HONOLULU -- State Sen. President Shan Tsutsui has sent a letter to Gov. Neil Abercrombie requesting that the state consider buying Lanai, which is for sale.
Currently, state, county, business and union officials say the sale of the island is imminent. But some Lanai residents worry about who will buy the island, of which more than 97 percent has been under the ownership of billionaire David Murdock since 1985.
"The uncertainty that the potential sale represents presents grave concerns of the future of the people of Lanai," said Senator Tsutsui in a news release Wednesday. "The continued private ownership of Lanai may prove detrimental to the people of Lanai and the state, as a private owner is not subject to public, community, or government input in making decisions that can and will affect such parties."
Tsutsui sent the letter to Abercrombie on Tuesday. Reportedly, the asking price for the island is between $500 million and $600 million.
For more, see Thursday's editions of The Maui News.
