Maui may be paradise but that doesn't mean everything is perfect here. In fact, there are many problems that I feel have been created by the local government. Maui has one of the worst public education systems in the country, a really bad drug problem and the highest jobless rate in a state which has a really high jobless rate.
Our local government has dealt with the jobless problem by putting caps on the number of permits allowed for local business people. All that means is less small local business and more corporate conglomerates. Another brilliant move by our government was to close the Superferry, which put 200 people out of work.
For those reasons, no incumbent member of the County Council deserves to be re-elected, even if he has a son in the major leagues. The Kahului residency seat will soon have a new face as Joe Pontanilla's term is up. We have a guy born in 1955 and another lawyer-turned-politician who claim to have fresh ideas and don't bother to tell the people what they are.
For that reason, I decided to run for the seat myself. Unlike my opponents, I let voters know exactly where I stand. You can see it on Mauih2o.com. I also will not humbly ask for any votes. If you like where I stand, you will vote for me.
Erin McLaughlin
Kahului
