THE cartons of memos, notes and memorabilia line an entire wall of his warren of offices in Kapalama. But, for someone who has been a vital force in Hawaii's politics since statehood, the collection is modest. Frank Fasi wages
yet another campaignHe really hasn't spent as much time recounting the past as planning for the future.
When others at his age -- he will be 78 in August -- recall their glories, Frank Fasi is again waging a campaign for governor.
Victory is something that has eluded him in decades past. Fasi is now a Republican and facing a decidely younger opponent in the primary, Maui Mayor Linda Lingle, who will be 45 in June.
Fasi has been in politics for such a span that you go over his career like reading the rings of a tree. For this race, Fasi is a mellow, avuncular candidate, who wants a chance to help pull the community together. He has been at various times Fasi the fighting Democrat, Fasi the GOP savior, Fasi the bold third-party candidate and now Fasi the consensus-building Republican.
"I'm not fighting against anybody, I'm fighting for the people who need a leader," he says.
"I have learned to turn the other cheek. I find it works very well."
He can win, he insists, because he senses a desire for change. When he goes to community events, talks to small groups, Fasi says the mood is for something new.
Why then, he is asked, should voters turn to someone who was running for office the year before Lingle was born?
"For the same reason that the voters are going to re-elect Dan Inouye," he responds. "Experience."
Why not the fresh-faced Lingle?
"She is someone who runs a mom and pop store and wants to be the CEO of General Motors," Fasi says of the Maui mayor.
"Linda Lingle will be elected governor when the queen of England becomes the next pope of the Catholic Church."
Although Lingle is his first obstacle, Fasi is asking Republicans and disenchanted Democrats to support him because of the bigger opponents, Jeremy Harris and incumbent Gov. Ben Cayetano.
Ironically, it was Fasi who hired Harris as his managing director in 1989. Now Fasi is convinced that Harris will run for governor. If he does, Fasi wants a chance to beat him in the general election.
Cayetano also was once in Fasi's graces. Fasi offered to serve the new Democratic governor as a dollar-a-year consultant, saying he liked Cayetano.
But, as Hawaii's economy shuddered to a halt, Cayetano, Fasi contends, failed to act quickly and with enough imagination.
"I personally like Ben, but he hasn't handled the problems and he has had four years," Fasi said.
"The inaction of the present administration is our enemy," he says. "I will jump start the economy. I'm not waiting to catch a wave, I'm going to make waves."
HE is not without ideas. To get the state economy revitalized, Fasi sees Hawaii becoming closer to Pacific neighbors and Asia through more tourism promotion.
He is mulling over suggestions for a duty-free port on the Big Island. And he is still looking to complete plans first worked on when he was mayor.
Sometimes he forgets past positions, but his focus on politics and the campaign is clear and it is left to his opponents to forget that after all is said, Frank Fasi is a survivor.