Letters: Bill 41 would penalize owners of real estate on Oahu; Red Hill tank proposal makes sense; Fire those involved in hiring football coaches
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Our City Council is moving forward with Bill 41, which would adversely affect the property values and rights of all Oahu homeowners (“Honolulu Council Considers New Short-Term Rental Rules,” Star-Advertiser, January 25).
This bill would make it illegal to rent your home to anyone for less than 90 days. After years of negotiations, Bill 89 was recently passed to address unregulated short-term rentals, which have proved problematic in certain areas. The city declined to hire the budgeted agents to enforce the rules.
Tenant noise and traffic congestion caused by short-term tenants are most often cited as the main motives for this bill. However, exceptions are proposed for both students and military personnel. Does anyone think that living next to a bunch of college students or a house full of young Marines in our neighborhood will be less disruptive than visiting family from Wisconsin?
Regardless of the financial contribution visitors make to our tax base and community retail operations, punishing all Oahu real estate owners to satisfy the special interests of corporations is not fair to anyone.
Peter Osborn
Kailua
The Navy must close tanks, present replacement plans
A Dec. 28 Washington Post article said the Navy had had 76 leaks and accidents at the Red Hill fuel farm since its tanks were built.
With such a poor record, is it any surprise that the Navy doesn’t want its full report published (“Navy to suspend full Red Hill fuel Leak Report,” Star-Advertiser, January 25)?
Even more reason to decommission these tanks. Schools or civilians spending thousands of dollars due to the effects of this recent contamination should send all bills to the Navy.
They should also seek answers from the Navy about what it realistically will and could do if 400,000 Honolulu residents lose their access to fresh water due to another leak or spill.
If we don’t see the report, the Navy should at least come up with its contingency plans for the unthinkable.
Angelica Burgermeister
haleiwa
Proposal for Red Hill tanks makes sense
Navy, do what is right. dr Melanie Lau is one of two public members of the Red Hill Fuel Tank Advisory Committee. In her comment (“Navy should do the right thing, not easy,” Star Advertiser, Island Voices, January 23) she made so much sense that I wanted to give her a big Mahalo.
In her recipe for solving our Red Hill crisis, she simply asked the Navy to do what it needs to do: defuel the tanks; Fill the fuel in Par Hawaii tanks and tankers; replacing WWII underground tanks with modern above-ground tanks as at Kitsap, Washington and Point Loma, California; admit your mistakes and do the right thing.
The solution makes sense and makes sense. Why all the resistance?
Helen T Nakano
manoa
We deserve better from the UH administration
The University of Hawaii definitely didn’t want June Jones’ return as the head coach of the Warrior football team. Offering absurd restrictions like a two-year deal and universal approval of all assistant coaches were terms no candidate would even consider. Even Timmy Chang was offered double four-year terms and no restrictions (so far) on assistant manager candidates, proving the point.
It was well known that Jones had problems with the previous UH administration, which refused to address Jones’ concerns about run-down and poorly serviced facilities. To make matters worse, UH was reluctant to negotiate his contract (remember half his salary was paid for by private donors) until Jones began negotiating with Southern Methodist University. After that, UH rushed to get him to reconsider. This shows that UH doesn’t care about the program, but more about how much revenue the team gets from money-paying fans.
I wish Jones and Timmy Chang the best, but UH fans definitely deserve better. UH itself deserves better.
Jon Shimamoto
Mililani
Fire those involved in hiring football coaches
I have no problem with Timmy Chang as the University of Hawaii Warriors’ new football coach, but the way it was handled shows what’s wrong with Hawaii and its politics. You cannot offer one deal to someone and another deal to someone else for the same position. Everyone involved at UH Athletics should be fired, especially the athletics director. And lawmakers should stay out of the day-to-day operations of UH athletics.
Ernie Itoga
Waialae
Incompetence marred negotiations with Jones
The University of Hawaii administration has failed the athletes, the fans, and their commitment to the people of the state of Hawaii. Star Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon is accurate and truth-seeking in his assessments, while UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl tries to cover up.
There is no doubt that hostility is brewing among the university’s current administrators – perhaps because of the manner in which June Jones disclosed the pitiful state of the facilities before his departure, or perhaps because he did not get on his knees to beg for a new contract .
It is a shame that an entire population is exposed to such blatant incompetence. While I certainly wish Timmy Chang the best of luck, it’s important to realize that he’s only being used as a weight to balance the scales of an extremely bad decision.
Mike McInerny
EXPRESS YOURSELF
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