Former Governor Ben Cayetano announced the formation of a “Truth Squad” comprised of eight former cabinet members from four past city administrations. “I’m not the only one who came out of retirement to help restore fiscal sanity to City Hall,” Cayetano said. “Six of our nine Truth Squad members are retirees. All are volunteers.”
The “Truth Squad” members are: Geminiano ‘Toy’ Q. Arre Jr. and Sam Callejo (Fasi Administration), Ronald S. Lim, Patrick H. McCain, Malcolm J. Tom (Harris), Eric S. Takamura (Hannemann) and Stanley Shiraki who was a member of the Eileen Anderson, Cayetano and Lingle administration.
Furthermore, also advising Governor Cayetano is Panos Prevedouros, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a nationally renown expert on traffic and energy and and Janice Teramae, attorney.
So far, the City hired ten public relations firms and has spent more than $5 million to promote its rail project. The objective of our Truth Squad is to separate truth from falsehood, clear up misinformation and show the public how the city’s reckless spending of taxpayer’s money has affected its ability to deliver other more important services to the public. “These dedicated public servants have nothing to gain from their involvement in my campaign.” They are dedicated to pursuing, as former Prosecutor and now Mayor, Peter Carlisle has said, “You deserve the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
On a weekly basis, the Truth Squad will fact check claims that the City has made.
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If you want to show the public how the city recklessly spends money, look into some of the cases against former employees that are being dragged out to no end with appeals, more appeals, etc. using taxpayer money like it’s a blank check…..totally disgusting.
First off let me commend you for your coming out of retirement for the good of the comunity. Win(and I hope you do) or lose you will have vetted some major concerns of the citizens.
My position on rail has always been negative. For the few who ‘may’ benefit, the cost to the rest is over burdening. The recent advertiser article on the’higher than expected’ future operating expenses is only a part of the underfunded, overpriced debacle that will be rail in Honolulu.
One answer to mass transit is in The Bus. Not regular buses but ‘Super Buses’. An effecient propane powered, tour type bus with 60 tour seats that riders can enjoy by reading, computer work even a brief nap on the way to/from work. It can even be an educational facility with news broadcasts, local items of interest, goverment schedules, sporting events announcements, etc. playing on available small screen monitors throughout the vehicle.
Start with 100 of these ‘ to work’ buses scheduled to depart from parking available dedicated, limited points of departure to downtown from the extremities of the island ( you can include East Oahu in this ). By actually scheduling ridership to insure availability on these ‘super buses’ at specific times, employees and employers can work a co-operative work schedule around this. It would even be appropriate to charge a slightly higher fee for such transportation, given the cost of car purchase, insurance, gas, parking and ‘time lost driving’ is undoubtable much, much more.
Cost effectiveness is what it’s all about. I for one do not want an ‘additional’ $500. per person cost in taxes to ‘supplement an underfunded rail system ‘ in 10 years.
Thank you,Bart. The new technology in the development of Super buses is exciting. Electric induction, propane powered and hybrids buses are the technologies most cities are considering for their transportation systems. No city comparable to Honolulu’s metropolitan area and population has built or is planning to build a steel on steel rail system. Instead, most cities are looking to bus rapid transit systems and other alternatives. At only 900,000 today and 1.1.million by 2030, Oahu’s population is too small to support and sustain an elevated,heavy rail steel on steel rail system. Experts say a minimum of 2 million people is needed. And for a $5.27 – 7 billion price tag, the cost of the City’s rail project per resident will be the highest in the nation.
And thank you, Mary, I will certainly look into your concerns.
Aloha,
Ben Cayetano
Mahalo Ben for your passion and aloha to address frivolous projects like this rail issue.
I posted on another topic you had made on your web that should really be brought to light.
It’s the seriousness of the City’s ERS System who have been forced to react under pressure creating a serious issue. How is this so serious you ask?
