‘Take a stand,’ make vote count — political leaders

Article Photos

WAILUKU - State and county political leaders urged hundreds of Maui labor union workers and their families Sunday to get out and vote this fall.

"You need to elect those who represent you, those who represent labor," Maui County Council Chair Riki Hokama told the crowd gathered at the ILWU Labor Day picnic Sunday at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center.

Hokama was the only speaker in the picnic's formal program ineligible to run for office this year. Election rules prohibit council members from serving more than five consecutive terms.

Hokama has said he intends to run for an elected office after a two-year break. "It has been a lifetime experience for me," said Hokama, the son of the late County Council Chairman and Lanai political leader Goro Hokama.

Fred Galdones, local title officer and International Longshore and Warehouse Union president for Hawaii, opened the formal program by telling union members that despite the downturn in the economy, they should fight for better working conditions and salaries. "Unity is strength," Galdones said, encouraging workers to get behind the candidates the union has endorsed for election.

Sunday's endorsed speakers included U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, from the 1st Congressional District; U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, 2nd District; state Sen. Roz Baker, representing West Maui and South Maui; and state Rep. Joe Souki of Wailuku, all Democrats.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares, a Republican elected through a nonpartisan election and not up for election this year, was also welcomed to the stage.

The Democratic speakers all put their support behind their presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and his vice presidential running mate, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

"We cannot have four more years with a Republican. Take a stand, make your vote count," Galdones said.

He said Hawaii has a chance to vote for "a local boy" for president, pointing out Obama's ties to the state where he was cared for by his grandparents and graduated from Punahou School on Oahu.

Abercrombie gave the feistiest speech of all, criticizing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and his choice of a vice president in Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. He called the choice "an insult to women."

"They're trying to fool you," Abercrombie said. "She's against everything Hillary Clinton stands for. She's against everything the ILWU has stood for."

Abercrombie promised that Obama would "look out for every working man and woman in this country," and said he would too. "I will back up the working man and woman until the day I die," Abercrombie pledged.

Hirono, the congressional representative of District 2, of which Maui County is a part, said she was energized by the Democratic convention held in Denver last week. She said emotions ran high with the appearance and speech by U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, who lost to Obama in a fierce fight for the presidential nomination.

"The country is changing," Hirono said as she urged Maui laborers to join Clinton in supporting Obama. "It's going where it should be."

* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.