I was shocked when I encountered the cynicism of many of my friends. They abandoned hope that government could help to create a better world or do anything other than regulation. They don’t believe that the candidates would commit or stand by their commitments.
I do believe that good government is essential. Maybe I have to thank my upbringing in Germany, far away from neo-liberalist ideology. I think that good government has a role to play in forming and steering markets towards the common good. Otherwise, people will just go for the quick buck.
Nowhere is this more needed than in the world’s historic move to new energy sources.
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Candidates who responded as of press time
The responses from the candidates are still arriving, and I was happy to read and hear that they will stand by the recommendations, had well thought-out comments and are willing to give clean energy on Maui a big boost. I am impressed by all of these wonderful, intelligent people, who are giving years of their life to public service to make all of our lives better.
The results are too voluminous to print here, but are published and updated at the end of this column at www.mauiweekly.com and at CleanEnergyMaui.com.
All the commitments and all the statements from the candidate’s Websites are collected there for everyone to see. Please go there, inform yourself and vote.
Article PDFs
But the good news goes beyond that. After the election, whatever the outcome, the new County Council will have a majority of members who are already committed to most, if not all 12 action steps.
Within the next months, a bill will be written and passed which will advance Maui by 10 years in the race to renewable energy.
Chris Mentzel, CEO of Clean Energy Maui LLC, consults with governments and businesses in Hawai‘i to secure a quick transition to a clean energy future. His goal is to end oil use on Maui by 2020. He can be reached through www.CleanEnergyMaui.com or at (808) 205-0392.
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Candidates who responded as of press time:
Mayor
Charmaine Tavares
West Maui County Council
Elle Cochran, Alan Fukuyama
Wailuku-Waihe‘e-Waikapū County Council
Lisa Gapero
South Maui County Council
Don Couch, Wayne Nishiki
Councilmember Makawao-Ha‘ikū-Pā‘ia
Kai Nishiki, Mike White
Upcountry County Council
Gladys Coelho Baisa
Lāna‘i County Council
Riki Hokama, Matthew Mano
Moloka‘i County Council
Danny Mateo
Article responses are included at Article PDFs box above.
