Ariyoshi says Dods
would do well as leader

The former governor believes
dedication would be key
to a successful campaign

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By Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com

Former Gov. George Ariyoshi says Walter Dods would make a good governor, but the 61-year-old banker first must decide if he is really ready to run for office.

"It is the kind of thing a person has to do for himself. A person can't be talked into doing something like this (running for governor). It is too tough a job," Ariyoshi said.

"You have to have that fire in the stomach, so Walter has to make up his own mind. No one can tell him what he should or should not do," he said.

Dods' close business associates have said he is seriously considering entering the Democratic primary race for governor.

Dods, who has been attending business meetings in California, was not available to comment on the increased interest in a campaign for governor.

Ariyoshi said voters are looking for a fresh candidate, and Dods, who has never run for elective office, would make a strong candidate.

Asked if he would support Dods in the primary election, Ariyoshi said he has tried to maintain his neutrality in the primary election.

However, he added, "I think a lot of people who have been supportive of me will be involved in his campaign."

Already in the race are De- mocrats D.G. "Andy" Anderson, Rep. Ed Case and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.

Linda Lingle, the former GOP chairwoman and mayor of Maui, is the Republican front-runner but faces former legislator John Carroll in the primary.

Dods, the chief executive officer and chairman of BancWest and First Hawaiian Bank, was a key supporter in Ariyoshi's gubernatorial campaigns.

According to Ariyoshi, Dods came up with the slogan "Quiet and effective" to describe the soft-spoken man who was governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986.

Ariyoshi said yesterday he thought Dods would make a good governor.

"What is good about him is, he is not there to perpetuate himself. Politics is not his chosen activity. I think because he doesn't care about continuing himself, he is the kind who will call the shots the way he thinks they should be called," Ariyoshi said.

Gov. Ben Cayetano, meanwhile, said he admires Dods but that he will remain neutral in the Democratic primary.

Reached while traveling in Asia, Cayetano called Dods "a local boy who made it the hard way."

Cayetano said that if Dods decides to run, it is "because he cares deeply about the future of Hawaii. He understands Hawaii politics very well and helped me in every one of my statewide races."

Cayetano described the three other major Democrats already in the race -- Anderson, Case and Hirono -- as "a fine roster" of candidates and said he would support any of them in the general election.