Police Major Recognized For 31 Years Of Service

City Councilmen Brandon Elefante (left) and Ron Menor (right) present an honorary certificate to Maj. Clayton Saito on his retirement from Honolulu Police Department. Photo from Ron Menor’s office.

Ron’s Corner….City Councilman Ron Menor

Happy New Year! As we move forward into 2015, looking back at the events of the past year can give us a better perspective on how far we have come.

Express Route E/Parks

One of the more significant events of 2014 for Council District 9 was restoring the original Country Express Route E from Ewa to Waikiki, which was a major priority for me since I first assumed office.

This bus route provides safe, direct service seven days a week for West Oahu residents who work in urban Honolulu, Ala Moana or Waikiki.

Mahalo to the mayor for restoring this very important route and for his responsiveness to my constituents’ concerns.

Another milestone was the opening of a new 18-acre public park in the Ocean Pointe-Hoakalei subdivision, which was conveyed to the city by Haseko Inc.

The new park provides open green space for the rapidly growing Ewa community and includes a baseball field, two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, a comfort station and a 118-stall parking lot.

I attended the dedication ceremony Dec. 15, along with invited guests and students from nearby Keoneula Elementary, who were grateful for the new park.

I urge the park’s users to take pride in its facilities and to be better stewards of our community’s newest treasure.

Speaking of parks, the city Department of Parks and Recreation anticipates the sprinkler system at Ewa Mahiko District Park to be repaired this year, which will improve the condition of the playing fields for youth baseball and other sports teams.

I value our parks because they are essential to our families’ health and well-being, and they help facilitate social interactions that maintain community cohesion and pride.

A big mahalo to City Councilwoman Kymberly Marcos Pine for helping me to lobby for these important district projects.

Retiring officer honored

In my last official act of the year, I presented an honorary certificate Dec. 30 to Honolulu Police Department Major Clayton Saito, a resident of Ewa, who retired after 31 years of service.

A graduate of Saint Louis School and University of Hawaii-Manoa, Saito was HPD’s 1998 Police Officer of the Year and the 1998 National Association of Police Organizations’ “Top Cop” Honorable Mention representing Hawaii. Saito was assigned to the Pearl City station, which covers Waipahu to Halawa.

He was loved and respected by his peers and the community, exemplified the qualities of an outstanding leader and community advocate, and never forgot HPD’s mission of operating by the principles of integrity, respect and fairness. He will be sorely missed.

Challenges ahead

Here at Honolulu Hale, councilmembers who won their respective elections were sworn into office Jan. 2.

In the coming months, the Council will tackle a full agenda of important issues and challenges, which include putting together a budget that provides for services while still holding the line on fees and taxes; affordable housing, homelessness, improving roads, parks and other infrastructure; and improving and restoring bus service and routes.

In closing, I will continue to work hard as always to address district concerns that are brought to my attention.

If you need assistance, please contact me at 768-5009 or via email at rmenor@honolulu.gov.

For my latest activities as a councilman, you can find me on Facebook (RonMenorHawaii).

City Councilman Ron Menor serves District IX (Waikele, Waipahu, Village Park, Makakilo, Kunia, Mililani).