Hawaii Tourism Authority Chief Executive Rex Johnson resigned last night after an eight-hour meeting, much of it behind closed doors.

    Johnson Resigns From HTA  

 

 

After a number of meetings regarding racist and sexual emails on his government computer, HTA President Rex Johnson steps down from his position.

 

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  “;At this point, certain accusations have made Rex a lightning rod for controversy. This has become a distraction to the effectiveness of the HTA and we respect his decision,”; said HTA Chairman Kelvin Bloom.

Both Johnson and the HTA have been under fire since June when a state auditor flagged Johnson's e-mail account for pornography. In August, the board punished Johnson by docking his pay to $200,000 and cutting his four-year contract to one year. However, when new allegations surfaced last month that the content of some of the e-mails that Johnson had chosen to forward to friends also included racist and sexist jokes, the issue reignited in the community.

Johnson was not available for comment after tendering his resignation and the terms were not disclosed.

“;I want to thank the tourism industry leadership, community, staff and friends who have shown me so much support,”; Johnson said in a prepared statement. “;I intend to support Hawaii's tourism industry in whatever way that I can.”;

The HTA will name an interim chief executive soon and a search committee will be organized immediately, Bloom said.

“;Rex's decision is clearly in the best interests of all concerned,”; he said, adding that the HTA board unanimously accepted Johnson's decision and lauded his contributions during the five years that he had served the organization.

Before yesterday's closed-door meeting, the HTA board heard from about 20 people and reviewed written testimony from more than 100 people. The testimony, which was evenly split between critics and supporters, seemed to reiterate how deeply the issue had divided the Hawaii community, the visitor industry and the HTA board.

“;In your hearts in some level of your consciousness you guys all know that he is not a racist or a sexist and that this is nothing more than a petty political witch hunt,”; said Garen Deweese, former spokesman for the Hawaii Government Employees Association and Johnson's longtime friend.

During his testimony, Deweese criticized the HTA board for reopening the issue.

“;It's clear that you are bereft of leadership. Have it done with. Have it pau already,”; Deweese said.

HTA board member Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewitt told Deweese that the HTA board “;settled it and we took care of it in our traditional Hawaiian way.”;

However, HTA board member Cha Thompson said further discussion was warranted because “;in reality, we were not given all the facts.”;

“;We sit here and we get beat up from both sides,”; Thompson said.

During the public meeting, testimony before the board was divided. Former Gov. John Waihee was just one of many heavy hitters who offered testimony in support of Johnson.

  “;I believe that it would be a travesty if (Rex Johnson) were sacrificed on somebody's altar of political correctness,”; said Waihee, who indicated that Johnson's behavior had been exemplary in the more than 30 years that he has known and worked with him.

Johnson, who has repeatedly apologized for his actions, also has received support from Sens. Donna Kim, Colleen Hanabusa and Clarence K. Nishihara and Rep. Jerry L. Chang. Many HTA staff members and former state colleagues, who donned “;I'm for Rex”; stickers for the meeting, also came to his defense.

However, Gov. Linda Lingle along with Sens. Gordon Trimble, Sam Slom and Fred Hemmings, and many civil rights groups had called for Johnson's removal. Last month, the Hawaii branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People organized a protest march in Waikiki. The NAACP had delivered a 20-page petition bearing more than 300 signatures calling for Johnson's resignation just prior to their deliberations.

  “;Rex Johnson being the head of the Hawaii tourism agency is like Michael Vick in charge of the Humane Society. It's like Amy Winehouse in charge of DARE,”; said Honolulu-resident Pablo Wegesend, who has been an advocate for Hispanic rights.

Johnson's decision to resign was the right course of action for the HTA and the community, said Alphonso Braggs, president of the Hawaii branch of the NAACP.

“;We were pleased to hear the news,”; Braggs said.