My Kind of Town
>> State Capitol Could’ve, should’ve
It could've, it should've been Linda Lingle against Sen. Donovan Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka in the general election on Nov. 5. Political commentators agreed that the senator's announcement on the eve of the primary that he'd been held captive for three days by Native Hawaiian terrorists was so compelling -- especially given his broad ethnic constituency -- that he likely would have cake-walked past the Democrats' three-headed sideshow. And this "new Democrat" definitely would have given Lingle a run for her money.If only his story had been true.
And if only HPD Detective Sherlock Gomes hadn't interrupted the senator's press conference and right there at the podium, with the TV cameras running, read the senator his rights, cuffed him and announced he was being arrested for a number of drug violations. Above the whirring of camera motordrives it was hard to hear as he added that the senator's advisor Machiavelli Wang was also being arrested, for attempted murder.
Even with so many Hawaii political figures already behind bars this was shocking. And so instead of a real tussle in Lingle vs. Matsuda-Yee-Dela Cruz-Bishop-Kamaka, you've got what you've got.
For his part, Gomes took no joy in ending the senator's political career. After busting him for possession of pakalolo and ice -- while investigating the stripper who crashed the senator's car off the Keeaumoku Overpass -- Gomes had offered him a deal: secretly enter a drug rehab clinic or be arrested. It was Gomes' way of repaying his old wrestling coach and math teacher at Leilehua High, Vern Matsuda, who happened to be the senator's late father. "You're young, there will be other campaigns," Gomes had said. "Do the right thing, for your father."
The right thing. Young Donovan Matsuda had gotten into politics for the right reasons when he first ran for the Board of Education. He wanted to improve the education Hawaii schools provide our children, and he wanted to work on the front lines to accomplish it. But gradually he grew to love the power and perks that came with his position. Which only increased when Machiavelli orchestrated his first, successful campaign for the legislature. The funds for the campaign came from Machiavelli's acquaintances, and they expected a return on their investment. Donovan did his best to keep them satisfied, and the dollars flowing. Which they did, all the way to the senate.
Yes, he'd been corrupted, and it was a pity. Like all of us, he had the potential to do the right thing and accomplish great good. Like some of us, he found other things more interesting, and profitable.
Don Chapman is editor of MidWeek.
His serialized novel runs daily in the Star-Bulletin
with weekly summaries on Sunday.
He can be emailed at dchapman@midweek.com