Inside Honolulu: Nov. 17
Welcome to Inside Honolulu! There’s not much on the at Honolulu Hale this week, but there’s always something going on. Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
3:02 p.m. Sam Moku to be Community Services chief nominee
Outgoing director of the city’s Department of Community Services Ernie Martin says Mayor Peter Carlisle is nominating Sam Moku for the position. Moku now works with the Department of Hawaiian Homelands’ .
“He has a lot of experience for this position,” Martin said of his probable replacement. “Sam Moku is a person who has a lot of understanding about affordable housing issues.”
Martin said the mayor is still “combing through r茅sum茅s” to find the right Cabinet-level staffer to lead the Office of Housing.
12:21 p.m. City may seek modifications to sewage consent decree
A consent decree that requires Honolulu to execute billions of dollars in sewer infrastructure upgrades over the next several decades could be finalized within weeks.
The U.S. Department of Justice this week filed a motion to approve the consent decree.
That motion shows the city may seek to modify two aspects of the agreement. Honolulu officials have expressed interest in installing deep gravity tunnels and new pump stations at two sites where the consent decree calls for force main upgrades. City officials still need to study whether tunnels would be preferable before seeking to alter the agreement.
The DOJ characterizes the possible modifications as follows:
“Pending the results of further studies, Honolulu notes that it may seek to modify two provisions in the Decree … These provisions concern the construction of two new force mains, the Kaneohe/Kailua Force Main and Ala Moana Force Main #3 … According to Honolulu, it is investigating whether construction of a project consisting of deep gravity tunnels and new pump stations may be a superior technical solution to either or both of these force main projects.
“Honolulu accepts that it is required to proceed with the force main projects ‘unless and until the Consent Decree is modified to allow for a tunnel alternative.'”
11:57 a.m. Mayor signs homelessness proclamation, still no Housing Office pick
Mayor Peter Carlisle this morning greeted advocates for the homeless in his office, and signed a proclamation, joining cities around the country in declaring this week Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week.
The mayor said he still doesn’t know who he’ll tap to lead the Office of Housing. Carlisle did not support the creation of the office, which voters called for in the Nov. 2 election.
“Essentially, we’re looking at what all of our options are now,” Carlisle said. “We discussed that at length yesterday with Ernie Martin.“
Martin is leaving his post as director of Community Services after his election to the District 2 City Council seat earlier this month.
8:25 a.m. Prevedouros campaigning for 2012
Engineer Panos Prevedouros is already fundraising for his planned 2012 mayoral run. He sent out a mass e-mail yesterday, criticizing new mayor Peter Carlisle, and asking for donations, “however small.”
“What a disappointing start for Carlisle,” Prevedouros wrote. “It is too obvious now that he does not know anybody other than a group of downtown lawyers. So he made Managing Director a deputy prosecutor and reappointed the Mufi cabinet!”
8:19 a.m. Rose Martinez joins District 1 race
Another candidate has thrown her name into the race to serve the remainder of former City Council Chairman Todd Apo‘s term. Civil Beat got a text message from Rose Martinez, who wrote: “I’m also running for city council.”
Friday is the deadline for candidates to file their candidacy papers.
