Laud For Linda Lingle

I have been able to call former Gov. Linda Lingle a friend for more than 30 years.

As a retired public school teacher and life-long resident of Molokai, I have watched Linda gain the respect and admiration of our community for her services as a council member and her leadership as Mayor of Maui.

I was privileged to work on her council and mayoral campaigns and was her Molokai Field Director for her three campaigns for governor. As anyone who has worked in a political campaign knows, you get to see a person up close and under considerable pressure when she is running for office.

That is why I can say with conviction that Linda is not the “bomb-throwing” “hyper-partisan” some national political operatives would try to assert. She is a practical moderate who has always kept the best interests of Hawaii as her core motivation. Governor Lingle is a public servant of the noblest demeanor who always puts people before Party.

In Hawaii we have a saying, “no talk stink.” The folks in Washington D.C. need to respect our island standards.

Victoria “Cricket” Chung