This commentary was published originally in The Garden Island newspaper on Nov. 16, 2020. _______________ Gov. David Ige is rightly considering cuts to the state budget to compensate for Hawai‘i’s dizzying drop in tax revenues due to the coronavirus lockdown. One tool that could help would be for the state
Photo by Charley Myers The Hawaii Legislature suspended its 2020 session in early March because of the coronavirus situation, but eventually it will get back to business, and when it does, consideration of the long-proposed Hawaii Airports Corporation should be one of its priorities. Such an entity could be crucial
Photo by Charley Myers The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has produced a new video that explains in only 61 seconds why Hawaii’s 15 state-run airports should be managed by a semi-independent airports corporation. Privatization would be ideal, but an airport corporation still would mean less government and bureaucratic inefficiency.
This article was published originally on Friday, Feb. 7, in The Maui News. ____________ Hawaii is a state that relies on its airports, so it is astounding that we are taking so long to adopt a proven airport-management model that could turn our airports into shining examples of what Hawaii
Photo by Charley Myers Efforts to reform management of Hawaii’s state airports haven’t failed for lack of trying. Hawaii state Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D, District 4) has submitted bills four years in a row[1] to establish a semi-independent Hawaii Airport Corporation, all to no avail. But maybe the fifth time will
This commentary was published originally Oct. 10, 2019, in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Honolulu policymakers are increasingly pursuing private-public partnerships for the city’s large infrastructure projects, allegedly to introduce efficiency or good financial management, but also, it appears, as a way to avoid exceeding the city’s legal “debt affordability limit.” This
Hawaii’s state and county governments aren’t known for delivering high-quality public services in a cost-efficient manner. Nationwide, Hawaii has the second highest per capita tax burden, yet its taxpayers have the worst “return on investment” in terms of how well their public services are delivered. But what if, in order
It didn’t take long for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s newest policy report, “How to revive contracting as a policy option in Hawaii,” to receive some thoughtful media attention. Publicly released on Wednesday, March 13, the report describes the legal obstacles that have made it difficult for Hawaii’s state and county governments to
Imagine that you’ve just been appointed to a managerial position in county government. You’re looking for ways to make your department run more efficiently and you notice that janitorial services have been a perpetual headache for previous managers. Filling the positions is difficult, the work is spotty, and it uses
Hawaii lawmakers need greater flexibility in determining how to deliver public services. HONOLULU, Mar. 13, 2019 >> A small tweak to an old law might be all that is needed to help the state partner with the private sector, according to a new report by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, “How
This commentary was published originally in The Garden Island newspaper on Nov. 16, 2020. _______________ Gov. David Ige is rightly considering cuts to the state budget to compensate for Hawai‘i’s dizzying drop in tax revenues due to the coronavirus lockdown. One tool that could help would be for the state
Photo by Charley Myers The Hawaii Legislature suspended its 2020 session in early March because of the coronavirus situation, but eventually it will get back to business, and when it does, consideration of the long-proposed Hawaii Airports Corporation should be one of its priorities. Such an entity could be crucial
Photo by Charley Myers The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has produced a new video that explains in only 61 seconds why Hawaii’s 15 state-run airports should be managed by a semi-independent airports corporation. Privatization would be ideal, but an airport corporation still would mean less government and bureaucratic inefficiency.
This article was published originally on Friday, Feb. 7, in The Maui News. ____________ Hawaii is a state that relies on its airports, so it is astounding that we are taking so long to adopt a proven airport-management model that could turn our airports into shining examples of what Hawaii
Photo by Charley Myers Efforts to reform management of Hawaii’s state airports haven’t failed for lack of trying. Hawaii state Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D, District 4) has submitted bills four years in a row[1] to establish a semi-independent Hawaii Airport Corporation, all to no avail. But maybe the fifth time will
This commentary was published originally Oct. 10, 2019, in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Honolulu policymakers are increasingly pursuing private-public partnerships for the city’s large infrastructure projects, allegedly to introduce efficiency or good financial management, but also, it appears, as a way to avoid exceeding the city’s legal “debt affordability limit.” This
Hawaii’s state and county governments aren’t known for delivering high-quality public services in a cost-efficient manner. Nationwide, Hawaii has the second highest per capita tax burden, yet its taxpayers have the worst “return on investment” in terms of how well their public services are delivered. But what if, in order
It didn’t take long for the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s newest policy report, “How to revive contracting as a policy option in Hawaii,” to receive some thoughtful media attention. Publicly released on Wednesday, March 13, the report describes the legal obstacles that have made it difficult for Hawaii’s state and county governments to
Imagine that you’ve just been appointed to a managerial position in county government. You’re looking for ways to make your department run more efficiently and you notice that janitorial services have been a perpetual headache for previous managers. Filling the positions is difficult, the work is spotty, and it uses
Hawaii lawmakers need greater flexibility in determining how to deliver public services. HONOLULU, Mar. 13, 2019 >> A small tweak to an old law might be all that is needed to help the state partner with the private sector, according to a new report by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, “How