Posted on: Friday, April 12, 2002

Mixed-up political priorities

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Wednesday afternoon, I went looking in the Advertiser library for the Rene Mansho file. The collection of stories began with her first campaign for office in 1988, her surprise win in that election over political veteran Toraki Matsumoto and Air Force veteran Cal Kawamoto, and her first days in office, when she was known more as a Mililani schoolteacher than Auntie Aloha with the loud mu'umu'u and the pua in her hair.

I guess I was trying to find the answer to the question that all of us have muttered at least once in the past three days, the question that has surfaced too often in recent times as news of shady deals and criminal charges came creeping like a bad rash out of Honolulu Hale.

What the heck is going on over there?

Or more specifically, what happens to these seemingly honorable people when they get into office? What exactly is it that takes the shine off all their good intentions and leads them to cut corners, bend rules and break laws?

I pored over the Mansho archive, looking for some quote, some hint, some indication of where she made that wrong turn. I felt like I was researching for "Rene Mansho: Behind the Music."

But it wasn't there. The file included all the projects she worked on for her district in the past 14 years, how she voted on big issues that came to the City Council, and of course, the tangle of trouble that led to her demise.

It is inevitable that voices will rise up in her defense. People will angrily argue that poor Rene did a lot for her constituents and that she shouldn't be hung out to dry. There was that kind of support even for her former council colleague Andy Mirikitani as he headed off to federal prison.

That's like saying a productive crook is better than someone who is honest but inert. In leadership roles, both are unacceptable.

So what happened to Rene Mansho? How did the "Wahiawa girl" go from being the new face with fresh ideas on the council to the disgraced career politician driving off into the sunset in her electric vehicle?

Whatever it was, it happened slowly, gradually.

There is certainly a great deal of ego involved, in Mansho's case and in those of her troubled colleagues; but I think that sense of entitlement gets mixed with terrible insecurity. They start thinking about what they DESERVE as public figures, what they aren't getting, and how terrible it would be if they had to go back to being just a regular citizen again.

They may run for office with a purpose in mind, an intention to truly be of service. But too often, once they're in, their only purpose is to stay in office. The greatest fear is not HAVING the job. Not DOING the job is a small consideration.

Gov. Ben Cayetano said as much in his last state-of-the-state address, challenging lawmakers to "Do your job to make Hawai'i better — even if it means you may lose your job."