Lingle Hosts Birthday and Opening HQ Bashes

Former governor Linda Lingle is appearing on the Big Island for the next several days to officially launch her Senate campaign headquarters in Hilo and Kona while also celebrating her upcoming birthday.

Tonight, Lingle and her campaign staff and supporters will officially open the Hilo campaign headquarters, which is located at 1177 Kilauea Ave. in Hilo. The former home of Island Chevrolet, the site was secured earlier this month, according to Big Island Campaign Manager Andy Smith.

“We really like it. It’s a nice, central location in town. It’s got a lot of parking and it’s real practical for what we want to do,” explained Smith. “We want to keep it real Hilo style.”

Several campaign supporters put up tents and chairs throughout the day in anticipation of Lingle’s arrival. Her flight landed in Hilo just after 3:30 p.m., and after several pre-planned meetings, Lingle is scheduled to arrive at the party at approximately 5 p.m.

Lingle’s trip to the Big Island will encompass both ends of the island. According to Smith, Lingle’s campaign will extend the birthday bash into Wednesday, when they will couple that with the grand opening of the campaign’s Kona headquarters. The West Hawai’i headquarters are located in the old industrial area at the old Kimo’s Furniture store, which is near the four-way stop at Kaiwi Street, alongside Island Naturals.

Smith says that campaign’s goal is to give voters insight into Washington. “We had Congressman (Tom) Cole last week in Kona. It really gave the people an insight into Washington D.C…It’s really good to get that perspective.”

The Hilo grand opening begins at 4:30 p.m. and runs until 7 p.m. The Kona grand opening will start at 5 p.m. and last until 7:30 p.m.

For the record, Lingle’s birthday is actually on June 4. She will turn 59.