Archive for Hawaii
Recent Stories for Hawaii
Honolulu judge rules in favor of anti-rail petition
Category: City Government · State: Hawaii · Source: Bizjournals
A Honolulu judge ruled Thursday that the city clerk’s office must accept an anti-rail petition. Members of Stop Rail Now say they believe the ruling paves the way to allow Oahu residents to vote on a proposed ordinance this fall that reads, “Honolulu mass transit shall not include trains or rail.” Circuit Court Judge Karl Sakamoto’s decision means the city clerk must accept and verify within 20 days whether Stop Rail Now has gathered a sufficient number of valid signatures. City Clerk Denise De Costa had argued the petition was delivered too late to be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot. Stop Rail Now said it has collected more than 49,000 signatures and will deliver the petition Thursday afternoon.
Anti-rail group revives petition
Category: City Government · State: Hawaii · Source: Honolulu Star Bulletin
Leaders of an anti-rail group say they have collected enough signatures for a petition initiative that could stop the city’s proposed $4 billion rail transit system. They planned to submit it to the City Clerk's Office by 2 p.m. today. Cliff Slater, an organizer of Stop Rail Now, said they had collected about 49,000 signatures as of yesterday, when they made their final rally for signatures outside the organization's South Street headquarters.
Initiative Derailed by Wording
Category: City Government · State: Hawaii · Source: Honolulu Star-Bulltin
The city clerk says "no" to a citizen's petition drive trying to block the $4 billion city rail transit plan. The decision yesterday afternoon from City Clerk Denise De Costa means she will not put the issue on the November ballot, regardless of whether Stop Rail Now receives enough signatures. De Costa says the City Charter prohibits a special initiative issue from being placed on the ballot within 180 days of an election. Stop Rail Now organizers, however, say the clerk is wrong and they are still collecting signatures and are mulling over a court challenge. In the meantime, anti-rail organizers plan to continue collecting signatures that would also be valid for a special election scheduled at a later time.
Pro-Rail Opponents of Voter Initiative are 'Enemies of Democracy' in Hawaii
Category: Transportation · State: Hawaii · Source: Hawaii Reporter
Referring to opponents of voter initiative on the rail project as “enemies of democracy,” Stop Rail Now’s volunteer campaign manager Eric Ryan lashed out at high-ranking members of the local political scene for attempting to thwart the will of Oahu voters by intentionally undermining the petition process. In response to rail supporter State House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell’s statement in Sunday’s edition of The Honolulu Advertiser, who said “Now is the time to fight the ballot initiative. A vote on rail could signal the death knell for the project”, Ryan accused Caldwell of intentionally turning a deaf ear to voters from Waimanalo to Manoa to Waianae. Ryan said, “These voters and taxpayers have rights under the City Charter and they are determined to exercise those rights because, even after all the lies told by the Hannemann administration, voters can see right through the get-rich-quick scheme that the rail project clearly is.”
Monthly Archives for Hawaii
- August 2008 (2)
- July 2008 (2)