Well, I do contract work with the city and have witnessed essential staff retire early or are rushing to prepare prematurely to retire to protect the meager retirement packages as compared to other private sector counterparts. Anyway, getting back to my point, I have close relationships with the BWS and the Wastewater depts, who’s key seasoned staff are flocking to the retirement gates leaving the controls at all levels with New and although qualified, inexperienced for extremely complexed systems such as our City’s Water and Wastewater systems. I know many 20 year veteran’s still not familiar and/or itimately comfortable with essential equipment and systems due to the inadequate transition periods between the outgoing staff and the too little to late hiring process now slowly being initiated. Many times the hired staff are brought on board after their predecessor has already left.
Here’s the issue, our government has for decades froze many positions due to the budget and economy, but now that the ERS are making serious considerations of reform to include the sacred spousal medical, high three and many other benefits that for years were untouched are now being changed, it is causing essential staff to flock to the retirement gates prematurely leaving the controls at the hand of qualified, but due to the lack of experience, leaving certain systems in very precarious and in some situations dangerous state.
Forget about RAIL, once certain events occur, Carlisle will soon realize this should take precedence over this Over-budgeted project. Sewers will over spill, Water mains will be breaking all over the state, this should be in the news already, but mark my words, this will be a huge issue if not addressed immediately.
Again, Mahalo Ben. We truly support and appreciate your commitment and dedication as well as your passion and energy through out the years. Aloha
I would like to know the truth about the pothole crews. As far as the ones that I’ve observed filling up the potholes, they lacked proper training, proper equipment and material, sense of dedication, and professionalism. The quality and workmanship of the finished product are such that the moment they finished ‘thump’ ‘thump’ ‘thumping’ the holes and move on, the same potholes return. Temporary fix, waste of taxpayer money. No one performing quality assurance checks, ensuring standards & specifications are followed. Why, the fox is guarding the henhouse. Vicious cycle, job security, continuously hurting the city coffers (no worry, just ask for more fees and tax increases). Where’s the pride? This is not even funny anymore. Gotta go appoint a “pothole czar” already, whose main job is policing the roadways, answering the hotline calls from concerned citizens, and winning the battle in every corner on Oahu.
As to the alternatives to rail, the key is high ridership on public trans/buses. You want Oahu drivers prefer to leave their cars home and ride TheBus instead? Designate a lane for use ONLY by TheBus (except emergency vehicles). Install cameras at this lane to catch violators (license plates front & rear); fines are reasonable source of revenue, may be reportable to car insurance companies, too. Any means to discourage people from driving his/her vehicle to/from work. Those double decker buses (love them in Hongkong). People might just get addicted to ride in one of them for a change in Oahu. = increased ridership. And equip them with overhead racks, too! No more backpacks taking up a seat space while some passengers are standing, no? Make riding the bus pleasurable and exciting! Write an agreement with shopping center operators to share their parking lots for ‘park and ride’ purposes to the public (Ex. Kapolei theater parking lot: large, but underutilized most of the time.)
I plan to stay in Hawaii for a long time, no other place to go–unlike other folks who are here now but may fall back to the mainland someday (i.e., in the eventuality this rail bondogle forces the city to go bankrupt). Rail may be nice, but is unaffordable to me. No, I’m not going to ride it; simply against my conscience to do so when I’m never “pro-rail”. Makes sense? Vote Ben Cayetano (at least he knows where Lualualei is).
Thank you Ben for standing up against Big Rail interests. There are so many pressing and important issues that effect us daily–poor roads, out dated sewer system–that should come first before a 5+ billion rail line that serves certain business interests! Thank you for restoring faith and accountability in our elected officails!
- Serving in the military…
With Dr. Prevedorous consulting, it would be like a fresh breeze from the ocean for Cayetano to tell everyone “I feel your suffering several hours a week stuck in traffic. So I intend to l find a way to bring relieve traffic congestion and ease everyone’s commute. In the meantime, I intend to ease the afternoon commute by working with the Governor in implementing the state’s PM contra-flow lane project.”
It would surprise Carlisle and Caldwell and endear Cayteno to the hearts of the riding public should Cayetano also announce in his campaign that he would also attempt to ease traffic congestion in main thoroughfares such as Kamehameha, Moanalua and Nimitz highways with the installation of a new Self-Organizing or Self-Regulating Traffic Light System.