Hirono endorsed by environmentalists
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau Chief
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mazie Hirono won endorsements from two prominent environmental groups yesterday, who praised Hirono's voting record in the state Legislature and criticized Republican Linda Lingle's actions as Maui mayor.
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In another endorsement yesterday, Hirono and running mate Matt Matsunaga won the backing of the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, an association of 14 construction trade unions with a combined membership of 23,000.
The Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, Hawaii Coalition of Conservation Voters and the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council all endorse Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mazie Hirono and her running mate Matt Matsunaga.
The Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter and Hawaii Coalition of Conservation Voters both endorsed Hirono, a Democrat.
"Mazie will represent not change for the worse, but change for the improvement," said Steven Montgomery, a conservation biologist and member of the league's steering committee. "Her opponent, Linda Lingle, doesn't have a record to run on, but a record to run from, as far as the environmental record."
Hirono reminded listeners of her support for the state Land Use Commission and state Water Commission. Environmentalists tend to support those agencies, which Lingle has argued should be abolished to allow the counties to handle land and water use decisions.
Hirono also noted that she backs the bottle bill passed this year, charging a 5-cent deposit on bottles and cans. Lingle opposes the measure, saying it is anti-competitive and does nothing to create a market for recyclable products.
