Senate panel
rejects regent

Chairman Clayton Hee
says one of Lingle's appointees
does not know UH well enough

One of Gov. Linda Lingle's two interim appointees to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents was rejected yesterday by a Senate panel.

John K. Kai: The Big Island interim regent calls Hee's questions "loaded"

The Senate Higher Education Committee voted 3-2 against the confirmation of John K. Kai on the recommendation of Chairman Clayton Hee, who said he did not feel Kai demonstrated enough familiarity with university operations and policies despite several months on the job.

Kai, president and co-founder of Pinnacle Investment Group, was appointed by Lingle in June as interim regent representing the Big Island.

The other interim regent, Ramon S. de la Pena, was appointed in September to represent Kauai. The Higher Education Committee unanimously confirmed his appointment, which now must be approved by the full chamber.

"For me the difference was Dr. de la Pena was very clear in his view of how he should do his decision-making as a regent," said Hee (D, Kahuku-Kaneohe).

De la Pena has served as a professor emeritus with the university's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources since 2001.

Clayton Hee: The senator says Lingle nominee John Kai contradicted himself

"I feel relieved," de la Pena said. "This kind of questioning, you can't prepare for it because you don't know what they'll ask you."

Kai's nomination also goes to the floor but is likely to be killed based on the committee's recommendation.

This was the second time the interim regents were questioned by the committee.

Hee said he decided to take the unusual step of holding a second confirmation hearing out of courtesy to Senate colleagues and members of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly who stepped forward to support the appointees.

Both were in trouble after their initial hearing April 7, Hee said, because neither demonstrated a working knowledge of university policies and operations on issues such as stem cell research, classified research and genetic modification, despite having been in their posts on an interim basis for several months each.

Hee said he was still unhappy with Kai's responses yesterday.

Hee said one example was Kai's support for both the idea of the Manoa campus as a research engine for the UH system and his support for the UH-Hilo campus having two Ph.D. programs.

Star-Bulletin Legislature Database Star-Bulletin Legislature Guide (PDF, 1.9 MB) State Legislature: Bills & Hawaii Revised Statutes

"Not because I'm against two Ph.D. (programs) at Hilo, but because the two statements are in direct contradiction," Hee said. "He contradicted himself after staking a view on UH-Manoa being a research engine."

Kai said he felt the hearing was unfair, calling Hee's questions "loaded" and "sending me down a path of trying to entrap me."

He questioned Hee's logic on the Ph.D. programs.

"By that same token he is also stating that if you want to get a Ph.D., you have to come to Honolulu -- you cannot be in Hilo, you cannot be on Maui, you cannot be on Kauai," Kai said. "We are an island state. We have campuses on all islands for that very purpose."

"I'm very disappointed in the outcome," he added.

Kai is the third Lingle appointee to the Board of Regents rejected by majority Democrats in the Legislature. Attorney Shelton Jim On and businessman Edward Sultan were defeated in 2003.

Two of Lingle's more high-profile regent appointees -- Allan Landon, president of Bank of Hawaii, and Ronald Migita, chief executive of Central Pacific Bank -- go before Hee's committee Thursday.