Derek and the dominoes: The Almighty Carpenters Union is starting to put some of its considerable money into what is shaping up to be the political fight of the year.

That would be the race for Hawaiʻi’s lieutenant governor where rising star Derek Kawakami has announced his challenge of incumbent Sylvia Luke, whose tarnished star is in retrograde after she acknowledged she might be the one the feds think took $35,000 from a potential briber back in 2022.

In the last few months of 2025 the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund contributed more than $2 million to the super PAC For A Better Tomorrow, which seems to have replaced the union’s other super PAC, Be Change Now, as the big-money bank for candidates they like — or dislike (here’s looking at you, Sylvia Luke.)

For A Better Tomorrow reported more than $12 million in cash on hand at the end of the year, according to the latest filing with the Campaign Spending Commission. Now it is beginning to spend some of that kālā to help Kawakami win the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. The two-term Kauai mayor is prohibited by law from running for another term.

For A Better Tomorrow paid more than $65,000 to $70,000 to KGMB, KITV and KIKU to air television commercials beginning March 24 and running through April 6. With such deep pockets, TV viewers statewide can expect to see a lot more of Kawakami in the weeks and months ahead of the Aug. 8 primary.

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Kawakami, by the way, joined Hawaii News Now’s Spotlight Now program Tuesday to talk politics with Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji. The Blog was there, too, and can report that Kawakami readily acknowledged that Luke’s handling of her campaign reports helped push him to take her on. He hopes it will give voters a reason to show up at the polls in August.

“’If me jumping into a race is motivation for people to be activated and showing up, then so be it,’ he said.”

The Almighty Carpenters Union is a good score for Kawakami for sure. But several other unions, including the Powerful Hawaii Government Employees Association, are sticking with Luke.

HGEA recently demanded that the attorney general’s investigation into the mystery lawmaker who took the $35,000 wrap up and pretty darn quick.

“The AG’s office has in their possession all documents and recordings from the federal investigation, and withholding that information from the public is no longer an option,” HGEA said in a recent press release. “The public deserves to know what the AG knows in order to clear up the cloud of suspicion hanging over Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke. This will allow the electorate to make an informed decision and not be swayed solely based on media innuendo and unsubstantiated allegations.”

“The longer the AG’s office sits on what they know, political opponents of Luke will be able to unfairly use the shadow of doubt against her,” the HGEA said. “If the AG’s silence drags on, the voting public should be ready to conclude that what is occurring here is a calculated and organized effort by sitting politicians who would desire nothing else but to sink the career of a political threat, someone who has to-date shown an admirable level of personal integrity in office, whether as a state representative or as LG.”

Stay tuned for the next AG Update, scheduled for April 10. But don’t hold your breath.

Here’s looking at you, Bob: The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives has officially commended and honored Robert Toyofuku, a beloved retired lobbyist, for his many years of service and contributions to the state’s legal community.

House Resolution 204, which was formally adopted March 24, notes that Toyofuku grew up in Kaimukī and went on to graduate from Tufts University in 1962, eventually earning his law degree from the Boston University School of Law in 1965.

His work over the years included a stint with U. S. Rep. Cecil Heftel, helping to establish the first continuing legal education program at the University of Hawaiʻi’s law school before it was named the William S. Richardson School of Law, and founding the Pacific Law Institute, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to providing continuing legal education programs for attorneys throughout Hawaiʻi.

“Through his decades of work in support of legal education and professional development, Robert ‘Bob’ Toyofuku has been instrumental in guiding and mentoring generations of attorneys in the state,” according to the reso, which was authored by Big Island Rep. Nicole Lowen.

The Blog was happy to see Toyofuku getting some love from his friends and frenemies at the State Capitol. He’s always been gracious and willing to educate The Blog and other journalists when it comes to the strange and puzzling ways that business gets done in this state.

It’s in the mail: Hawaiʻi voters should begin receiving their voter registration notices in the mail this month. This is the state’s effort to confirm that the correct information is on file before it mails out primary and general election ballots later this year.

“We want every Hawaiʻi voter to have their voice heard, and that starts with having your ballot delivered to the right place,” Chief Election Officer Scott Nago said in a press release Tuesday. “Updating your registration right away ensures you don’t miss your chance to participate in the election.”

Voters who have moved or changed their mailing address since the 2024 elections should update their voter registration immediately. The Blog understands that a big problem is in households where kids move to the mainland but are still registered to vote in the island. Moms and Dads are advised to write “NOT AT THIS ADDRESS” on the voter notices (on Oʻahu, the Crowded Island, the notices are yellow) and pop them in the mail.

To check or update your voter registration, visit elections.hawaii.gov. You can also contact your respective county clerk to make any updates:

• County of Hawaiʻi, (808) 961-8277, hiloelec@hawaiicounty.gov
• County of Maui, (808) 270-7749, county.clerk@mauicounty.us
• County of Kauaʻi, (808) 241-4800, elections@kauai.gov
• City & County of Honolulu, (808) 768-3800, elections@honolulu.gov

Talk of the town: Mayor Rick Blangiardi is taking his show on the road again starting next week as he embarks on his annual town hall tour.

Despite finding himself facing down a few angry individuals at recent public forums (which The Blog loves, of course), the mayor is not shying away from dragging himself and his staff out and about for a new round of up-close-and-personal meet-ups with the local citizenry.

“These town halls are about listening to our residents, plain and simple,” Blangiardi said in a press release announcing the schedule. “They give people a direct line to our team and to the people doing the work every day. We hear concerns, answer questions, and take that feedback back to Honolulu Hale so it can help guide our decisions.”

This is Year 4 for Tour de Blang and The Blog is rooting for civil discussion of all the things that are bugging people. There’s always plenty of that.

Here’s the updated schedule:

2026 Town Hall Meeting Schedule:

• Thursday, April 9  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Wai‘anae District Park, Gym
• Thursday, April 16  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. University of Hawai‘i West O‘ahu, C208 Multi-Purpose Room
• Thursday, April 23  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Waimānalo District Park, Gym
• Thursday, April 30  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Kanoelani Elementary School, Waipiʻo
• Thursday, May 7  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Waialua High School, Cafeteria
• Thursday, May 14  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Mission Memorial Auditorium
• Thursday, May 21  6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Ala Wai Golf Course, Clubhouse

Check the city’s website for more details.