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by Jacob Shafer

June 18, 2009

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10

Just got word that the University of Hawaii has officially selected M.R.C. Greenwood as its new president. The decision was something of a foregone conclusion when the only other candidate, Robert Jones, dropped out, but it doesn’t come without controversy. Greenwood, as you may have heard, was forced to resign from a high-ranking position in the University of California system amid charges of nepotism. Then again, that could make her an ideal fit for Hawaii… In other news: Sign of our collective decline #8,432: A press release that I am fairly sure is not a joke landed in my inbox recently, promoting “The Wearable Towel,” which is exactly what it sounds like. Here’s a snippet: “The World Wide Web is raving with reviews ranging from comparatives like ‘It’s not just a bathrobe worn backwards’ to ‘I hate myself for loving you.’” OK, maybe it is a joke. Let’s hope.

THURSDAY, JUNE 11

“On this day 116 years ago, the monarchy of the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by agents of the United States.” That was Rep. (and gubernatorial candidate) Neil Abercrombie, addressing a congressional committee earlier today. The subject of discussion was HR2314, better known as the Akaka bill, which was first introduced by Sen. Dan Akaka almost a decade ago. Abercrombie said that, with Democrats in control of Congress and “a president who has already said he would sign it,” there “has never been a better time to pass the Akaka bill.” Of course, not everyone in the Native Hawaiian community thinks the bill, which would “provide a process for the reorganization of a Native Hawaiian government and the recognition by the United States of the Native Hawaiian government,” is a good idea. Some say it doesn’t go far enough and could undermine more radical sovereignty efforts. It’ll be interesting to see if this is indeed the year the bill finally gets through—and what the fallout will be if it does. 

FRIDAY, JUNE 12

Campaign contributions influence politicians’ votes. That statement is so self-evident, so universally accepted, most people can read a line like this one, from a recent McClatchy dispatch, and scarcely bat an eye: “Among the 17 senators who voted against allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco are some of the top recipients of campaign contributions from the tobacco industry, which has donated millions of dollars to lawmakers in the past several campaign cycles.” Why aren’t we having a revolution, again?

SATURDAY, JUNE 13

A couple of lingering challenges from the last election (which feels like it was way more than seven months ago) resurfaced today. First came word that the county Board of Ethics finished a review of complaints against Councilman Wayne Nishiki. The story will be familiar to anyone who follows local politics, but for the uninitiated: On a financial disclosure form filed months after the deadline, Nishiki—who ran as the independent, anti-development candidate and hammered his opponent, Don Couch, for taking developer dollars—revealed he received a $100,000 loan from Everett Dowling while out of office. We broke the story in November; search the archives at mauitime.com to read the piece and the interesting, vitriolic debate it set off between Couch and Nishiki supporters. Anyway, now the board has finished its review—but no one gets to see it. Not the press, not the public, not even the person who filed it (Michael Covich of Pukalani). Only Nishiki and the board know what it says, and so far they’re not talking. Covich’s lawyer, Jim Fosbinder, had the best line. Quoted in The Maui News, he compared the process to “letting Kafka rewrite Machiavelli.” Also making headlines today is the residency challenge against Councilman Sol Kaho‘ohalahala. The challenge—which alleges Kaho‘ohalahala lives in Lahaina, not Lanai where he was elected to serve—was first struck down by the county clerk. That decision was reversed on appeal by the state Board of Registration. A second appeal, this one by Kaho‘ohalahala, is set to be heard by the Intermediate Court of Appeals, but lawyers for Lanai resident Michael Dupree, who filed the claim, want to push it straight to the Hawaii Supreme Court. In short: what once looked to be a dead issue is now alive and kicking. Stay tuned.

SUNDAY, JUNE 14

The silver lining of this ongoing Nishiki debacle? It gives me an excuse to reach into my bottomless bag of pithy politician quotes. Here’s a personal favorite: “A lot has been said about politicians; some of it is complimentary, but most of it is accurate.” - Eric Idle

MONDAY, JUNE 15

Or, if you prefer: “My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.” - Harry S. Truman (paraphrasing an old joke)

TUESDAY, JUNE 16

Less than 24 hours after Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann tossed his hat into the gubernatorial ring, Abercrombie fired the first shot. In a prepared statement, Abercrombie accused the Mayor of reneging on his promise to help launch the city’s rail system, which voters approved last year, and leaving the project “leaderless.”… Speaking of the rail system: According to a report in yesterday’s Honolulu Advertiser, controversy is swirling around a campaign to inform the public about the train. Critics are claiming the new slogan, “I Love Rail,” “crosses the line from information to advocacy.” I agree—but Honolulu transit director Wayne Yoshioka doesn’t. “The purpose of what we’re doing is public information,” said Yoshioka. Here’s what Yoshioka didn’t add: “Also, we should change that slogan.”… In other news: Every once in a while, amidst all the doublespeak and carefully guarded talking points, public figures actually say something concise and honest that cuts to the core of their philosophy, for better or (more often) worse. The example of the day comes, appropriately enough, courtesy of Mr. Dowling. It’s a quote buried at the end of a Maui News story about how various large-scale island projects have had to be downgraded or put on ice because of the recession. Addressing the Planning Commission, Dowling offered these sage words: “This too shall pass. The high-end will pull us out of it.” MTW

Jacob Shafer is also available in Twitter form. Visit www.twitter.com/jacobshafer or text “follow jacobshafer” to 40404.