Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 10, 1 October 1998 — TRUSTEE MESSAGES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TRUSTEE MESSAGES

Hawaiians, consider your choices - and vote! ON RARE occasions, my mother would sit and tell beautiful stories of her childhood. One of my favorites was of how Grandpa Kaleohano would catch the Kona 'ōpelu. Tapping the side of his eanoe, the 'ōpelu would cautiously eome to investigate. As the school grew, the bag of sweet potato or pumpkin bait would be opened and as the fish ate, a net would slowly be brought up from the bottom where it rested. The love in my mother's eyes as she told her story stays with me and guides me even now, some 50 years later, for not only was she sharing a part of her life, she was teaching me the value of the old Hawaiian ways. I have served on the OHA board for 18 years. Like Grandpa Kaleohano, I am tapping the side of my eanoe calling you to gather so I may show my aloha and eoneem. On Nov. 3, we will be filling five OHA seats - one for O'ahu, one for Maui and three at-large. With 38 candidates, this has

got to be overwhelming for you, the voter. Also, please support candidates running for seats at the legislature who are sympathetic to Hawaiian issues. This eleehon vear. more than

any other, you have to consider your candidates very wisely. We have critical issues at hand: ceded lands, Con Con, sovereignty, education, health, housing and the preservation our portfolio. With 21 percent of registered voters being Hawaiian, we have become a very powerful voice in the pohtical arena. If the Hawaiian voters would eome forward and vote, WE ean determine the future of Hawaii nei! Hawaiian votes are not taken seriously because of the poor tum-out. The governor realizes how

important the Hawaiian vote is and he is using negotiations to convince us to keep him in office. I have stated before 1 do not believe the ceded land revenue issue ean be settled in the four months allotted us. I am also not convinced that the present negotiating team understands the seriousness of these negotiations. Two of the

team members may not even be re-elected to office. To be perfectly honest, I wanted senior trustees hke Rowena Akana and Clayton Hee to be ,mnointerl Thi'v

rt J know and understand the task at hand. Entitlement is not a new issue. In 1996, Ka Wai Ola head- : lines screamed, "STATE DENIES HAWAIIAN AIRPORT REVENUES!" Clayton I Hee replied: "EntiI tlement is not a privi- | lege. It is a right I supported by the | constitution and the courts." Heisright! We must legally end

the abihty of every new govemor elected to stop our revenues. The issue must be resolved in OHA's favor NOW! I look forward to continuing our work at OHA with tmstees Hee and Akana. I strongly believe in INDIVĪDUAL THINKERS, and I'm positive that Dante

Carpenter and Louis Hao will do just that. I have worked with them before at OHA and I ean work with them again. I am totally against any slate. If you think we fought before, then put another slate on board and watch the fireworks. The Nā Lei Lōkahi slate will be fighting the new slate for power and positions. Nothing will move forward and beneficiaries will suflfer. Although the elections are important and exciting, the sad thing is saying goodbye to Tmstee Brandt. Never has one person brought such dignity and peaee to our office and our board. Her wisdom kept us on our toes and her humor kept a smile on our faces. I was honored to have her at mv luneh table on many occasions when we talked of old times, old ways and m) home, Ni'ihau. May God bless and always walk at the side of this beautiful, loving lady. I cannot stress enough the importance of your vote. So please, take your family, offer to piek up your neighbors and VOTE! You ean make a difference. "Through wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is estabhshed; and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches." Proverbs 24: 3-4 m

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