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OHA swearing- A ceremony to swear in Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees has once again been put on hold while the agency deals with another unexpected wait in the certification of the OHA election.
in delayed again
This time, paperwork causes
the postponementBy Pat Omandam
Star-BulletinOHA programs and information director Ryan Mielke said plans were made for the nine trustees to take the oath of office this Friday from Hawaii Chief Justice Ronald Moon. The Hawaii court earlier this week dismissed a complaint filed by unsuccessful OHA candidate Kaui Jochanan Amsterdam.
The agency, however, was told yesterday state Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina has not certified the OHA election and so it put Friday's plans on hold until next week.
A similar ceremony scheduled on Nov. 28 was postponed after Amsterdam filed his complaint on the last day allowed. That legal action disappointed trustees, their families and staff who attended the canceled ceremony. It also cost OHA money because it had catered lunch for the event.
Yoshina said yesterday he has signed the certificates, but can't issue them until the state Attorney General's Office says so.
"I've been told to hold, so I'm holding," Yoshina said yesterday. "They have a problem. I don't know what it is."
State Deputy Attorney General Charleen Aina explained her office has not yet received a copy of the filed judgment by the Hawaii Supreme Court of its Monday order to dismiss Amsterdam's complaint.
"We just need to be sure we have the final determination of the Supreme Court and we rely on the judgment as the indication of that," Aina said.
The judgment is a simple legal document that outlines the determination or will of a court with jurisdiction to hear a case. The attorney general's office sent judgment forms yesterday to the high court. Once those are signed and returned, the elections office can issue the certificates that allow the trustees to take the oath of office, she said.
"It sounds to me it should not take a lot of time," said trustee-elect Clayton Hee, the board's senior trustee and interim chairman.
The nine trustees were elected on Nov. 7.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
State Office of Elections
