Gov: Ellison ‘Best Thing That’s Happened’ To Lanai Since ’63

By /
That comes from a Wall Street Journal story on Saturday (June 15) titled Larry Ellison’s Fantasy Island. Excerpt:

Larry Ellison stood on the white sand of a deserted beach, bordered by palm trees laden with coconuts. It didn’t feel real that he could own the island of Lanai, he reflected.

It had been his far-fetched dream since he was in his 20s, when he first flew over one of the smallest of Hawaii‘s inhabited islands in a Cessna 172 and was captivated by the thousands of acres of pineapple fields. …

In January, Mr. Ellison met with Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie. “As far as I’m concerned, he has not made a single misstep,” said Gov. Abercrombie, a Democrat. “Unemployment on Lanai has just about disappeared. Traffic to the island is up. If nothing more than the economy, I would say he is the best thing that’s happened to the island in 50 years.”

image

Photo courtesy Oracle_Photos_Screenshots.

—Chad Blair

What it means to support Civil Beat.

Supporting Civil Beat means you’re investing in a newsroom that can devote months to investigate corruption. It means we can cover vulnerable, overlooked communities because those stories matter. And, it means we serve you. And only you.

Donate today and help sustain the kind of journalism Hawaiʻi cannot afford to lose.

Donate

About the Author