Remove ImagesThe Exchange
The Exchange
March 29, 2007
WHO GAVE: Thomas M. Cook
WHO RECEIVED: Mayor Charmaine Tavares
DATE: June 30, 2006
AMOUNT: $1,000
Tom Cook builds things. He runs TMC General Contractors, sits on the
General Plan Advisory Committee and is a past president of the Maui
Contractors Association. When critics talk about Mayor Charmaine
Tavares being friendly to builders and developers, they point to Cook's
campaign contribution, cited above. That's why it wasn't surprising to
read in The Maui News that
last week Tavares made a trip over to the Maui Contractors Association
and told them pretty much exactly what they wanted to hear: it needs to
be easier to get things built on Maui. "I sure don't like the way
things are," Tavares told the group, according to the Mar. 23 Maui News.
"That's one of the reasons I ran for this office." That last part I
found especially interesting, since I don't recall Tavares' mayoral
platform including the phrase "make building permits easier to get,"
though I suppose her promises "to deliver effective public services"
and "[lead] a government that is accessible and responsible" could be
interpreted that way.