That Gov. Lingle (a former Maui County Councilmember and Mayor) is a frequent target of criticism in these pages is no secret. She just gives so much ammo: from the Superferry to work furloughs, Lingle is nothing if not a magnet for controversy. Clearly she has her supporters, but they seem to be in shorter supply these days, veto PR stunts notwithstanding. As we prepare to close the book on her eight-year reign, the Lingle Administration gets low marks for transparency and compromise, two essential qualities for effective leadership. Next year Hawaii will get a new governor; whoever that person is, they’ll inherit a state with a lot of issues, many of which can, and should, be pinned on Lingle. JS
What is there to say about Gov. Linda Lingle that hasn’t already been said (much of it in these pages)? From the Superferry boondoggle to the Furlough Friday dustup to her recent veto of civil union bill HB444, she has been consistently—and often woefully—out of tune with the best interests of Hawaii. The good news is her eight years are nearly up, and in November we’ll elect a new leader, hopefully one with the fortitude and foresight to guide the state forward rather than holding it back.
Technically Lingle hasn’t been a public official since she left the Hawaii governor’s office in 2010, but here campaign to replace retiring U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D, Hawaii) is close enough for me. Our readers think she’s scary, but there’s a very real chance the state’s voters (who twice elected her governor) will send the Republican who tried to Hawaii Superferry sail past our state’s environmental laws while killing same-sex marriages to Washington, DC to represent us in the United States Senate. She has long called herself a moderate, but the nearly $30,000 she’s already taken from Goldman Sachs and the $95,700 she’s accepted from Big Oil (according to the Center for Responsive Politics) say otherwise.
Entertainment and lifestyle news for Maui, Hawaii and the surrounding Islands. Maui Time Weekly is Mauis only independent and locally owned newspaper.
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