Bronster backlash continues
U.S. attorneys general honor Bronster
By Mike Yuen
Star-BulletinA second Oahu neighborhood board has slapped the state Senate for refusing to confirm Margery Bronster as attorney general.
This time it was the Kuliouou-Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board, which voted 13-2 last night to approve a resolution expressing "its disappointment and frustration" with the Senate's firing of Bronster.
It praised her for her "unique courage, fairness and independence" in investigating the Bishop Estate, the charitable trust that is one of Hawaii's most influential institutions.
The board's action is symbolic of the unpopularity of the Senate's dumping of Bronster, which remains fresh in the public's mind even though it took place more than two months ago.
Last month, in a more harshly worded resolution, the Manoa Neighborhood Board "denounced" the Senate's action.
In Windward Oahu, a drive is under way to oust the area's two senators who are up for re-election next year and who voted against Bronster -- Marshall Ige (D, Kaneohe) and Whitney Anderson (R, Kailua).
The Kuliouou-Kalani Iki board's resolution also criticized the 25-member Senate -- not just the 14 who voted against Bronster -- because no senator challenged Ige's decision to cast his vote against Bronster. Ige is a target in the investigation into the Bishop Estate, and the board felt he should have recused himself.
The anti-Senate resolution was introduced by board Vice Chairman Mark Terry, who said the chairman of the Manoa Neighborhood Board, J. Thomas Heinrich, helped draft the document.
The debate last night lasted only 10 minutes, apparently because the Kuliouou-Kalani Iki board's state senators, Judiciary Co-Chairman Matt Matsunaga (D, Palolo) and Sam Slom (R, Kalama Valley) voted for Bronster.
When the Manoa board met, the discussion was more contentious. Sen. Carol Fukunaga (D, Makiki), whose district includes a portion of Manoa, was present and was questioned unmercifully as to why she voted against Bronster.
The Kuliouou-Kalani Iki board amended Terry's resolution by including a provision that recommends that Hawaii's attorney general should be elected -- and not be appointed by the governor and subject to Senate confirmation, as is the case now.
Kuliouou-Kalani Iki board Chairman Warner Kimo Sutton speculated that Bronster was ousted because of a power play by some public workers unions.
Bishop Estate Archive
U.S. attorneys general
By Crystal Kua
honor Bronster
Star-BulletinMargery Bronster may not be Hawaii's attorney general anymore but the nation's attorneys general say she's the best example of what the office stands for.
In an awards dinner last week in Tennessee, the National Association of Attorneys General honored Bronster with its Kelley-Wyman Award, its top award to an attorney general who enhanced the stature of the office and advanced the objectives of the association.
"Her commitment and perseverance exemplify the highest ideas of political courage and the public practice of law," Maine Attorney General Andrew Ketterer said before presenting the award to Bronster.
The 56-member association recognized Bronster for her many accomplishments, including her fight against domestic violence in the islands, the end of federal oversight of the state's prisons and the multimillion-dollar anti-trust lawsuit against the oil companies. But the association said Bronster's "most difficult and courageous task" was her investigation of the Bishop Estate.
"Our winner's brave stand against entrenched and powerful interests has earned praise both from citizens across our winner's state and across the country," Ketterer said.
The probe, however, came at a high cost, the association noted. "She ultimately paid the highest political price for doing what was right -- the state Senate refused to confirm her appointment for a second term."
An aide to Senate President Norman Mizuguchi said yesterday he was not available for comment. Gov. Ben Cayetano said he is proud of Bronster and the honor she has brought to Hawaii.
"The award is a real feather in her cap," Cayetano said.
Bronster said she had no clue that she was going to receive the award when she was asked to attend the dinner. "I was actually quite stunned."
"I was quite touched ... because it was from my colleagues who know what it's like to be an attorney general," Bronster said.
