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Friday, September 30, 2016
As Rail Collapses, Caldwell Laughs All The Way to the Bank
By Rep Charles Djou @ 8:39 PM :: 5600 Views :: Ethics, Rail

As Rail Costs Increase Again, Caldwell Collects Over $200K in Bank Salary and $1Mil in Bank Stock

Message to Supporters                   September 30, 2016

As reported today, the newly constructed rail system which has yet to be completed is FALLING APART. And to make matters worse the price tag has increased yet AGAIN and the timeline for completion extended.  Meanwhile, Caldwell has been using his position as Mayor to enrich himself -- making $200,000-$299,999 a year as mayor "working" just 1-2 hours a months and collecting $900,000 - $999,999 in bank stock for his "service" as bank director while holding the post of mayor.

We have to act now. We need to elect Charles -- he's the only person that can stop Caldwell from completely destroying our community with his mismanagement of the rail project. Every time we think that things couldn't possibly get any worse under Caldwell - they do.  But for Caldwell, as the cost of rail spikes, and the rampant mismanagement continues to unfold, he doesn't care as his plan as he repeated in yesterday's mayoral forum is to increase the General Excise Tax in perpetuity.  That means not only our children, but our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be paying for this debacle!  In contrast Charles is committed to vetoing any tax increase above the $7 billion already allocated for the project and ending the waste and mismanagement that pervades Caldwell's tenure as mayor.

Please consider helping Charles today by giving $50, $100 or any amount you can afford.  Caldwell is a master of misdirection.  You can see that he's spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Charles on 9-11 first responders trying to deflect attention from his mismanagement of rail and the massive cost overruns we are experiencing as a result.  We can't let him get away with this.

  • To get elected 4 years ago. Caldwell said over and over again that he would "Build Rail Better."  But rail is certainly not being built better.
  • The rail system is already broken even before the first day of use! "Parts of the rail guideway are cracking and snapping even before the first stretch is finished, and money-saving efforts may be behind the problem, new reports show. Workers haven’t yet finished building rail’s first 11 miles of elevated path across West and Central Oahu, but the transit project is already showing defects in key components along the concrete guideway."
  • Rail managers also now state that the cost overruns for rail will go up several hundred million dollars and may go higher!  The City also announced ANOTHER delay in completion of the project by yet another year.  They even admit that these cost numbers "could change even more."
  • As the rail system inflicts enormous pain upon our community, Kirk Caldwell has said that he will seek an increase in the GE Tax in perpetuity
  • Worst of all, when he should be working for us as mayor, he's gone out to personally enrich himself utilizing his position as mayor.  Caldwell has made enormous personal profit with his "work" for a bank.

Our opponent is actually campaigning on a theme of "stay the course."  This is outrageous and we deserve a mayor who will actually take rail and ethics seriously.

Our community can't afford four more years of mismanagement under Caldwell.  Just over five weeks remain to the election and we need your help now to save our community from the on-going incompetence and broken promises of this incumbent administration.

Even the smallest contribution you make right now will help us fight to save our City from the on-going disaster of rail and mismanagement of City government under Caldwell.  Caldwell's motto that he would "Build Rail Better" should be viewed as a typical politician's broken promise - but it is more than that.  The mismanagement of Honolulu by this mayor fundamentally threatens our City's basic viability as rail continues to spiral out of control.  If we don't stop Caldwell now, it will be our children and grandchildren who will pay for this rail disaster for decades to come.

This election is in just 39 days and this is our last chance.  If we don't confront the lies, change the management and fix rail now, there will be nothing to stop Caldwell and this runaway train from ruining our City.  Please consider making a contribution today - we need every penny we can raise right now for the final push into the general election on Nov.8th.

Aloha,

Team Djou

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