District 11 voters have a huge choice this November.
On one hand is incumbent Tea Partyer George Fontaine. He is already sticking to a series of personal attacks while completely side-stepping issues. That was his 2008 pattern, it got worse in 2010 and he's doing it again via snide remarks that how long someone's lived here makes the most difference.
Fontaine took credit for bills passed that were not his. He ignored legislative procedures and created a committee and held hearings for which he was reprimanded by the House speaker. And Fontaine does not tell the truth. During Akaku's primary coverage, Fontaine claimed he did not know about the mega-mall issues until this June. However, his wife and/or a close cohort attends every Kihei Community Association meeting where, since mid-2011, members have loudly complained about the project. Only when the proverbial barn door was opened and the horses fled, i.e., far too late for any effective action, did Fontaine bother contacting state officials.
We deserve far better, more effective representation. Going door to door, Kaniela Ing has talked to 10,000-plus South Maui households. Because of that, he knows issues ranging from slow progress of our high school, flooding in north Kihei, dangerous traffic patterns along Piilani Highway and off-shore sewage contamination of our reefs.
Ing will continue meeting South Mauians while Fontaine will continue his sniping and personal attacks. That's quite a contrast, and makes choosing our representative quite easy.
M. J. Duberstein
Kihei
