IT is a constant lament, heard every four years by incumbents under fire: "We just failed to explain to the public what a good job we have been doing." Cayetano’s trouble
getting message acrossThe latest to issue that refrain is Gov. Ben Cayetano, who at speeches this fall complained how he just was unable to get his message of effective, streamlined government operation out to the public.
He would grimace and call himself a "PR disaster" and then ask the audience to put up with him while he explained his first four years' worth of accomplishments.
Self-effacing rhetoric aside, the governor really hasn't devoted much thought to carefully getting his message out.
Some of the reasons were economic and some were Cayetano's closed-door style. He hasn't been able to get his message across because when he became governor he systematically shut down media and public access to state government, thereby cutting off a principal means of communication.
When Cayetano came into office an effective communications network was in place. He dismantled portions of it, rejected other parts and let the remnants wither through neglect.
Part of the communications apparatus assembled by former Gov. John Waihee was expensive. For instance, he had a system of state information centers, patterned after the city's successful and valuable satellite city halls.
Although critics called them a patronage-filled waste of money, the information centers show that state government was proud enough of what it was doing to take it to the people.
Then, early in his first term, Cayetano, to save money, shut down an existing system to notify the news media about upcoming news events.
Former Govs. George Ariyoshi and Waihee also had audio systems that allowed reporters to dial into news conferences to get the whole story. This was particularly useful for neighbor island reporters and news outlets.
There were plenty of neighbor island radio stations that dialed in. They could find out what the governor was thinking on a certain subject and get a story on the air with real sound of the governor.
Cayetano press secretary, Kathleen Racuya-Markrich, an attorney by trade, is bright, personable and one of the most competent to hold the job. She says Cayetano is often available to media inquiries. The administration, however, doesn't over-stretch itself in the field of communications.
For instance, 10 of Cayetano's first-term cabinet members are not listed in the telephone book; six are: Kazu Hayashida, Gen. Edward Richardson, Ray Kamikawa, Earl Anzai, James Takushi and Michael Wilson.
Former Gov. John A. Burns, who was never accused of being a media spin-master, required his cabinet members to have listed phone numbers as one small way to stay in touch with the public.
IN these more modern times, Cayetano has updated his Internet web page and has a 30- minute broadcast on cable television to get the word out. But his basic administration is still dramatically low profile.
After four years of flying close to the ground as governor and an additional eight years as lieutenant governor when Cayetano was off the radar scope, the governor will have to start to climb in the public's eye.
As Cayetano sets out to write his last gubernatorial inaugural speech, he must be concerned about his administration's place in Hawaii's short history as a state.
Now is the time for him to start speaking up.
Richard Borreca reports on Hawaii's politics every Wednesday.
He can be reached by e-mail at rborreca@pixi.com