Lingle’s speech
a chance for unity

Legislators hope Lingle’s
State of the State speech
moves toward cooperation

Lawmakers, both Republican and Democratic, are hoping that today's State of the State speech by Gov. Linda Lingle will show that she wants to work with the Legislature.

State of the State facts The speech is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. in the House chambers of the state Capitol, before a joint session of the Legislature. It will be carried live on KGMB-TV 9, KHNL-TV 8, KITV-4, KHON-TV 2 and on 'Olelo NATV Channel 53. It will also be broadcast on the Internet at Gov. Lingle's Web site, www.hawaii.gov/gov; and 'Olelo's Web site, www.olelo.org, on its low-band stream, NATV 53, and high-band stream, Legislature 1, according to Lingle's office. KHET-TV, PBS Hawaii will rebroadcast the speech at 10:30 p.m. At 7:30 tonight on PBS-Hawaii's "Island Insights," Lingle will also discuss her speech.

So far the relationship between the Democratic legislative majority and Lingle, Hawaii's first GOP governor in 40 years, has been bitterly partisan.

Last year, it ended with Lingle campaigning against Democrats who opposed her legislative plans. After killing her proposals, the Democrats overrode her vetoes of Democratic bills on education, drug control and public employee pay raises.

Since then both Lingle and the Legislature's Democratic majority have said they want a more cooperative session.

"I hope the speech shows the idea that there is going to be a cooperative effort to resolve some of the big problems," said Sen. Russell Kokubun (D, Hilo-Naalehu).

"Certainly she has the power to veto, but I think a cooperative effort would be more positive," Kokubun added.

Lingle should consider the legislative hearings to be the way that the community argues out the issues, he advised.

"We have community participation, and then once the votes are taken, that is the policy of the Legislature," he said. "The past practice has been to divide things along partisan lines, but when we actively engage in the process and arrive at decisions, that is the best."

Rep. Brian Schatz (D, Tantalus-Makiki) urged Lingle to use today's speech as a chance to "demonstrate a willingness to work with Democrats."

"This will be the measure of her administration -- whether or not she can get along with people who disagree with her.

"So far, the jury is out," Schatz said.

In last year's elections, Lingle's strategy to replace Democrats in the state House with Republicans who would support her plans failed. The GOP had hoped to go from 15 to at least 18 members and perhaps even 26 in the 51-member House.

But Democrats won handily. They tossed out six GOP incumbents while the Republicans beat only one Democratic incumbent. In total, the GOP went down to 10 from 15 in the House. The numbers remained the same in the Senate, with five GOP members out of the 25 senators.

Sen. Fred Hemmings, the GOP leader, also hoped that Lingle would stress cooperation, but with a Republican spin.

"I hope she seizes the opportunity to explain to the people that her agenda should be our agenda and we should work together," said Hemmings (R, Lanikai-Waimanalo).

The elections, Hemmings said, hurt the GOP's power balance.

"The way the election turned out, there is a disproportionate imbalance in the Legislature," he said. "We have 20 percent of the seats, but 40 percent of the people voted for Republicans."

Other Democrats said they were willing to work with Lingle on some of the issues that she has already announced.

"I think she is right to focus on affordable housing," said Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland (D, Kalihi-Liliha).

"To the extent we can continue to expand our resources to support the building of affordable rental housing is important," Chun Oakland said, adding that she would like to hear Lingle also work on programs to help the homeless.

Rep. Marilyn Lee (D, Mililani-Mililani Mauka) added long-term care for seniors to the list of issues that Lingle should highlight. But Lee said she is already doing some things right.

"I would tell her to keep up her support for women, because we are all looking to her as a model," Lee said.

Veteran Maui lawmaker Rep. Joe Souki, who has listened to State of the State addresses from former Govs. John Waihee and Ben Cayetano besides Lingle's first two addresses, wonders if they have much effect.

"For public consumption it is good," he said. "How effective are the speeches? I don't believe they are that effective.

"What is more effective is the communications and the follow-up. It's good for the public to know what she is thinking, because they comment on it, but for us, communication after is better," said Souki (D, Waihee-Wailuku).