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Although there are 96 candidates running for nine seats at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board on Nov. 7, only five seek the Oahu seat. OHA candidates for
Oahu seats stress land
issues, accountabilityBy Pat Omandam
Star-BulletinInterim board Chairman Clayton Hee and kumu hula Vicky Holt Takamine are the front-runners in a pack that includes Greg Wongham, Todd Murata and Richard Thompson.
Hee, 47, a 10-year veteran of OHA, was re-elected in 1998 but resigned with the rest of the board on Sept. 8.
Two days later, he was appointed interim trustee by Gov. Ben Cayetano.
The former state legislator said he first ran for OHA in 1990 to help the agency reach a ceded-land settlement with the state, and sought re-election in 1994 to see through a controversial lawsuit against the state involving owed ceded-land revenue. That suit today remains before the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Hee said it wasn't a difficult decision to seek re-election this year, although there was little time to campaign and raise funds. Hee received 22,751 votes against six others in his 1998 race, but said he didn't want to toss his trademark cowboy hat into the ring with dozens of candidates fighting for the four at-large seats.
"I'm a little different in the sense that I'm comfortable running one-on-one for one seat," Hee said.
Takamine, 53, a college Hawaiian culture instructor, knows it's an uphill battle to unseat Hee but believes her reputation statewide as an advocate of native rights and protection of the environment will help.
"I think that perception that is out there is that maybe native Hawaiian interests are not in the best interest of all the people of Hawaii, and that's not true," she said.
Takamine, co-founder and president of the Aloha 'Aina Political Party, said she hasn't been happy with the direction OHA has been going over the past few years and believes Cayetano, who is Hee's good friend, has a little bit too much influence over the board.
"I felt that perhaps we need a change in that seat," she said.
"I thought that that's where I would best serve the community. I would best be able to make a difference on the board, if I can, for that seat," she said.
Also noteworthy is that Hee's opponents in 1998 received a combined 37,572 votes compared to his 22,751. But that was before the Rice v. Cayetano Supreme Court decision that opened up the OHA trustee elections to more than just native Hawaiians.
Meanwhile, Wongham, 55, a businessman and activist, is making his second run for OHA since 1998. Wongham's show on corruption in Hawaii has been running on community television for several years, and he said if elected he would ask for a federal investigation into the breaches of the public land trust and that criminal charges be placed against a number of high-ranking officials.
"I'm not going to go just for a change," Wongham said. "I want people to be accountable for things that I think are accountable."
Murata, 36, a small-businessman and Realtor, declined comment for this story. Thompson could not be reached.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
State Office of Elections
