hunterbishop.com

You may have noticed the Mayor's Poll is no longer up. This particular poll created a lot more information than the one before and I'm sorting through all of it now. There was good response and perhaps some surprising results. I'll have them in some presentable format here by Monday.

I went to Billy Kenoi's Talk Story at the Pahoa Community Center Friday and saw some familiar bloggers, at least familiar to me online. Some I hadn't met in person before like cartoonist Greg Henkel. Some have already posted comments. Even "not a blogger" Billy Kenoi himself responded to James Weatherford who couldn't make it to Pahoa on Friday.

Weatherford probably would have wanted Kenoi to say without equivocation that an incinerator will never be built, and he'd  probably chide Kenoi for doubting whether we can double our recycling rate any time soon. Kenoi said a lot but didn't say "no incinerators." Yet as Jerry Carr noted, Kenoi's evaluation of solid waste solutions gave waste-to-energy plants low marks.

Kenoi also said trucking to Puuanahulu was a possible solution but wasn't enthusiastic about that either. He also said somebody told him a landfill could be built in East Hawaii faster than a WTE plant, which sure sounds like some good sales pitch to me.

Bale-and-barge is the other alternative. But estimates now show it's more expensive than trucking rubbish to Kona.

Bear in mind two things: The only long-term solution that wouldn't involve trucking some rubbish to West Hawaii daily is a new East Hawaii landfill; and, in the short term, trucking rubbish to West Hawaii is inevitable.

I've said here before that I'm impressed with Kenoi among a strong field of mayoral candidates. Still plenty of people tell me they aren't happy without Andy Levin on the ballot. So maybe I'll put Andy in the next poll whether lightning strikes or not, just to tempt the gods and see what happens.

Meanwhile, one of the more respected private polls now circulating among county politicos has Inouye leading the race and showing strength among older voters familiar with her long history and record of public service. I'd suspect that support to have peaked, however, and that Kenoi will continue to impress people a few at a time as he did Friday among a wider range of age groups. Inouye's large, loyal constituency could be stagnant, while Kenoi's support will grow every time he meets voters like he did Friday night.