptive in our neighborhood than a family visiting from Wisconsin?

Notwithstanding the financial contribution visitors make to our tax base and community retail businesses, punishing every Oahu property owner to appease corporate special interests is not fair to anyone.

Peter Osborne

Kailua

Navy must close tanks, provide backup plans

A Dec. 28 Washington Post article said that the Navy has had 76 leaks and accidents at the Red Hill fuel farm since its tanks were built.

With such a poor record, is it any surprise that the Navy does not want its full report to be published (“Navy to withhold full Red Hill fuel leak report,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25)?

Even more reason to shut these tanks down. Schools or civilians who are spending thousands of dollars because of the impact of this latest contamination should send all the bills to the Navy.

They also should request answers from the Navy on what it will and could realistically do if 400,000 Honolulu residents lose their access to fresh water because of another leak or spill.

If we don’t get to see the report, at least the Navy should provide its backup plans for the unthinkable.

Angelika Burgermeister

Haleiwa

Proposal for Red Hill tanks makes sense

Navy, do what is right. Dr. Melanie Lau is one of two public members on the Red Hill Fuel Tank Advisory Committee. In her commentary (“Navy should do what’s right, not easy,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 23), she made such sense that I wanted to give her a big mahalo.

In her prescription for solving our Red Hill crisis, she simply asked the Navy to do what it needs to do: Defuel the tanks; put the fuel in Par Hawaii tanks and tanker ships; replace the World War II underground tanks with modern above-ground tanks as at Kitsap, Wash., and Point Loma, Calif.; admit its mistakes and do what is right.

The solution is sensible and reasonable. Why all the resistance?

Helen T. Nakano

Manoa

We deserve better from UH administration

The University of Hawaii definitely did not want the return of June Jones as the head coach for the Warrior football team. Offering absurd restrictions such as a two-year contract and overall approval of any assistant coaches were stipulations that no candidate would even consider. Even Timmy Chang was offered double the term at four years and no (as of now) restrictions on assistant coach candidates, which proves that point.

It was well known that Jones had issues with the prior UH administration, which refused to address Jones’ concerns about run-down and poorly supplied facilities. To compound matters, UH was reluctant to negotiate his contract (remember that half of his salary was paid by private donors) until Jones started negotiating with Southern Methodist University. After that, UH rushed to have him reconsider. That shows that UH is not concerned about the program but more about how much revenue the team makes from money-paying fans.

I wish Jones and Timmy Chang well, but UH fans definitely deserve better. UH itself deserves better.

Jon Shimamoto

Mililani

Fire those involved in football coach hiring

I have no problem with Timmy Chang as the new University of Hawaii Warriors head football coach, but the way it was handled shows what is wrong with Hawaii and its politics. You cannot offer someone one deal and someone else another deal for the same position. Everyone involved at UH athletics should be fired, especially the athletics director. And the Legislature should stay out of the daily operation of UH athletics.

Ernie Itoga

Waialae

Incompetence marred negotiations with Jones

The University of Hawaii administration has failed the athletes, the fans and its obligation to the people of the state of Hawaii. Star-Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon is accurate and truth-seeking in his assessments, while UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl seeks to obfuscate.

No doubt there is animus fermenting among the current administrators at the university — perhaps for the way June Jones exposed the woeful state of the facilities before he left, or perhaps because he did not get down on bended knee to beg for a new contract.

It is a shame that a whole population is subject to such determined incompetence. While I certainly wish Timmy Chang luck, it is important to realize he is being used only as a weight to balance the scales of an exceedingly poor decision.

Mike McInerny

Hawaii Kai

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