Beth Fukumoto: When Good People Are Driven Out Only Bad People Will Be Left
Don’t let what happened to Nani Medeiros happen to others who are trying, in their own way, to make Hawaii a better place.
September 18, 2023 · 6 min read
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Don’t let what happened to Nani Medeiros happen to others who are trying, in their own way, to make Hawaii a better place.
Standing at the intersection of Meheula Parkway and Ainamakua Drive, my eyes brimmed with tears on my last day as Mililani鈥檚 state representative. My dad stood next to me, waving at cars passing by. We wanted to end the way we started, just the two of us holding signs on a corner.
I let the tears roll down my face as soon as the sun fell behind the trees. Drivers couldn鈥檛 see my face anymore. When my dad noticed, I tried to laugh it off. He just shook his head and moved closer, putting his arm around my shoulders. There were tears in his eyes too.
“It鈥檚 OK. I know why you’re crying,” he said, softly. “You’re saying goodbye.” We stayed until all the sunlight had gone, holding on as long as we could.
Leaving the Legislature was heartbreaking, even if it was the right thing to do. I loved representing Mililani. Whether it was rallying the community against little fire ants or finding funds for school buildings, I felt like a part of something that was making people鈥檚 lives better.
But, in the year before I left, . And then I said that landed me on white nationalists鈥 radars. Eventually, the social media trolls, angry partisans, threatening voicemails, and nasty rumors about my personal life became a distraction from doing the job I was elected to do. My district needed someone who wasn鈥檛 caught up fighting national demons.
I left politics believing I鈥檇 taken the heat well. I felt resilient and unafraid. A year later, while watching political speeches in public narrative class, I had my first panic attack. I struggled to speak up in large classes and got anxious in social situations. The threats and criticism that I experienced in my last term were scarier than I admitted.
As it turns out, there are only so many times a person can be called a 鈥渨orthless whore鈥 or 鈥渓ying bitch鈥 or 鈥渃omplete disgrace鈥 who is 鈥渂etter off dead鈥 without internalizing it a little. It took time and a strong support system to reconcile that the same events that made me feel tough also left me feeling vulnerable and full of self-doubt.
My experience was isolating, but I鈥檝e since learned it鈥檚 alarmingly common.
Last year, I joined a group of former elected officials working with an organization to support current elected leaders who attempt to reach across the aisle. When the conversation turned to mental health, the moderator asked who in the room had received a death threat. Every person around the table raised their hand. One by one they told stories about how the stress had torn apart their families, caused serious physical health problems, and driven them to seek counseling in different counties and states just so reaching out for help wasn鈥檛 used against them in a campaign. I walked away feeling like one of the lucky ones.
Nearly one-third of local public officials reported being harassed in a December 2022 . Fifteen percent said they received threats. The numbers are significantly higher for people of color with 53% of policymakers experiencing harassment and 37% receiving threats. Women are targeted more often than men. I would venture to guess that the number is even higher for public servants who challenge the status quo or defy partisan expectations.
that focused on mayors, 94% said they experienced some form of violence, including psychological harm. Of those who reported violence, 41% said they suffered from increased levels of irritability, sleep disturbance, and exaggerated startle responses, which are all . Over two-thirds of mayors said they knew someone who chose not to run for office because of these concerns and nearly one-third said they thought about leaving themselves.
There are policy options and mental health resources and a host of other 鈥渟olutions鈥 that we can and should talk about to try to protect and support public servants. But, for now, I think it鈥檚 important that we sit with the problem and consider how we鈥檙e contributing to it.
In , former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms summarizes one of the main consequences of our toxic civil discourse well, explaining: 鈥淧eople are choosing emotional and mental health and well-being over public service, and that is a dangerous point for us to be in as a country.鈥
From politicians to elections officials to public health workers, people are walking away anxious, burned-out, and compassion fatigued. According to Harvard Kennedy School鈥檚 , one of the main causes of public servant burnout is that workers don鈥檛 believe they can make a difference in government. Nani Medeiros鈥 recent resignation appears to be a sad yet important reminder that Hawaii isn鈥檛 immune to these trends.
Government innovation isn鈥檛 easy, especially when we don鈥檛 give innovators room for any trial and error. From my perspective, Nani was brave to try to change things whether you liked her changes or not. She was also brave to publicly walk away when the personal price she paid got too high.
Public service shouldn鈥檛 cost so much. It will always require some sacrifices, but it shouldn鈥檛 come at the expense of people鈥檚 mental and physical safety. Collectively, we must find a way to fix it.
I know that I am too quick to dismiss politicians I don鈥檛 like and too eager to revel in their misfortunes. Despite my own experiences, I鈥檓 still guilty of contributing to the problem. Most of us are.
But, if we don鈥檛 self-correct and stop normalizing incivility, we won鈥檛 just lose good people in government. We鈥檒l attract bad ones.
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Latest Comments (0)
Beth Fukumoto's editorial confuses me. STOP playing the "victim card?"You stood up for what you believed in. You fought hard for your constituents. Yet, you blame yourself for the unfortunate incidents of a few lolo buggahs who hide behind their computers or their veil of privacy to call you out.A few years ago, I got called out by my bosses for being "humble" in my recent accomplishments for the company. I'm pretty sure your parents and siblings taught you to be "humble". Bad "bachi going happen, right?hum路ble /脣聢h脡聶mb(脡聶)l/adjective1.having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance.2. of low social, administrative, or political rank.verblower (someone) in dignity or importance.I learned something 4 years ago at this sales retreat in Key West, FL."Walk tall. Be proud of your accomplishments."Death threats are to be taken seriously but be re-assuranced justice will be served. It's not free speech when someone tosses a potential life threatening barb your way.Give yourself some credit for NOT being a Boebert or a Taylor-Greene. WALK TALL.
808Refugee · 1 year ago
Reference to the last sentence in the essay: We芒聙聶ll attract bad ones.They芒聙聶re here, in full force. Look at the four indictments of the former president. And all his loyal fans. The threats, abuses, being spat on, sneered at芒聙娄 I survived it all in my 30-year career. I芒聙聶m retired now and my day revolves around the beach. During my service, I fought back芒聙娄 in the gray zone without getting arrested or going to jail. Sometimes I wonder why I芒聙聶m still a free man, just lucky I guess.
Srft1 · 1 year ago
An interesting take on math .. All - some good = all bad .. eh, I feel that maybe that math is flawed and a bit cynical.
Dan · 1 year ago
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