Hawaii 24/7

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Pete Hoffmann and Shirley Ito have been named as the county’s Outstanding Older Americans of the Year. Former county councilman Hoffmann, of Waikoloa, was recognized Tuesday afternoon for his dedication to the island and his community service. Gov. Neil Abercrombie was on hand to present a commendation from himself and […]

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Pete Hoffmann | Special to Hawaii 24/7 Despite some misgivings, I’m finding I’m unable to simply fade into the woodwork after eight years in county politics. I doubt anyone who’s even remotely interested in what’s happening locally would be able to ‘turn off the faucet’ and evaporate in an instant. Therefore, a few opinions are […]

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Pete Hoffmann | Special to Hawaii 24/7 Normally I write about some politically related issue that is capturing the local headlines. Permit me to change gears a little and relate a sports story. On Nov. 15, the Hawaiian Pride Senior Softball Team won the 2012 Winter World Championships in the 70+ age group, Major League […]

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County Councilman Pete Hoffmann submitted the following: Last Saturday evening, we were visited once again by a frequent, if not welcomed, visitor, i.e. the threat of a tsunami. This was the third such event in the past 32 months and permitted island residents and agencies to participate in what is fast becoming an island staple, […]

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County Councilman Pete Hoffmann submitted the following: Probably no issue in recent memory has as many twists and turns as the discussion regarding Bill 256. We have a cast of supposed villains, heroes, politicians, angry constituents, and an almost endless litany of related topics to add spice to the confused mix. We have the ‘perfect […]

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From County Councilman Pete Hoffmann: No one even remotely connected with County operations would deny that the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is one of the more complex and difficult operations to control. Add also the somewhat emotional reactions of County residents to the various issues that are involved in the DEM arena and the […]

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Councilman Pete Hoffmann submitted the following commentary Wednesday, Feb. 22: The once-every-10-year convening of the county’s Redistricting Commission tends to cloud the significance and importance of its work. No one should underestimate the impact this commission’s decisions have on county politics. In some cases, the drawing of district boundaries causes little alteration, but as the […]

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Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor Mayor Billy Kenoi has signed the plastic bag reduction ordinance. Kenoi signed the bill Monday, Jan. 16, before he left for the United States Conference of Mayors in Washington, D. C. The bill phases out the use of plastic bags at checkout counters in stores over the next year, […]

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Hawaii 24/7 Staff Attorney and blogger Margaret Wille has announced she will run for the District 9 County Council seat. That seat currently is held by Pete Hoffmann, who cannot run again due to term limits. Wille has issued the following statement: A number of months ago, Councilman Pete Hoffmann called and asked me to […]

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After drawn-out process, council approves plan by minimum 5-3 vote

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Special to Hawaii 24/7 by Councilman Pete Hoffmann I know this is only November, but the first rumbles from the next budget ‘brawl’ have appeared. Perhaps that’s not such a terrible thing; after all, the budget should remain one of the principal legislative measures throughout the year, particularly in time of economic distress. First we […]

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Councilman Pete Hoffmann has issued the following statement: On Sept. 21, in a surprising reversal of its Planning Committee recommendation two weeks previous, the County Council voted 5-4 to defeat the long-anticipated Impact Fee legislation.    Despite the obvious need (expressed by almost everyone even remotely involved on this issue) to revamp the current ineffective […]

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(Reader Opinions Disclaimer: This column allows members of the community to share their opinions and views, which do not necessarily reflect those of Hawaii 24/7, its staff, sponsors or anyone other than the writer. Hawaii 24/7 reserves the right to refuse any column deemed to be misinformation, of an unethical nature, a personal attack, or […]

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Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann released the following statement Monday evening: Recently there has been some speculation regarding my political aspirations since I am prohibited from running for a fifth consecutive term as Councilman next year. I’ll admit that I have fueled some of that speculation and indicated that I am considering whether I should campaign […]

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