No break deserved
It is unbelievable that someone like Stacy Higa, and his Oahu attorney William Harrison, have the audacity to request a delay in sentencing because Harrison “isn’t ready to hop aboard an airplane to be in Hilo for the video conference hearing.” The law, as applied to the best interest of everyone concerned, which includes us, the population who was cheated by Higa’s unlawful stealing of public money designated to assist those in need because of the pandemic.
Higa didn’t care about the people who needed that money, his teeth and mayoral campaign was what he cared about. It is hard to comprehend the arrogance of someone who would run for mayor, proclaiming his honesty, sincerity in wanting to do good things for our island while embezzling more than $38,000 from the AmeriCorps program and attempting to embezzle $850,000 from the federal coronavirus relief fund. When his lawyer put in the motion to delay sentencing he stated, “my client understands the situation and concurs in this request.” Delay going to jail, you bet he does. He has already been given months of freedom and he does not deserve more.
It is hard to understand how people like Higa, in positions of authority, with lots of power can commit crimes, and then go on to be recycled into other positions with authority and the power to exploit that position. Remember Higa’s sexual harassment trial? He insisted on the trial because of his proclaimed innocence. He lost and it cost us taxpayers many thousands of dollars. Yet he was again hired into a position of authority and power; we are again seeing the consequences.
We all understand the importance of living safely during this pandemic. I would not wish for anyone to catch COVID, but I do not feel that Higa deserves one break in paying for what he did. In my opinion, the fact that he is not already in jail is a break he did not deserve. I wonder if this were someone else, without the name etc., how the sentencing would have been handled. Certainly, with today’s technology, it is hard to understand why or how this sentencing could not have been accomplished as scheduled.
Kathleen McRae
Ocean View
^
Money and tourism take precedence
Here we go again where the Big Island powers cater to one vacation rental owner who does not even live here. Once again, the voices of many residents of Kaiolu Drive are not heard over the one unhosted vacation rental owner. Money and tourism take precedence over everyone else on the Big Island. When will this one sided view stop; after the next election when elected officials that speak for island residents are voted in replacing the existing ones?
Ted Johnson
Kailua-Kona
^
Letters policy
Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be edited for style and grammar. Longer viewpoint guest columns may not exceed 800 words. Submit online at /?p=118321, via email to letters@westhawaiitoday.com or address them to:
Editor
West Hawaii Today
PO Box 789
Kailua-Kona, HI 96745