Posted on: Sunday, April 25, 2004

Convention Center secrecy bill another sellout

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Why are we always acting like the lonely loser so desperate for a date that we'll dine with undesirables? Why are we willing to accept unacceptable behavior?

This is Hawai'i, arguably the most beautiful place on the planet. People dream of coming here. We should be making rules to suit us, not the other way around.

But here we go again.

The latest manifestation

is Senate Bill 2395, which will allow operators of the Hawai'i Convention Center to keep secret the names

of groups using the state

facility.

Secret because we, the tax-paying public, who helped finance the perpetually underbooked megaplex, can't be trusted to know who's renting out the place.

Secret because sometimes companies don't want it known that they're in town. They might be up to secret stuff. Or it might not be good for their image to have folks know that they're living large and dropping bucks in paradise. Or worse, people could stand outside the Convention Center with protest signs. Ooh. Bad.

If a group has to come here "on the down low," then they shouldn't be renting out a public facility, right? Let them hold their double-

secret meetings at one of O'ahu's lovely hotels, which are well-versed in the art of being appropriately discreet.

Oh, but it wouldn't be

totally, totally secret. The veil would be lifted 10 days after the Super Secret Party left town. Plus, the state legislators would know what was up the whole time. We don't get to know, but they do, and they'll be sure there's absolutely no funny business.

As Colleen Hanabusa put it: "I trust the members of this legislative body, both

the Senate and the House, will be there to assure that nothing goes forward that

in fact would infringe upon the rights of the public, that if they believe something should be known they would come forward and they would do their job as legislators."

Right.

This bill exempts the Convention Center's booking business records from the freedom of information law until 10 days after an event has occurred, if a potential renter asks for it and it's a deal-breaker, or — as the wording of the bill puts it — it would result in the loss of the booking.

All a potential client has to say is, "Uh, yeah. We'd like the Secret Treatment or else, uh, we're not coming."

So who's NOT going to check that box on the rental agreement?

There's business and then there's selling out. Selling out is when you drop ethics in favor of dollars.

This definitely crosses the line.

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