Akana must fill
key chairmanships
Former Chairwoman DeSoto
By Pat Omandam
says the new leader has all but
promised top OHA posts
to Hee and Trask
Star-BulletinAs a former public school substitute teacher, Rowena Noelani Akana probably had scant challenge to the assignments she handed out.
But she is finding that's not the case as chairwoman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Her rise to OHA's top seat yesterday was tempered with questions from other trustees about who will get powerful committee chairmanships, including those of the budget and government affairs panels.
"I really do think that we have enough work here that we can look at perhaps breaking up some of the committees to give other people the responsibility," Akana responded.
"And in the next few weeks, we will look at it together."
Springer joined new alliance
By a 6-3 vote, Akana was picked to head a new OHA board that put former Chairwoman A. Frenchy DeSoto, former Vice Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona and trustee Colette Machado in the minority.Trustee Hannah Springer, a fourth member of the former majority, joined the new alliance as vice chairwoman by a 7-2 vote.
Akana has scheduled a news conference for Friday to discuss her chairmanship. She was first elected to OHA in 1990 and served as vice chairwoman during part of her first term.
Akana plans to announce committee assignments next week, although others believe some decisions already have been made. DeSoto said Akana all but promised key posts to trustees Clayton Hee and Mililani Trask before yesterday's reorganization meeting, even though Akana said those decisions are not etched in stone.
DeSoto said Akana will name Hee as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, which doles out OHA funds, while Trask would oversee OHA's legislative and government affairs body, which also represents OHA at the state Legislature.
Both Machado and Apoliona voiced similar concerns, adding the new leadership has no small task ahead of them.
"They must manage OHA's finances with prudence and honesty, be fair and consistent, and strive to do what is best for the native Hawaiian beneficiaries," Machado said.
Wants to continue reforms
Apoliona said it is important OHA continue the reforms it started when DeSoto took the helm in October 1997 to make the agency more responsible, accountable and answerable to Hawaiians."A return to the old way of doing business, pre-Oct. 14, 1997, would be the worst thing for this agency and for our beneficiaries," Apoliona said.
Members of the new majority, however, say the changes are steps toward a unified hale. Hee praised Akana's commitment toward Hawaiian sovereignty and toward securing native entitlements for OHA that it believes are owed from the state.
"And those two efforts alone will stand as pillars of her leadership," Hee said.
Trask, who withdrew her name from contention for board leadership posts, said she hopes support and faith in Akana will help build consensus on the oft-divided board.
But she warned if things don't go well in the future, she will be open to changes.
"My understanding of the reorganization of the board is that it proceeds at any time when there are five members of this board who wish to make a change in power," Trask said.
Meanwhile, Akana yesterday said healthy disagreement on issues at the OHA table can foster new ideas, something Hawaiian voters must have perceived when they made their choices for trustees earlier this month.
"We may never be the best of friends, and perhaps it is not even desirable that we ever are. But we can be less public as to our disagreements," Akana said.
Akana lists priorities
Akana's priorities are to negotiate a permanent state definition of ceded land interests for OHA, and to look at ceded lands that are in the city inventory. Other top concerns include:
Settling negotiations over past-due revenue from ceded lands. Akana hopes the Dec. 1 deadline imposed by the Hawaii Supreme Court will be extended.
