House hopeful discloses
criminal record

By Gary T. Kubota
Star-Bulletin

WAILUKU -- Republican state House candidate Kalani Tassill says he was convicted of several misdemeanors, including an assault in a bar fight, spouse abuse and capturing an endangered green sea turtle.

But Tassill, 40, now a part-time pastor and president of the Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Community Association, says these incidents took place years ago.

Tassill made the disclosure to the news media yesterday.

He was responding to an inquiry from United Public Workers union head Gary Rodrigues who asked in a Sept. 16 letter about his criminal record.

Rodrigues' union supports Tassill's Democratic opponent, House Speaker Joseph Souki, who is running for re-election in the 8th District on Maui.

Tassill said he came forth with his criminal record so that Souki and Rodrigues would not be able to wage the election battle on anything but Hawaii's economy and the mess those in power have made of it.

Rodrigues said he thinks people's criminal records should be publicly known if they are running for office.

"It will be up to the people of Maui to decide whether his record would qualify him to be in the state Legislature," Rodrigues said.

Souki said he did not condone the actions of Rodrigues or Tassill and that Tassill has to live with his conscience.

"He said he has come clean. Great. Maybe, he should have come clean earlier," Souki said.

Souki said rather than criticize him, Tassill should be explaining his plan for the state.

Tassill said some problems in his past were related to drinking and that he hasn't had a drink since the spouse abuse conviction in 1992. He said the spouse abuse incident was essentially nonviolent and involved carrying his wife back into the home after an argument.

Tassill said a neighbor filed the complaint, not his wife.

He was placed on probation for a year.

"You've heard the term 'scared straight,' which about sums it up for me.

"My family is the most important thing in the world for me, and the realization that I might lose them led me to find help," Tassill said.

Tassill said he and a friend found a green sea turtle in a net they had laid in waters off east Maui in 1990 and he made the wrong decision.

"I'm human and made mistakes like many of my generation have made," he said. "I was punished and made amends. I have changed."

The Rev. Dale Kreps, pastor of the Pukalani Community Church of the Nazarene, said he has seen the change in Tassill and the church has expressed their confidence in him by making him a licensed minister.