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Poll:
Voters disagree
with Foley pardon

But Gov. Cayetano said it was
one of the best he's made in
his term of office

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By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

Voters overwhelmingly think Gov. Ben Cayetano was wrong to pardon Tom Foley, a prominent Honolulu attorney who was convicted for the 1995 drunken-driving killing of a man waiting for a stop light.

Cayetano defended his pardon, saying it was one of the best he has made in his six years as governor.

But a new state poll shows that more than two-thirds of Hawaii's voters, 68 percent, disapprove of the pardon.

Only 16 percent agree with Cayetano and approve of the pardon. Another 17 percent are not sure.

The pardon, Cayetano said, was a good one because Foley has been getting help for his problem drinking, has repeatedly repented for the killing and was working in prison to help others.

Also, Cayetano said the victim's family asked that he be pardoned.

After the harsh community reaction, Cayetano modified his stand to say that in the future, he would consider making the list of pardons public via news release.

Also, legislative leaders said they would consider changes to the pardon procedure next year to allow the public to comment on proposed gubernatorial pardons.

The poll found that some action is just what voters want.

A full 62 percent said some form of public comment is needed in the pardon procedure.

Positive rating

That controversy, however, doesn't appear to have an effect on Cayetano's increasingly positive job performance evaluation.

Forty-four percent of those surveyed said Cayetano is doing a "good" or "excellent" job, with 8 percent "excellent" and 36 percent "good."

That rating ties Cayetano's all-time best positive job performance rating, measured back in 1995. His marks for doing a "poor" job are correspondingly down.

Just 17 percent of the voters think Cayetano is doing a "poor" job. His average "poor" rating since becoming governor has been 21 percent.

Presidential picks

The poll also had some good news for island Democrats: Vice President Al Gore was seen in a "favorable" light by 49 percent -- well above the 36 percent favorable rating for Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican presidential candidate.

Gore also fares better in the "unfavorable" category -- while 27 percent put him in this grouping, 32 percent recorded an "unfavorable" opinion of Bush.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin/NBC Hawaii News 8 poll was conducted among 429 statewide registered voters by telephone Sept. 5-9 by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc. of Washington, D.C.

It has a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points.