Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 11, 1 November 1985 — Following Policy [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Following Policy

By Moanikeala Akaka Trustee, Hawaii

You may have read in the newspapers there is pilikia regarding the hiring policy for my Big Island offices in Hilo and Kona. I was elected by almost 16,000 of you to carry out a platform of accountability, progress and justice for you and your kamalii. You deserve no less. Our problems are many and you need Trustees who care

and strive towards bettering the condition oi the Hawanan people," the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' mandate through the Constitutional Convention. To accomplish this, I must have staff working in my offices that are philosophically like-minded, for I was elected by you "to take care of business." This means that I should have some input on the selection process for staff on my istand. As your Trustee, I am accountable (as are the eight men I serve with) whieh means I have a job to do, a responsibility to you; yet, I am stifled and obstructed from doing my job by OHA staff that make excellent salaries (while as Trustees we

receive only a stipend) and inhibited by fellow Trustees and Chairman Joseph Kealoha. Kelii "Skippy" Ioane — Vietnam veteran, grassroots leader, musician, poet, father of four small keiki — has been doing an admirable job as Community Resource Specialist (CRS) for Hilo these past seven months. He knows and understands our peoples' problems. Along with the Pakani family, he has helped pioneer and prove to Georgiana Padeken what ean be done with a lot of initiative and hard work in opening up "raw lands" for settlement on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Skippy, loved by the community, has the kind of input OHA needs — a grassroots perspective whieh OHA has lacked unti I became your Trustee. In a democracy, elected officials have input in selecting their staff, as has been the case with OHA in the past. Yet, I was not even consulted by Ben Henderson, Acting Administrator, on recommendations to the full Board regarding the selection of the CRS for Hilo even though OHA policy passed at the June 28 Board meeting calls for it. The policy states that "As to the Community Resource Specialists (CRS's), the Administrator shall consult with the respective island Trustees to their appointment and duties and responsibilities. " I was not consulted, whieh means the people were not allowed due process — to become a part of the selection process through me, their Trustee. That is undemocratic!! I am now forced to sue my fellow Trustees and the Acting Administrator for selecting, without my consultation, the CRS for Hilo. We should be going before Judge Shunichi Kimura for preliminary hearings as this eolumn is written. I have tried numerous times to negotiate the situation with our Chairman and Henderson because, for OHA's sake, I did not want to bring our pilikia to public attention. It was like talking to a wall. E kala mai ia'au my people for having to "go public" and to court. I tried to avoid it; they left me no alternative. My heart is heavy having to do this. Do I care too mueh? I don't think so. It is simple: I need staff that will help me to take our people forward, not hinder my efforts. That has been happening to the Hawaiian people for too many generations. I was elected to do a certain job and must have staff that I know will help me fulfill that promise to you, our people. Malama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono. (Editor's Note: In response to the preceding eolumn, Chairman Joseph Kealoha noted that Chapter 10, HRS, states that all of OHA staff shall be hired by the administrator subject toapprovalof the Board of Trustess. OnSept. 27 the Board, by a majorify vote, selected the present CRS for the Hilo office in conformify with state law.)