Did Abercrombie Flip-Flop on Hoopili?

Hawaii Sierra Club

Neil Abercrombie was against the controversial Hoopili development before he was for it, according to environmentalists who said they met with him before the 2010 election.

The candidate Abercrombie told environmental groups that he opposed the Ewa project during his campaign for governor, according to some of those present at a meeting they say took place at his campaign headquarters.

They told Civil Beat Abercrombie pledged to make sure that Hoopili — a master-planned community of 11,750 homes and five schools — would never happen.

That isn’t Abercrombie’s position today. Last week, his administration publicly threw its support behind the development, which would displace 1,500 acres of prime agricultural land and force one of the state’s largest farms to move.

Abercrombie spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz said that Abercrombie supported Hoopili. But she would not confirm whether the governor did indeed tell the environmental groups that he was opposed to Hoopili during his campaign or whether he had changed his position.

“The Governor has always been sympathetic to the needs of agriculture and workforce housing. His position on those areas are laid out in his New Day Plan,” she wrote by email. “His position has been and remains in favor of agriculture and workforce housing. This project addresses both of those areas.”

The Abercrombie administration's support of Hoopili last week disappointed environmental groups and was a reversal of his predecessor’s position. The administration of Republican Gov. Linda Lingle opposed Hoopili, testifying that it would significantly erode past protections of Oahu's most fertile ag lands.

A Promise Remembered

“Abercrombie promised that it wouldn’t go forward,” said Kioni Dudley, president of Friends of Makakilo, which has been working for several years to stop the development.

The governor’s pledge was confirmed by others at the meeting, including Donna Wong and Tom Coffman of Hawaii’s Thousand Friends; Pearl Johnson, chair of the League of Women Voters; and Robert Harris, director of the Hawaii chapter of the Sierra Club.

"He did say something to the effect of, under his watch, Hoopili would not go forward," said Harris.

The meeting took place while Abercrombie was soliciting support for his campaign. It was requested by members of Save Oahu Farmlands, an umbrella group of environmental organizations concerned with ag issues, said Dudley. He said the group asked for the meeting to help it decide whom to support for governor and that Hoopili was at the top of the agenda. They had previously met with Duke Aiona, who Dudley said was supportive. But Abercrombie was more so.

"We wanted to know what his view was for the future of agriculture, and we were quite enthused by his enthusiasm," said Dudley.

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