Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 8, 1 August 1995 — Impressions of OHA after half a year [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Impressions of OHA after half a year

by Billie Beamer Trustee-at-large

I am invigorated by the challenge to effect OHA'S constitutional mandate. AN OHA CRITIC 1 and other trustees were elected to correct the criticisms we hurled at the board's management elhie. Now. as an insider, I must find solutions. I HAVE ONE MISSION, THAT IS TO MAKE OHA A MODEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS. Nine different trustee mindsets pursue lheir own perceived GOAL.

OHA is a laboratory of change and revolution. In its 15 years of exislence, OHA'S theater included 6 administrators and a parade of trustees. and a cadre of the arrogant who want to tell Hawaiians how to live. Others with hat in hand, royalist included, preaching buzz words of "Lokahi" whieh to them means exemption from accountability, just give us money to keep the brotherhood "Pono." Years have developed a run-away smug bureaucracy. Self-serving administrators & officers who ignored salary and position limits and omitted full reporting to the board, handsomely rewarded themselves from the beneficiary's trust. We are top heavy, 70% of the staff are supervisory and 30% support hires. Some forget that they are hired by the Administrator, who is hired by the Trustees, who are elected by the Beneficiaries. The real bogeyman at OHA, is the potnpous staff belief that they have ntore power and knowledge than the trustees. Power and territorial enclaves grew while Passive Boards dared not take the unpopular stand to halt uninerited trust fund dipping. Less than some secretaries earn, Trustee salaries are set at $32,000 by law and may not be arbitrarily increased. I chair two committees, sit on two study committees and two program committees, I also try to

attend the other meetings as an observer. Two trustees take dialysis treatments three times a week, yet they rarely miss a meeting. Trustees and staff are on the bottom rung of the payroll ladder. The administrator earns $89,000 plus fringes and a car, the two deputies $76,000, and officers' salaries range from $66,000 to the lowest paid offīcer of a two man staff with $49,000. The Chainnan has started to flush the cavalier extravagances aeeumulated during 1 5 years of growing that produced a bloated groping entity. In keeping with the national trend of proactive boards, trustees

are monitoring programs and expendilures. The board is calling for: regular accounting, productivity reports, priorities and evaluations. We are also evaluating ourselves. A study of Ka Wai Ola reported that only 22% actually read the paper. That is our fault, we have bcen publishing a patronizing magazine rathcr than the news of OHA's aclions and lrends. Were it not for the Trustee's editorials the readers would be complete!y ignorant. THE ACCUSATION THAT OHA, A STATE AGENCY CANNOT REPRESENT THE HAWAIIANS IS NONSENSE. As a prelude to some form of sovereignty, the people of Hawaii enacted a constitulional provision that gave fonu and resources for an elected Hawaiian body to eolleel data, crcate priorities and to develop systems to manage its ultimate resources. State law requires OHA and DHHL to submit to puhlie scrutiny by open meetings and audited expenditure reporting. None of those receiving $184 million for Hawaiian services, or the Billion dollar estates offer any detailed audited annual reports or open meetings. Ka Lahui is yet to pass the test of scrutiny to elaim itself as heir apparcnt.

Waihe'e's folly, the Waimānalo hideaway for 30 p!us Hawaiians is an appal!ing example of political irresponsibility. He tarnished the integrity of all Hawaiians. Since any fool ean generaiize, all Hawaiians are classed as grabby ne'er-do-wells. It is not the needy who have benefited from the millions we have received, but the crafty parasites, our Konohiki class. Their greedy foundations siphoned 75% of the funding for privatc benefit. Our ancestors knew that life entities are obliged to burn off the sludge, 10 start anew with the lessons learned. Unfortunately in the process sacrificial lambs are offered. But truth will always rise to the fore. OHA's Makahiki has started. Concurrently Hawaiians must individually assess their free luneh tactic where contrived crowds of Seniors (Kupuna) and childrcn (Kamalii) are bussed in to cry for continued funding. For shame, if those so called foundations protect their jobs by using our own kind to demand their exemption from accountability rather than presenting proof of their prudent management. These have been OHA's apprentice and formative years to structure needed integral self-governing lessons with monies provided by the state. So, Iet us be realistic.