By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

One year ago today, Linda Lingle was sworn into office. In her inaugural speech, she made promises of a "new beginning" and spoke at length about cronyism, saying:

"A new beginning means a zero tolerance for rewarding friends and punishing enemies. That kind of mentality has created a culture of mediocrity. Who you know became more important than what you know, and we have tried to establish from the very earliest phase of our administration that what you know is going to matter most. And that's why we've set up a series of independent search committees to reach out to the community — not to ask the person what their party is, or who they supported in the campaign, or how long they've lived here, or who they went to school with, but simply to find out which of these candidates will supply the best leadership to the people of Hawai'i. As of this moment, anyone who cares about the state of Hawai'i and who wants to contribute is a friend of this administration."

Sounded good, yeah?

And then Lingle named:

• Bob Awana, campaign adviser, as her chief of staff.
• Bob's brother, Alan Awana, as Washington Place chef.
• Micah Kane, former head of the Hawai'i Republican Party, as director of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands.
• Micah's wife, Joelle Kane, to the board of directors of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i.
• Nelson Befitel, longtime friend, as director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
• Kitty Lagareta, Lingle campaign adviser, to the UH Board of Regents.
• Kitty's husband, Roland Lagareta, to the East-West Center board.
• Russell Pang, who worked for Lagareta at Communications Pacific, as communications director.
• Miriam Hellreich, local Republican National Committee woman, to the East-West Center board.
• Miriam's husband, Dr. Phillip Hellreich, to the judicial selection committee.
• Rae McCorkle, Lingle campaign finance director, as land use commissioner.
• Eddie Flores, vocal campaign supporter and plate lunch purveyor, to the East-West Center board.
• Ted Hong, who appeared in Lingle's campaign commercials, as both chief labor negotiator and UH regent.
• Jane Tatibouet, former chairwoman of the Hawai'i Republican Party, as UH regent.
• Shelton G.W. Jim On, Lingle's former campaign attorney, to the Board of Education.
• Stephanie Aveiro, Lingle friend of 20 years, first as manager of the governor's residence, and now director of the state's public housing agency.
• Marylou Green, Aveiro's sister, as the governor's personal secretary.

To be fair, Lingle had more than 300 positions to fill on 146 boards and commissions as well as picking her Cabinet and personal staff. Not everyone she appointed was a friend or political ally. And she does have some pretty smart friends.

But how is this list of buddies different from the very behavior Lingle criticized in the Democrats?

Same smell. Different names.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.