Lingle team The state Legislature did not appropriate money to pay for 54 of the 60 positions in governor-elect Linda Lingle's office.
shortchanged
The governor-elect says budget cuts
Special elections' procedure set
won't hold her team back
Senate president vows leadership changes
By Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comLingle's transition team also found out yesterday that nearly all of the state deputy director positions are unfunded and that the state budget includes only half of the $100,000 in transition funds called for by state law.
"The cuts won't stop us," Lingle said.
She held a wide-ranging news conference yesterday to discuss her transition plans. She is thinking about a proposal to double-deck a portion of the H-1 freeway from Kapolei to downtown with two or three highway lanes that would be one-way into town in the morning and one-way to Kapolei in the afternoon.
Lingle said the Legislature cut the funds for the administration to balance the budget this year. The Legislature had also dropped most of the deputy director positions, but Gov. Ben Cayetano vetoed the bill.
Randy Roth, University of Hawaii law school professor and past president of the Hawaii Bar Association, who is the senior adviser on Lingle's transition team, said he was told about the budget cuts yesterday in a meeting with Sam Callejo, Cayetano's executive assistant.
Cutting the positions and transition team funds saves about $1 million, according to budget figures. "I'm not sure if it is a financial or control issue. ... The public would see it as playing games," Lingle said.
She suggested that the money could be found to pay for the positions and that as long as the Legislature did not cut the positions, the matter could be resolved.
Lingle suggested that the new double-deck road could be financed by tolls. "We are just going to have to be more creative," Lingle said, adding that to do nothing would "doom" the second city of Kapolei.
She suggested that commuters might pay a dollar in the morning and a dollar in the afternoon to use the special "super contra-flow lane."
Lingle also announced that her campaign manager, Bob Awana, would be her chief of staff.
Lingle also said she had big plans for the University of Hawaii despite Evan Dobelle, the UH president, making commercials last week supporting Lingle's Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.
Lingle said that when Dobelle called to say he was going to publicly endorse Hirono, he said it was because of "very complicated reasons."
Lingle said she thought the reason was very simple and hung up. "I thought it was very inappropriate, and I think most of the state felt the same way," Lingle said. "It was not a pleasant conversation, and I hung up the phone on him, but that is over," she said.
She said her vision for UH includes the university having "an Asian-Pacific focus," and Dobelle feels the same.
Lingle added that Dobelle had asked her to join him at a UH volleyball game this weekend, but she had not decided if she would accept.
Dobelle is a former treasurer for the Democratic National Committee and finance chairman for Jimmy Carter's re-election campaign.
"I am not interested in reviewing the past or discussing my private conversations with the governor-elect. Partisanship is over," Dobelle said.
Lingle and Dobelle also disagree on the UH's West Oahu campus because while UH is planning for a large-scale construction project, Lingle wants UH to think about programs first. "I know President Dobelle and I have slightly different views on this," Lingle said. "More of our emphasis should be on the program and not the physical building."
She said that while she supports the autonomy for the university, "As governor, I want to be able to express myself and have my opinion taken into account."
For instance, Lingle said she considers the University of Hawaii at Hilo to be a major economic force on the Big Island, so she wants there to be "more focus on the Hilo campus."
She also supports the faculty union's proposal to have the selection of at least one member of the UH Board of Regents considered by the union.
She added that the UH faculty, which had endorsed her in the last two campaigns, is vital for the future of UH.
On the subject of judicial appointments, Lingle said there is a vacancy on the state Supreme Court because of the possible resignation of Associate Justice Mario Ramil. She said she will look for someone who interprets the law and does not try to "make law from the bench."
