Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees begin talks tomorrow on whether the board should take steps to keep Administrator Randy Ogata or begin looking for a replacement. Some OHA trustees
ready to dump
agency’s administratorTrustees tomorrow will
By Pat Omandam
begin evaluating Randy Ogata
Star-BulletinOgata, 54, a certified public accountant who helped build Honolulu Cellular's growth between 1986 and 1994, is in his fourth year as administrator. His $85,000-a-year contract expires June 30, and some trustees believe it's time for someone else to tackle the job.
"He's been here four years and I sense some of the trustees are not comfortable with the work he's doing, and so we need to decide whether we're going to renew the contract or look for somebody else," said trustee Oz Stender.
Stender heads OHA's budget and finance committee, which will take up Ogata's contract at a meeting tomorrow. He said he intends to present the full board with a recommendation, possibly as early as next week.
Stender, the former Bishop Estate trustee, said he personally favors a new administrator, based on Ogata's performance. One example that stands out occurred when Ogata didn't notify the new board that a swearing-in ceremony was postponed last November because of an election challenge, he said.
"We stood around that room for 45 minutes like stupids, and he knew all along that nothing was going to happen. Why didn't he say so?" Stender said.
Ogata could not be reached for comment yesterday.
While Ogata has opponents on the nine-member board, he also has allies. Trustee Rowena Akana said Ogata is the first administrator to come from the private business sector and has helped bring a business mindset to the state agency.
Akana said any administrator for OHA would find himself in a tough situation because the political climate at OHA makes the post highly accountable to the publicly elected board.
"OHA is a very complex animal," Akana said. "And when people think that being the administrator of such an animal is an easy task, they've got another thing coming."
Ogata's performance has been above average, and he has handled it well, Akana said. He should be evaluated more thoroughly on his performance instead of his political connections, she said.
Stender said if trustees let Ogata's contract to expire June 30, OHA bylaws require the budget and policy committees to begin a new search for an administrator. The administrator is the principal conduit between the board of trustees and staff, and is the team leader in carrying out board directives.
Both Stender and Akana believe the job of administrator should pay more than the current $85,000-a-year Ogata receives. That will be among the items discussed when Stender's committee meets tomorrow.
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