Community Groups Urge Caldwell To Reconsider Housing Appointment
The Caldwell administration defended the appointment of Marc Alexander, who settled a sexual abuse case last year brought by a minor.
A group representing survivors of sexual abuse and an organization representing the LGBTQ community are urging Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell to rescind his appointment of Marc Alexander to lead the city .
Alexander is a former state official who led homelessness initiatives under former Gov. Neil Abercrombie. He resigned after news leaked that he had an affair with a woman while serving as a vicar general at a Catholic church in Kailua.
Alexander was also accused of sexually assaulting a minor and settled the case in 2016. He currently works at the Hawaii Community Foundation and previously worked at the Institute for Human Services.
Joelle Casteix, volunteer western regional director of the , said Thursday that she’s shocked and disgusted by Caldwell’s choice of Alexander.
“It is very imprudent for the mayor to appoint someone who has been the subject of a sex abuse scandal to a powerful city position,” she said. “It’s inappropriate. It’s a slap in the face to survivors.”
Michael Golojuch Jr., chair of the , said that he has grave concerns about Alexander because of his “homophobic background” and he’s disappointed in Caldwell, a Democrat whom the group endorsed for re-election last year.
Golojuch said Alexander was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and “has never been a friend of the LGBT community.”
“We would have hoped that (Caldwell) would have learned from Abercrombie鈥檚 mistake of hiring Marc,” Goljuch said. “If the private sector wants to hire him that鈥檚 fine, but we鈥檙e talking about taxpayer dollars.”
Both organizations sent letters to the mayor urging him to change his mind about the appointment.
A previous version of this story incorrectly said the position is subject to confirmation by the City Council.
But it’s unclear how effective that will be. Roy Amemiya, city managing director, defended Alexander in an emailed statement Thursday.
“Honolulu needs more affordable housing for the people of Oahu and we are pleased Marc Alexander has joined our team to be a strong advocate for those in need of roofs over their heads, while also developing strong partnerships to create more housing units,” he said.
Alexander did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment.
The city Office of Housing is a small agency charged with crafting and executing policies regarding housing and homelessness. The current office has funding for one housing director and one subordinate.
