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Handicapping the Board
Mary Doreen Alborano: 1 to 4
March 02, 2006
Hard to believe it's time again to start a new era on the Liquor
Control Adjudication Board. That's right fans: it's time to elect a new
chairman and vice chairman! The Mar. 2, 2006 hearing will be the last
for outgoing Chairman Shigeto "Mustard" Murayama and Vice Chairman Ken
Yokouchi. Both have held their respective jobs for two years.
Who will the rest of the board choose? Will they go by seniority?
Will they go by popularity? Or will they really mix things up? No one
can say for certain, but here are the odds on this year's candidates:
M.D.'s a shoe-in for the board's top slot. She's tough and
aggressive, attends just about every meeting, always asks questions and
nearly always sides with LC Director Franklyn Silva. Also, she's only
got one more year on the board.
Tami Nascimento: 1 to 3
The other member whose term ends in 2007, Nascimento is solidly
pro-department, but she rarely makes her presence felt on the board.
Just an adequate choice for vice chairperson.
Marilyn Chapman: 1 to 1
Chapman will stay on the board until 2008, but she could easily
snatch the vice job from Nascimento. She pays attention, asks lots of
questions but doesn't always defer to the prosecution.
William Ghean: 3 to 1
Ghean's still got a couple years left on the board. Plus his wife
Kay is running for the West Maui seat in the state Legislature, so he
might already have his hands full.
Darren Lopez: 5 to 1
Though fresh from a five-year stint on the Liquor Commission, Lopez
is a rookie on the Adjudication Board and needs to wait a couple years
before he grabs that brass ring.
John Urauchi: 6 to 1
Always pleasant and friendly, Molokai's Urauchi might actually be too nice for the job. Plus he'll be on the board until 2009.
Lance Collins: 1,000 to 1
Let's just say constantly showing your colleagues how they're
allegedly violating liquor licensee rights isn't the best way to win
votes.
UPDATE--March 6, 2006: Please stop me before I predict again. At the
March 2 hearing, the Board of Adjudication voted Tami Nascimento its
new chairperson and Marilyn Chapman Vice Chair. Well, I guess I was
close.
-Anthony Pignataro