Kaho'olawe job offer could bump legislator

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

State Rep. Sol Kaho'ohalahala, D-13th (E. Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i), is expected to be asked this morning to be executive director of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission, a job that would require him to step down from office less than two months after he was re-elected.

Kaho'ohalahala and Dr. Emmett Aluli, chairman of the commission, declined to discuss the matter. But House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Hts., Palolo, Wilhelmina Rise), confirmed that Kaho'ohalahala informed him he had been offered a job and that he was considering it.

The posted agenda for the commission's meeting this morning in Wailuku lists "Approve the Personnel Subcommittee's Recommendation for the Appointment of the Executive Director" as one of its discussion items.

If Kaho'ohalahala, 51, accepts the Kaho'olawe post, he would need to resign his House seat, because the state Constitution bars a legislator from holding another public office.

Gov. Linda Lingle would appoint Kaho'ohalahala's successor; she must pick someone of the same party.

Russell Pang, a spokesman for Lingle, confirmed that the governor met with Kaho'ohalahala and Say yesterday, but he declined to discuss details of the meeting.

Kaho'ohalahala, a House member since 1998, was elected in November to a fourth two-year term, defeating Republican Meiling Akuna.

Kaho'ohalahala was recently named by Say to head the new House Committee on Hawaiian Affairs. He has a history of involvement with Native Hawaiian issues. Like several members of the commission, including Aluli, Kaho'ohalahala is a longtime member of the activist group Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana, which was instrumental in returning the island to Hawai'i's jurisdiction.

For years, the island had been subjected to target bombing and other military maneuvers. Last year, the Navy completed its $400 million cleanup of unexploded ordnance and turned over the island to the state.

The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission was established by the Legislature to manage the 28,800-acre island and its surrounding waters while they are held in trust until Native Hawaiians establish a sovereign entity.

Say said he encouraged Kaho'ohalahala to consider taking the job not only for professional and personal growth, but also because of his roots as a Kaho'olawe activist.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.