Sharing the spotlight — Dobelle and Harris

By John Griffin

"HVB meets New Machines — and maybe they fit."

Evan Dobelle sees UH at the center of a revitalized Hawai'i. Advertiser library photo • July 2, 2001

It was an event worth attending for several reasons, including seeing two political pros stroke each other in mutual convenience.

Dobelle got more headline attention for his view of the university at the center of a revitalized Hawai'i. In the process, he probably drew hundreds extra on a Saturday morning to Harris' ongoing mixture of citizen planning and campaign for governor.

Some feel the animated mayor still oozes too much ambition and perhaps learned too well about political demagoguery from former Mayor Frank Fasi, his former boss and now bitter critic.

Equally slick, the city's 30-minute video on the new O'ahu regional plans looked at times like a promotion for both the mayor and the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau. Wai'anae sparkles like Waikiki. But such cynicism wasn't the dominant view at the applause-filled meeting. Whatever his motives, Harris gets and deserves credit for bringing O'ahu neighborhoods and regions into the planning and preservation process. He has created something to take to the next level in the coming campaign.

Then there's the state's new Dobelle Factor.

If every impressive newcomer gets his 15 minutes of aloha, Dobelle is still enjoying his for presenting a steady stream of bold initial moves and ideas. People even joke that you have to be careful about advancing attractive proposals around Dobelle, lest he pick them up and make an announcement.

Whatever, it's been more than three decades since the university and its leadership have looked so dynamic — and so supported.

Indeed, such is his ambition and energy that some worry about overexposure and something called a Dobelle Backlash.

It's just a matter of time until some columnist or politician says, "Enough speeches. What have you done for us lately? Let's see the next level — and the bill."

But those were hardly my major feelings as I listened to Dobelle — in a style that came across as quiet charisma after Harris' pep talk — spell out his ideas on how the UH could help remake Hawai'i.

Instead, it strikes me hardest that the new university president is impressive for two reasons I consider vital:

One, he sees a fundamental truth that too often escapes our leaders: That everything is connected to everything else in horizontal fashion, not in some vertical manner of isolated interests or kuleana.

Some of Hawai'i's vertical thinking stems from monarchy days, the power and paternalism of the plantation era, from years of Democratic domination, from the previous tourism juggernaut, and from our dependence on federal largess.

Regardless, the need now is to see the connections in such diverse areas as the new economy, the public-private school situation, the Hawaiian sovereignty debate and others.

And, not only is no person an island, no island stands alone in this time of high tech, globalism and the need to blend those with local cultures and concerns.

Notable in his kickoff speech to the Chamber of Commerce last month, Dobelle spent the most space on Hawai'i's need to relate to Asia and other Pacific islands. Most of the media went past that, but I hope it wasn't lost on community leaders who too often see Hawai'i as a suburb of California.

Dobelle's even bigger contribution to date has been to generate excitement about UH.

Sure, some of us have been saying for years that it is Hawai'i's single most important institution, often to downtown scorn. Also true, UH has gotten more attention in recent years as an economic catalyst (this during even a time of sharp budget cuts).

But there's no doubt Dobelle, in his moves and his manner, tapped a latent appreciation for the university, its people and their prospects.

After all, such is his skill and early stature that he can trigger a standing ovation, as he did at the visioning gathering, by concluding with that old kukui nut "Hawai'i is a special place."

Which left Harris & Co. to go on with the people-planning process and the campaign.

The mayor now seems favored in the race to succeed Gov. Ben Cayetano, a leader who can't match Harris and Dobelle in the vision thing or speaking style but deserves more credit than he gets.

The real campaign is still to come. We have yet to hear from Democratic Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and Republican Linda Lingle. And, before you bet, consider past flameouts for governor who were favored, such as former Congressman Cec Heftel and Fasi.

Still, Harris, with his City Hall team, and Dobelle, in his aloha shirt and engaging ideas, were the ones on stage there this month.

At the least, it was possible to think that Hawai'i is moving into the 21st century with new ideas.

John Griffin, former editorial page editor of The Advertiser, writes regularly for these pages.