Letters To The Editor
April 19, 2006 - MidWeek
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Del.icio.usCaptures essence
Thank you so much for the excellent cover story that, I have been told, was heartfelt and warm, and that it truly captured the essence of the Sex Abuse Treatment Center (and me!). Thank you for letting the community know that SATC is a place to turn to for support in such situations and that there is life after sexual assault.
Adriana Ramelli
Honolulu
Salute social work
I was filled with pride when I saw two MidWeek cover stories devoted to social workers. Both Steve Molner (“A Save Haven for War Veterans,” March 22) and Adriana Ramelli (“Standing Up for Rape Victims,” April 5) are graduates of the University of Hawaii School of Social Work.
Many years ago when I was a social work student at UH, I volunteered for the Sex Abuse Treatment Center. Adriana Ramelli’s supervision and mentoring set me on a career path that included working with victims of domestic and sexual violence and ultimately, for techniques, she provided me with a context from which to see victims of trauma that continues to guide my work today. She is one of Hawaii’s most stellar social workers and I am proud to have been mentored by her.
Many of the leaders in our community have their beginnings in social work. Gene Awakuni, chancellor of the University of Hawaii’s West Oahu campus (pictured along with Molnar in the earlier article), our police chief Boisse Correa, the chair of OHA’s Board of Trustees Haunani Apoliona - these are just a few of the school’s alums who improve the quality of life in Hawaii.
Jackie Graessle, MSW University of Hawaii School of Social Work
Paying Harris’ bills
In his letter, Jason Koka’aina wrote Mayor Hannemann should be chastised for accusing former Mayor Harris of being a “media hog” then goes on to accuse Mayor Hannemann of doing even more media hogging citing a count of press releases from Harris in 2004 versus Mayor Hannemann’s number of press releases in 2005.
Seems that Mr. Kokaaina is the one with the short memory! Folks will recall that former Mayor Harris virtually disappeared from the “PR” scene after being chased out of the 2002 governor’s race because of illegal contributions to his campaign committee, and because scathing audits of the city’s finances were revealing what Mufi Hannemann had been saying for years, that the city has almost $3 billion in debt and deferred maintenance! That is why Harris had so few press releases in 2004.
Furthermore, while rain does contribute to potholes, the fact is that when Mayor Harris, under City Council pressure, finally started to repave roads, his repaving was a “cosmetic” fix where crews were laying down as little as one inch of asphalt.Waialae Avenue received such a repaving, and I watched huge chunks of the asphalt break off at the one-inch depth during the recent rains.
Mayor Hannemann’s road maintenance chiefs are being instructed to correctly pave with four inches of AC that would have held up even under the torrential rains we just had. Once again, the potholes Mayor Hannemann is fixing (like the city’s finances and sewers) are because of the shortsighted policies and practices of Mayor Harris.
I am glad we now have a mayor who has the courage to face our fiscal and maintenance issues, instead of pandering to citizens who cry about their services and property taxes while forgetting that they have a credit card bill to pay from the previous mayor.
Craig Y. Watase
Honolulu
An inside job
I am not interested in making letters to the editor a tit-for-tat spitting contest between Mufi Hannemann’s administration and those who disagree with him. But a response to an earlier letter of mine from Keith Rollman demands people know how things are done at City Hall.
Mr. Rollman is the special adviser, or deputy, to the director of the Department of Information Technology. To write a letter slamming Bob Jones and supporting the administration without properly identifying himself is disingenuous and a poor example of openness in government, something on which press secretary Bill Brennan says the administration prides itself.
Jason Kokaaina
Waipahu
Send your letters to MidWeek Letters, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 500, Honolulu, HI. 96813; by fax to 585-6324, or by email to dchapman@midweek.com. Please include your name, address and daytime and evening phone numbers. We print only the letters that include this information, but only your name and area of residence will appear in print. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
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