Posted on: Monday, October 18, 2004
Candidates name ice, Ha'iku Stairs as Kane'ohe priorities
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Crystal methamphetamine use and the future of the Ha'iku Stairs area are among the top issues for voters in the 48th House District, an area that includes most of the Kane'ohe region.
Age: 60 Family: Married, one daughter, four grandsons Occupation: Full-time legislator, former schoolteacher One Big Idea: "Create more traffic relief to our Kane'ohe neighborhood streets. (One idea is) Building an off-ramp from Likelike Highway, right after the Wilson Tunnel, Kane'ohe-bound, to the H-3. A lot of people now come out from the Wilson Tunnel, go all the way down to Kane'ohe, and then go through the neighborhood streets to get on to Kamehameha Highway, and then proceed on to the H-3 or Kailua. It's a safety factor." Age: 24 Family: Engaged Occupation: Chief of staff to state Sen. Bob Hogue
One Big Idea: "What I would like to see taught in public schools, maybe to help the curriculum, is at least a semester of public awareness or public knowledge of Hawai'i's laws. And I'm not saying something detailed like law school. But kids these days don't know how their actions can actually break the law and how they may affect their futures, or may affect other people. I think if we start to educate our youth at a younger level, we may see a change in their actions." Ito beat Republican challenger Sam Moku handily two years ago, by a count of 5,451 votes to 3,839 votes. But in the gubernatorial race in the same election, the district gave Republican Linda Lingle the nod over Mazie Hirono, 4,771 votes to 4,666.
"Our No. 1 problem, like in many communities, is crystal meth usage," said Roy Yanagihara, chairman of the Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board, who noted that Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona has cited Kane'ohe as one of the communities in the state that has encountered some of the biggest ice-related issues.
"It causes a lot of family problems," he said. "The kids, they don't want to go home, No. 1, and No. 2, it causes a problem in the surrounding neighborhoods. The usage of meth has caused an increase in things like property crimes, burglaries, etc., in Kane'ohe."
The message is not lost on either Ito or Leong. Both men say fighting crime and the war on ice are high priorities.
Ito said he will lobby for more funding for drug treatment programs and law-enforcement initiatives.
"We have to get more money for treatment for these people," Ito said. The five-term incumbent also believes tougher penalties for drug-related crimes may also act as a deterrent.
Ito further wants to fight for money to put more state sheriffs and drug-sniffing dogs on the street to fight the ice problem. And he wants to lobby for more funding of prevention programs "to try to catch the front end of the problem," he said.
The 48th House District encompasses most of Kane'ohe, including Ha'iku Valley, Keapuka and Kapunahala.
Ethnicity (how people listed themselves in the 2000 U.S. Census):
2 or more races 27.8 percent
Japanese 26.7 percent
Caucasian 16.0 percent
Native Hawaiian 10.1 percent
Chinese 5.3 percent
Filipino 4.4 percent
Age (18 and older in the 2000 U.S. Census):
65-plus 20 percent
50-64 21 percent
40-49 22 percent 30-39 19 percent
20-29 15 percent
18-19 3 percent Leong said he has begun lobbying support to bring a centralized youth center in Kane'ohe that would provide prevention mentoring programs for area youths.
Leong wants to see a public-private partnership that would include the Boys and Girls Club of Hawai'i and Spectrum Health Systems.
Another key issue in the neighborhood is the fate of the Ha'iku Stairs hiking trail. Officially closed to the public since 1987, the trail nonetheless draws scores of hikers each week.
While some people in Kane'ohe favor opening the site, the situation has raised the ire of residents living near the stairs who say they are subjected to incessant intrusions by indifferent trespassers.
The fate of the site is in the hands of the Honolulu City Council, which has shelved Mayor Jeremy Harris' plan to open the facility, which would include a small park at the base of the stairs as well as parking.
The plan calls for the city's obtaining land near the stairs from the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in exchange for a parcel of city land next to a DHHL housing project in 'Ewa.
Ito said he opposes the land swap until he sees specific plans that allay the residents' concerns. That would include a park entrance away from the residential area, as well as adequate parking, restrooms and security, he said.
Ito had introduced legislation to have the trail torn down, but said he was not serious about that and did it only to press the city into action.
Ito said he's not against opening the trail, but "if the residents are happy, I'm happy. I just represented their concerns because nobody really went to bat for them."
Leong, who chaired a Ha'iku Stairs subcommittee while on the Kane'ohe Neighborhood board, said he backs the land swap as recommended by the subcommittee.
"In order to relieve the residents from the trespassing, in order to allow hikers to get to the stairs, you do need the land swap," Leong said. "You can't get one without the other."
The subcommittee's report, he said, recommends an alternative access road alongside the Windward Community College and the Hawai'i State Hospital.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
Democratic incumbent Rep. Ken Ito is being challenged by Republican Keoki Leong, an aide to state Sen. Bob Hogue, in the Nov. 2 general election.
KEN ITO (D)
KEOKI LEONG (R)
Leong believes prevention is the key component for fighting the drug epidemic. "We need to keep our children away from a life of getting involved in crime and drugs," he said. "The best solution that I see is to give our children positive choices in life, and alternatives."
HOUSE DISTRICT 48 DEMOGRAPHICS
