WHO GAVE: Ralph Masuda
WHO RECEIVED: Maui County Council Chairman Riki Hokama
DATE: Nov. 3, 2003
AMOUNT: $300
It was hardly anything at all, buried amongst the 16 communications
listed on the Jan. 19, 2007 Maui County Council meeting agenda. Nothing
more than a letter from Ralph Masuda, Castle & Cooke’s Vice
President of Planning & Zoning, to Council Chair Riki Hokama, it
was a “status report” on C&C’s luxurious Terraces at Manele project
on Lanai. Hokama placed the letter on the agenda “for referral to the
appropriate standing committee for discussion and possible filing.” A
land developer wishing to communicate with the County Council would
naturally and properly first address the chairperson, but Hokama and
Castle & Cooke go way back, most notably because Lanai is Hokama’s
home island. Though Masuda’s campaign contribution to Hokama mentioned
above is small and a few years old, state campaign finance records show
Castle & Cooke’s Legislative Committee has given Hokama a total of
$1,750 since 2002, the most recent check totaling $900, which the
company handed over on Nov. 10, 2005. Of course, Castle & Cooke is
used to dealing with slightly higher figures: the company’s website
lists the Terraces at Manele as priced from $1,995,000 to $2,495,000.
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