Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 12, 1 December 2004 — Progressive, responsive and respectful board reflects strength and change for the better [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Progressive, responsive and respectful board reflects strength and change for the better

Aloha kākou As we approach that time of year when we have the opportunity to reflect on the past months and express our gratitude to others as well as our God for the gifts, service, attention and appreciation given us, I would like to thank those who have taken the time to read this eolumn and for your patience with my efforts to express myself regarding the motivating issue of my tenure as a trustee: federal recognition. I also thank the OHA staff and administration for their work, their commitment and their dedication to the cause of bettering Hawaiians today. Finally, may I recognize my fellow trustees and thank eaeh of them for the inspiration they give me to work harder in my role as a fiduciary for all Hawaiians. In the last month, mueh has transpired in the nation, the state and our counties. In late October, the Maui community resources coordinator for OHA, Thelma Shimaoka, returned from North Carolina after

a successful brain surgery and she is now recovering at home on Maui. May our prayers help her to a speedy recovery. Then on Nov. 1, the Arakaki v. Lingle case was heard in Honolulu by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. With cautious optimism I would say that from the nature of the questions to the attorneys from the panel that they will be favorably disposed towards our position. Then on Nov. 2, the eleetions were held and from president to OHA trustee, decisions were made in eaeh state. Finally on Nov. 4, Doe v. Kamehameha was heard by the 9th Circuit, and again a feeling that all that could be done was done to the best of the abilities of the legal team, and so now we wait for a decision. My first two years as a trustee have been most interesting and, to me, rewarding. From a pure skeptic of the usefulness of OHA, I have been converted to a solid supporter of OHA because we as a board are not the boards of yesteryear but a

progressive, responsible, and respectful one with a strong administration to help us fulfill our fiduciary duties. We are less politicians, for the most part, and more trustees, whieh is good for all. We do not, for the most part, criticize eaeh other in puhlie and make a spectacle of ourselves. We are not spiteful or jealous of other trustees, for the most part, and attend to our duties as trustees. We are cordial with our beneficiaries and the puhlie and also with eaeh other, for the most part. We have set a strong pattern for due diligence especially with our trust fund and now have it in proper professional hands and out of pompous political hands. We have accomplished substantively more in two years than in the previous four years because we are efficiently organized and don't force our beneficiaries and others to wait for irresponsible trustees to show up at committee meetings after committee meetings ad nauseum and take an inordinate amount of

time to finalize actions. We have changed for the better, and as one attorney told me, she was in awe at the respect afforded her in her appearance recently before the board in comparison to past boards. And so I suggest that the past is pau and the future is now. OHA is a transition agency, and we will insure that the new Hawaiian government will have a running start. In the meantime, we will hopefully - by working with our governor, our congressional representatives, our legislature and with you - bring a lasting legacy of our culture, our traditions, our language and our identity for all time and all our posterity. It is our sincere hope that all Hawaiians will someday agree as to the path we are taking, but for now, we will need to proceed in what we perceive to be the best interests of our people. May your trust in us be rewarded as we head into 2005. Merry Christmas and God bless. ■

Boyd P. Mossman Trustee, Maui