Fifth Floor Diplomacy From Duke, Mufi ‘n’ Neil
Second in a series on the governor candidates and the issues.
How will the next governor foster a productive working relationship between the executive and legislative branches?
Both Republican Gov. Linda Lingle and Democratic Gov. Ben Cayetano had contentious relationships with the Democratic-dominated state Legislature, though from time to time they found ways to work with each other on important issues.
We put the question to Democrats Neil Abercrombie and Mufi Hannemann, and to Republican Duke Aiona.
We also asked them their thoughts on Lingle’s best and worst accomplishments, and which governor did the best since statehood.
Here are their responses.
This article is drawn from answers to Civil Beat questionnaires given to Abercrombie, Hannemann and Aiona.
The full Q&A’s for each candidate will soon be posted on Civil Beat’s topic pages.
Why I Should Be Guv
“The Office of Governor, for me, will be the culmination of a lifetime of public service,” said Abercrombie, including his 19 years in Congress. “The people want leadership that listens, that makes decisions based on our common values, and that will always stand up for the public interest.”
Poking a stick at his primary opponent, Abercrombie said, “Above all, we will end the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that has prevailed in the City and County of Honolulu government. Fairness and transparency will be the order of the day.”
Abercrombie adds, “We have a tremendous opportunity with President Barack Obama in the White House. As Governor, I will utilize my relationships with the President and the Congress to benefit our state.”
Hannemann, the former Honolulu mayor, said his executive experience and “proven record of accomplishments” are top job qualifications for Washington Place. So too is his ability to “bring people together” in the government, business, labor and nonprofit sectors.
Lt. Gov. Aiona says that only he would bring “balance” to the Capitol’s fifth floor, because he’s from a different party than the one in power.
“Hawaii can’t afford either of my potential opponents,” he said. “They are two peas in the same pod.”
Olive Branches
Aiona again stressed that his being a Republican will bring balance, because, in Hawaii, “one party overwhelmingly controls both houses of the State Legislature. Without an independent voice in the governor鈥檚 office, one party will be given free reign of our government.”
He added that his experience as a state judge and mediator provide him with “a unique skill set that will be invaluable as governor. I have brought people together, under difficult circumstances, to resolve conflicts and make tough decisions.”
Abercrombie has no problem with a Legislature run by Democrats, because, he says, “I already have very good relationships with state legislators, and I have always worked to understand their positions and beliefs.”
But Abercrombie has also worked in the “highly partisan body” of Congress, where he learned to work with people of differing views.
“When I became chairman of the House Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, I could have replaced all of the staff members hired by the outgoing Republican subcommittee chairman,” he said. “I kept the staff members because I base my decisions off the merit of people鈥檚 work and qualifications rather than their party affiliation.”
For his part, Hannemann says his work with the Legislature on rail transit and with county mayors on preserving their cut of the general excise tax demonstrates “that I enjoy productive relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle. As I have done with the City Council, the executive and legislative branches won鈥檛 always agree, but that doesn鈥檛 mean we can鈥檛 talk, argue our points, and find common ground.”
Grading Lingle
“She resurrected the dormant rail transit idea in early 2005,” said Hannemann. “Although party opposition prompted her to back down from a general excise tax increase proposal as the local funding mechanism, I have consistently credited her with raising the idea.”
But Hannemann faults Lingle for “holding up approval of the rail transit final environmental impact statement, for purely political reasons, particularly during a time when the project can put thousands of unemployed and underemployed people to work and jump start a stalled economy.”
Here’s Abercrombie‘s assessment: “The best thing Gov. Linda Lingle did as governor was support energy independence.”
Abercrombie said he did not want to pick the worst thing Lingle did in office, but he did say this: “I think there was a serious misjudgment about Furlough Fridays. Seventeen schools days were lost by our school children. While we can be grateful that Furlough Fridays will not take place next year, the whole episode was an example of defending a position rather than resolving an issue.”
In selecting Lingle’s greatest accomplishment, Aiona pointed to the formation of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative that, with the help of the federal government, aims to gradually wean the islands off fossil fuel dependence.
“My potential opponents may attack each other and try to divide our people, but ‘worst’ and ‘failure’ are not a part of my vocabulary,” he said in reference to the worst of Lingle, who he has served under for nearly eight years. “Let’s focus on steps we can take right now to bring people together and cultivate a brighter future.”
Hawaii’s Best Governor
Abercrombie: “Greatest is not a useful comparison. More to the point is setting the standard. John A. Burns did that. He was a leader of principle and had a clear vision of the future that gave direction to Hawaii as we emerged from statehood.”
Hannemann: “All governors have all made important and enduring contributions to Hawaii and deserve recognition and honored places in our history. John A. Burns, for one, expressed more eloquently and consistently our need to be proud of who we are and not be afraid to take our rightful place in the world. Governor George Ariyoshi ingrained in me the need to be mindful of people鈥檚 money, to be prudent and conservative in public finances. And Governor John D. Waihee inspired me with his work in seeking and developing an international role for Hawaii and our people.”
Aiona: “I respect and admire anyone who steps forward to run for public office, especially governor of the state of Hawaii. All of our governors faced big challenges and opportunities, and each brought a unique skill set to the job. ‘Who’s best’ is really up to the people to decide, and ultimately the history books. However, having served alongside Governor Lingle, she gets my vote.”
