I would give Mayor Caldwell an "A" in pandering and theatrics. 

Of course, Caldwell  wants to blame any mention of his terrible mismanagement at City Hall as “talk stink and blame".  He doesn't want to be held accountable for his malfeasance.

This last four years have been very hard for many Hawaiians I know. They live paycheck to paycheck. The credit card balance keeps ballooning. They worry about their increasing property taxes and other fees. They see their children  leave for the mainland because they are so sick of having to work two jobs and not being able to make it in Oahu. They see Mayor Caldwell hell-bent on turning Oahu into New York.

For houseless Hawaiians, it has been worse. They had their tents seized and personal papers taken. They are persecuted and chased from place to place.

Perhaps the most poignant  comment I've heard from a Hawaiian is, " People talk about going to the Mainland to escape Oahu, but THIS IS MY HOME! I don't have any place to go."