Abercrombie: Selection Process for University of Hawaii Regents Is Broken
The process for selecting nominees for the University of Hawaii‘s Board of Regents is broken, Gov. Neil Abercrombie‘s office said Monday, after two of his nominees to the board were unanimously rejected by a Senate panel.
Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Jill Tokuda said she agreed and said she plans to work on a fix.
Tokuda observed that the , which identifies and vets candidates before passing along their names to the governor, works better in theory than reality.
The advisory panel was originally created by the Democratic-controlled Legislature as a check on the powers of the governor — at that time Republican Linda Lingle.
While Tokuda originally voted in favor of establishing the advisory panel in 2007, said she plans to revisit the selection process and propose changes to it in next year’s legislative session.
“It is really clear that the regents selection process does not give the governor the ability to put together a cohesive board,” Tokuda said.
Before submitting his list of appointees to the Senate panel, Abercrombie had asked the council for additional names for Big Island nominees, Tokuda said, but his request was denied. Now, it is past the deadline for him to submit nominees to the Legislature, so he will have to wait until next year to fill the two Big Island seats on the board.
The confirmation hearings for the governor’s five regent appointees stood in stark contrast to the recent hearings for his nine Board of Education appointees, Tokuda said.
“The range of experience, skills and diversity of perspectives was really limited for some of (the Regent) nominees,” she said. “We have to set the bar high, and I felt we would not be doing the University of Hawaii justice in recommending confirmation of these candidates.”
She also cited lawmakers’ concerns that the two candidates rejected by her committee — Sandra Scarr and Patrick Naughton — lacked enthusiasm and the ability to work well with groups on controversial topics.
“I have made it no secret that I have concerns with the selection process,” Tokuda said. “My intent is to produce a bill that would significantly reform the Regent Candidates Advisory Council. I think making it more like the process for the Board of Education will be helpful, because the governor will be able look at the board in its totality.”
