Honolulu Mayor Lends Support to Democratic Candidates
Kirk Caldwell is hosting a fundraiser for David Ige and a press conference for Mark Takai.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has been lending his support to fellow Democrats he鈥檇 like to see win this November, namely state Sen. David Ige in his bid for governor and state Rep. Mark Takai in his run for Congress.
Caldwell for re-election back in July. But he鈥檚 apparently put the governor鈥檚 stunning two-to-one loss to Ige in the August primary behind him.听
The mayor is for Ige鈥檚 campaign, which could definitely use the cash, next week at the Honolulu Country Club. The suggested donation is $50.听
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, seen here after he won election in 2012, is lending his support to help fellow Democrats win this year.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
Ige had a slight edge in Civil Beat鈥檚 poll last month over Republican Duke Aiona. Both candidates had a double-digit lead over Independent Mufi Hannemann and Libertarian Jeff Davis.
In doing his part for Takai, Caldwell planned to hold a press conference today to announce the launch of the new veteran designation on Hawaii driver鈥檚 licenses, instruction permits and state ID cards.
Takai introduced , which took effect today, that lets people with the proper paperwork add a veteran status to their license.听
The bill sailed through the Legislature last session with no opposition, save for .听
鈥淭he DOT appreciates the efforts and the contributions the veterans have sacrificed for our country. However, such designation does not contribute to the function of the driver鈥檚 license, and it will take up limited space on the card that may be needed in the future to meet other license requirements.鈥
A media adivsory from Takai鈥檚 legislative office suggests the designation on the licenses will help U.S. Armed Services veterans avoid having to carry their discharge or separation papers to prove their status. The advisory notes that 47 other states have passed similar legislation.
Takai, a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Army National Guard, is trying to secure as many votes from veterans as possible. He鈥檚 running to represent urban Oahu鈥檚 1st Congressional District against Republican Charles Djou, a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Caldwell鈥檚 help in letting people know Takai tried to help vets in this way certainly won鈥檛 hurt his effort to woo voters.
Takai trailed Djou by 4 points in the most recent Civil Beat poll.
