UNIFIED STRATEGY IN WAR ON ICE NEEDED

I was very disappointed by the lieutenant governor's drug summit last week in
Waikiki. For all of Gov. Lingle's talk of making these events nonpartisan, they
ended up just being Republican rallies in the dress of fighting the drug
problem.

For one thing, Aiona didn't even bother to invite members of the City Council.
How does the lieutenant governor think he is going to be successful in the
fight against drugs if he doesn't even include the elected officials who have
been pioneers in getting the community organized in the fight against ice?
Councilmen Nestor Garcia, Donovan Dela Cruz and Mike Gabbard were the ones who
took the lead on this issue, not the state.

The only way we are ever going to make headway in the fight against ice is when
the city, state and federal governments and the private sector truly begin to
work with a unified strategy.

Mike Hinchey

Kailua