Hawaii Deserves Della Au Belatti as Its LG: Leadership Working People Can Trust
In a live-streamed and televised lieutenant governor forum on Hawaii News Now, Mayor Derek Kawakami’s unfitness for office was on full display. In contrast, state Rep. Della Au Belatti showed why she’s the real anti-corruption candidate working people can trust.
Here are three moments that prove Kawakami doesn’t deserve to be Hawaii’s lieutenant governor.
1. He shrugged off his receipt of $15,000 in campaign donations from convicted felon Milton Choy, and his refusal to return the money, as “old news.”
But here’s the thing: If that were true, why did he only recently (July 8, to be exact) decide to return the dirty money, some four years after insisting he should be allowed to keep it?
Could it be the June 28 Civil Beat article, which highlighted Kawakami’s refusal to return the funds, and HGEA’s July 7 news release slamming his comments? Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Sen. Ron Kouchi, and many others gave back the money in 2022. Why did Kawakami only now decide to change his tune?
During this exchange, Kawakami also disclosed the County of Kauai has multiple contracts with Choyʻs company and that his administration, and he believes they don’t represent any quid pro quo, having gone through procurement processes.
2. He’s beholden to big money interests, not working people. Just look at the wealthy, mainland-connected developers on his supporter list.
Private developers are flooding our local politics with millions of dollars in an attempt to turn Hawaii into a playground for the rich. That’s why so many Hawaii families are watching their children pack their bags for the mainland because the rent is too high and the wages aren’t enough.
We don’t need more luxury condos and resorts. That’s what Kawakami’s wealthy backers represent. Working people deserve someone working to make Hawaii affordable for everyday people.
3. He refuses to be an independent voice as lieutenant governor, which the Hawaii state constitution empowers the LG to be.
Whereas Belatti vows she will bring the voices of working people to the decision table, Kawakami said he doesn’t have any interest in being an independent member of the executive branch.
He belittled Belatti’s insistence that the LG is empowered to be a separate voice within the executive branch by saying, “right now we don’t need more watchdogs, we have a lot of watchdogs.”