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OHA seats still
open to all

Judge Gillmor extended her
injunction 'until modified
by this court'

A list of OHA candidates

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By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

A U.S. District Court preliminary injunction that allows non-Hawaiians to file as candidates for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board remains in effect for now.

And more non-Hawaiians plan to run as trustees, said attorney H. William Burgess, who represents 13 plaintiffs in the court case before U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor.

Burgess said yesterday Maui resident Roger Grantham and attorney Richard Lee intend to file as OHA candidates within the 10-day candidate filing period created after the entire OHA board resigned yesterday and opened up five other trustee seats for election.

"I hope a lot of people file and run, whatever their ethnicity," Burgess said. "The goal is to get the best people."

After a two-hour hearing yesterday, Gillmor extended her Aug. 15 injunction "until modified by this court." State Deputy Attorney Girard Lau told the court the state elections office must get the OHA ballot ready for printing no later than Sept. 19 or it will cost the state more money to do so.

Gillmor said the case has been fully briefed by both parties, and she will decide later on a permanent ruling.

In the meantime, Gov. Ben Cayetano now must find people to fill the nine vacant seats for the period before the Nov. 7 elections. Cayetano has said he would consider appointing former trustees, other Hawaiians or non-Hawaiians. His spokeswoman, Kim Murakawa, said yesterday that once the governor's office receives all nine resignations, Cayetano will make the appointments.

"He is willing to consider any of the trustees that resigned (yesterday) who want to be reappointed," she said.

Murakawa said those selections probably won't be made over the weekend.

'No deal' for reappointment

Clayton Hee, former OHA chairman, said there's no deal in place assuring he or other former trustees will be reappointed by the governor.

But he hopes Cayetano will consider that the former board was elected by the will of the Hawaiian people in the last two elections, and all members are willing to continue their work for the next 60 days.

Colette Machado echoed Hee's sentiments and said that was not the reason why the board resigned.

Haunani Apoliona added there has been no indication, no messages or anything to suggest their resignations would guarantee their interim appointments.

Other former trustees are urging Hawaiians to turn out in force to vote. Mililani Trask has called for a public demonstration in front of Washington Place at 3 p.m. Monday to protest the governor's action to force the board to resign.

Trask urged all Hawaiians to register to vote and ensure that Hawaiians are the ones elected to the OHA in November. "We're not going to relinquish the office; we're not going to relinquish the trust to the governor," Trask said.

Rowena Akana said there were 80,000 Hawaiians who voted in the last election, and the trustees' resignation will spur this silent majority to take to the polls to save the OHA trust.

The state Office of Elections set Sept. 18 as the filing deadline for candidates seeking the seats vacated by Hee, Akana, Trask, Louis Hao and A. Frenchy DeSoto.

Hee: 'seamless transition'

Yesterday was the filing deadline for four OHA seats in the general election. Thirty-five people filed.

For the at-large seat, Apoliona faces 22 challengers, including former Board of Education member Darrow Aiona and Dante Carpenter, former Big Island mayor and ex-OHA administrator.

Incumbent Hannah Springer faces four opponents in the race for the Big Island seat.

Appointed trustee Don Cataluna is seeking election against four other candidates for the Kauai seat.

On Molokai, Machado has two challengers.

Hee said OHA Administrator Randy Ogata will be in charge in the iterim.

Hee said he has spoken to the governor about the urgency to have a seamless transition between the former board and the interim trustees.

"It's not like this office lives and dies with the members of the board," Hee said.

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Office of Hawaiian Affairs
State Office of Elections

On the OHA ballot People who have filed nomination papers for four Office of Hawaiian Affairs seats: AT-LARGE AIONA, Darrow L. Kanakanui AKAU, Lucy AMONG, Les A. AMSTERDAM, Kaui Jochanan APOLIONA, Haunani * CARPENTER, Dante Keala CLARK, Kauila CONKLIN, Kenneth R. DECOSTA, Denise Mahealani HAUPU, Wave KA'AUWAI-IWAMOTO, Linda KAHUI, Craig (Bo) KALUA, V. Halemano KAMA, Natalie Tasha (Kamai) KAMA, Peter KAPELE, Jay Jay (Jeff) KIPILII, Franklin LEE, Brian Akana NALUAI, D. Keala (Dottie) ROBINSON, Thurston STONE, Nancy (Pohaku) TIWANAK, Eric Kuualoha WAIWAI'OLE, Healani G. G. BIG ISLAND DELA CRUZ, Linda K. HALL, Kainoa J. HOKE, Arthur A. KUAMO'O, Aileen M. SPRINGER, Hannah (Kihalani) * KAUAI BENIAMINA, Jean Ilei Keale CATALUNA, Don * OCLIT, Eloise Kaneakua Tutu REGO, Randy S. Naukana TORIO, James Kapule MOLOKAI HELM, Larry H. KEALOHA, Samuel L. Jr. MACHADO, Colette Y. Piipii * * Denotes incumbent The deadline for filing for the Oahu, Maui and three at-large seats that became vacant yesterday is Sept. 18.