Time spent in communities vital to both candidates

The Maui News
Saturday, November 1, 2008

By ILIMA LOOMIS Staff Writer

This is the 12th in a series of stories on candidates who will be on the ballot for Maui County Council and state legislative seats in Maui County. In Sunday's Maui News, the featured race will be the contest for the 5th Senate District (West-South Maui) seat. More on the candidates can be found at the Election 2008 link at www.mauinews.com.

WAILUKU - Representing the far-flung 6th Senate District means wearing out your shoes.

State Sen. J. Kalani English said he visits Lanai at least once a month, reaches Molokai twice a month, gets back to Hana every week and makes the trek to remote Kalaupapa four times a year.

"I am constantly moving," he said. "You have to be in these areas all the time."

Challenger John Blumer-Buell also said he'd make the rounds if elected, planning to hold community meetings in Molokai and East Maui once a month, and visiting Lanai at least four times a year.

"I plan to be in the communities and have a more active interaction with them," he said. "I have the impression from a lot of voters that Kalani's kind of aloof."

English, a Democrat, served two terms on the Maui County Council before being elected to the Senate in 2000. Blumer-Buell has been active in community life, including serving on the General Plan Advisory Committee and the Hana Advisory Committee to the Maui Planning Commission. He is running as a member of the Independent Party.

Blumer-Buell said he was running because of "serious disagreements" with English on the issues, including a number affecting East Maui.

He was critical of plans by the Hana Health Clinic to develop a "health and wellness village," and said the clinic needed to be more responsive to the community.

Blumer-Buell said he would make future state funding of the clinic contingent on more community control. He wanted to see the clinic's board of directors elected by Hana residents who are members of the clinic.

"Kalani has been supporting Hana Health, even though the community does not support what they're proposing," he said. "Instead of using his position to bring the community together, his positions have just further polarized the situation."

English disagreed. He said he wouldn't support state funding for a "wellness village," but continued to back the Hana clinic because it provides essential medical care to the remote community.

"We cannot tie funding like that," he said. "It would be highly irresponsible. I'm going to ensure my people in Hana have access to health care. My opponent would like to shut it down."

The two also clashed over $23 million in planned improvements to Hana Harbor.

While Blumer-Buell supports a $3 million upgrade of the Hana boat ramp, he's suspicious of more than $20 million for improvements to the wharf as a "commercial harbor." He feared the upgrades could open Hana to the Hawaii Superferry.

"I'm against the Superferry coming into Hana, no ifs, ands or buts," he said.

He said English hadn't provided enough information about the issue.

English said the notion was ridiculous.

"It's impossible," he said. "Even with this, the Superferry can't land."

Hana is too small to make business sense as a Superferry stop even if it were physically possible to land the boat, he said.

The improvement funding came as part of a larger statewide harbors modernization program, and upgrading the Hana Harbor would enable it to be a lifeline in case Hana were cut off from the rest of the island in an emergency, he said.

"We have a very dangerous situation of complete isolation," he said.

The two candidates offer different suggestions for dealing with the flagging economy and lower-than-expected state revenues.

Blumer-Buell said he'd look for ways to help bring tourists back to Hawaii, but not through the visitors bureaus that now market the islands.

"I would consider severe cuts to the Hawaii Tourism Authority," he said. "However, I would support a program to directly subsidize airplane tickets for tourists coming here for, say, two weeks."

English said increasing capital improvement spending was a tried-and-true way of stimulating the economy in a slowdown.

The state has moved up plans for a Paia bypass road, as well as harbor improvements and airport upgrades, he noted.

"If you notice, we've been pushing up projects," he said.

In other issues, English said food security would be a priority for him if he returns to the Capitol.

He would encourage state agencies, such as the Department of Education, to buy local products to create a stable market for farmers, and said he could support requiring it.

"DOE's looking at it," he said. "I know the prisons are. But the big hammer we have is we can mandate it and simply say, you will buy this product."

He also said energy independence and upgrades to transportation infrastructure would be priorities.

Blumer-Buell said he would support a constitutional amendment making it possible for communities to break off from larger counties and form their own municipalities. While he said there should be a "very high threshold" to approve such a split, Blumer-Buell said it should be an option.

"It's time to discuss local control for the communities," he said.

He also said he would support legislation mandating timelines to implement East Maui stream restoration, and require the state budget to fund infrastructure prioritized in county community plans.

While his opponent has served more than a decade in public office, Blumer-Buell said his background of being active in community issues prepared him to take the next step.

"I have a lot of experience in our community and islandwide," he said. "I'm not a newcomer to the issues."

J. Kalani English
Party: Democrat
Born: Aug. 7, 1966; Miami
Residence: Hana
Occupation: State senator,
diplomat, adviser
Education: Kamehameha Schools, Hawaii Loa College, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Family: Single, one child

John Blumer-Buell
Party: Independent
Born: Sept. 1, 1947; Missouri
Residence: Hana
Occupation: Homemaker, gardener
Education: Attended California Western University
Family: Married, two children

Ilima Loomis can be reached at iloomis@mauinews.com.

Original article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/510475.html

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