IT'S hard to believe that, before last spring, most of the people of Hawaii had never heard of the woman then known as Vicky Tiu Liu. But when the divorcee, mother of two and head of United Laundry Services said, "I do," to Gov. Ben Cayetano on May 5, 1997 at Washington Place, it changed not only her life but may have sealed his legacy as a gubernatorial two-termer. Vicky is ready for
four more years, tooThe former Republican's positive influence on Cayetano must be credited, in part, to the Democratic incumbent's narrow re-election win last month. That's because everyone who likes Ben also likes Vicky. But a lot of anti-Ben folks begrudgingly admit: His wife is a tremendous asset.
She proved it during the campaign. Wherever Cayetano appeared, Mrs. Cayetano was unfailingly nearby. They were joined at the hip at almost every rally, coffee hour, walk-through and sign-waving. She shook thousands of hands, smiled and waved at the crowds, and gazed adoringly at Cayetano as he spoke.
Remember those TV commercials in which Vicky looked straight at the camera and asked viewers to please put their trust in Ben, because she did? A lot of voters apparently heeded her advice.
Still, Vicky wasn't prepared for the sheer rockiness of the campaign trail. While her hectic schedule didn't faze ("It's just like running a marathon, you pace yourself"), she was annoyed and hurt by the personal affronts. There was the stink eye ("You don't have to resort to that -- just vote for the candidate you want") and snide remarks about the governor's pronunciation. ("Poking fun at somebody's accent instead of looking at what they are able to do shows you're not serious about the issues.")
Vicky was especially miffed by what she calls a last-minute smear campaign by the Hawaii Coalition of Small Business Owners, intimating that the Cayetanos' $900,000 purchase of an appraised $1.2-million lot in ritzy Waialae Iki, where they will build a home and retire, was too good to be legit.
Even more infuriating, she says, was thinly veiled racism on the part of a certain Republican state senator. In a press release before the general election, East Oahu legislator Sam Slom "scoffed" at those who believed the Cayetanos moving in would depress property values. Vicky thinks Slom and others believe just the opposite. She and the governor got anonymous postcards and letters from individuals unknown, darkly threatening, "You don't belong in this neighborhood," and "You're from Kalihi. Stay there."
The last days of the campaign were so stressful, Vicky lost her appetite and her weight plummeted. She thought she had cancer. But it didn't deter her from the ultimate goal of four more years. Her mantra: If it was meant to be, it would happen -- albeit with a lot of hard work.
HER fatalistic optimism culminated last Monday afternoon, when Benjamin Jerome Cayetano retook his oath of office with an extremely proud Vicky Tiu Liu Cayetano at his side.
Now that her appetite has returned, and with her energy and enthusiasm always in high gear, the first lady asks the people of Hawaii to dwell not on past disappointments and divisiveness, but to focus on the future. "I feel like I have a better understanding of the community and can make a contribution, as can everyone," says Vicky.
Perhaps her greatest contribution is that she's made the governor less grumpy. And they said it couldn't be done...
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
DianeChang@aol.com, or by fax at 523-7863.