64% say governor doing good job

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Gov. Linda Lingle's job approval rating remains strong, a new Honolulu Advertiser Hawai'i Poll has found.

The poll was conducted among 600 likely voters statewide, and nearly two-thirds gave the governor a thumbs-up on her job performance.

That could be good news for the Hawai'i Republican Party, which is hoping Lingle's popularity can make a difference in what is now considered a close race for the state's four presidential electoral votes and a crucial fight for more seats in the state House of Representatives.

The same Hawai'i Poll, conducted Oct. 13 to 18, shows only a 30.7 percent approval rating for the University of Hawai'i's Board of Regents in the wake of its contentious battles with former UH President Evan Dobelle over the summer.

The poll's margin of error is 4 percentage points.

The 63.7 percent approval rating Lingle received ranks nearly statistically even to the 65 percent the governor received when the same question was asked in April.

Those who disapproved of Lingle's performance amounted to 21.9 percent this go-around, just slightly higher than the previous 20 percent disapproval rating.

Last year, her first as governor, Lingle's approval rating was 71 percent and her disapproval rating was 14 percent.

Pua Kaiwi, 38, a registered nurse from Wai'anae, was among those who approved of Lingle's job performance. She cited the work of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to provide housing for Native Hawaiians as one example of her good deeds.

Rebecca Ward, president of Ward Research Inc., which conducted the poll, believes Lingle's job approval rating "continues to be the envy of most every other governor in the country." Ward said the slight drop from the 2003 numbers was "very little" for an incumbent, who typically sees a decline in popularity once actually in office.

Lingle said the high numbers are "especially gratifying" after a summer during which Democrats hammered at her administration for restricting the release of money for high-profile legislation on public education and the crystal methamphetamine epidemic.

"I think the public, obviously, is able to see that we are trying to strike a balance between meeting these needs and yet recognizing that we have to budget for the long term," Lingle said.

She said voters are seeking candidates who can work with her, and "the public ... knows that if they elect Republicans, chances are higher of that kind of collaboration and cooperation, because the Democrats have already shown their unwillingness to do that in so many different areas."

Brennon Morioka, Hawai'i GOP chairman, said it's clear that voters will want to elect candidates who support the governor's agenda.

"Just aligning themselves with her proposals is going to give a positive light on (those candidates)," Morioka said.

Brickwood Galuteria, Democratic Party of Hawai'i chairman, said Lingle has no coattails. He noted that only one of three Board of Education candidates endorsed by Lingle made it past the primary into the final field of six on O'ahu.

House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Hts., Palolo, Wilhelmina Rise), said Lingle's push for legislative candidates is proof that the governor herself believes her popularity is transferable.

And although her high numbers might help some candidates a little, voters ultimately will look to what the candidates themselves can do for their constituents, Say said.

"The bottom line is the individual candidates need to convey a message as to why (voters) should support them," he said.

Izumi Yoshizawa, 81, a retired government employee who lives in Hawai'i Kai, said he likes the way Lingle stood up to the powerful Hawai'i Government Employees Association.

"When she vetoed the pay raise (for HGEA members), I thought yeah, somebody has to really put their foot down."

Key members of the Board of Regents blamed the media, and The Advertiser's coverage in particular, for the low approval numbers they received.

According to the Hawai'i Poll, only 30.7 percent of likely voters said they approve of the board's oversight of the university, while 43.5 percent said they did not.

"I think the Board of Regents has had a very challenging year and I think that very few people actually see the work that we do," said Kitty Lagareta, vice chairwoman of the board, who said she was not surprised by the numbers.

Lagareta said news reports in The Advertiser about Dobelle's departure from UH have been skewed and biased.

"All (the public) really sees is what they see in the news media," she said.

A poll of those familiar with the university system, such as staff and faculty, would have yielded different results, she said.

Patricia Lee, board chairwoman, said reporters have not covered properly the "day-to-day good works that happen at the university."

For instance, she said, the board last week spent hours hearing from the public on establishing a pharmacy school in Hilo, as well as a doctorate program in the Hawaiian language, and neither was widely reported.

Several people who took the Hawai'i Poll said they may have been more empathetic with the board if they had a better explanation of why Dobelle was fired.

"I think it was really messy and a lot of things happened behind closed doors," said Jallyn Sualog, 31, a mental-health professional, who said she would not have said she disapproves of the board if not for the handling of the Dobelle situation.

"(Dobelle) was their guy, they were the ones who hired him and for it to turn out as badly as it did, they need to take responsibility for that," said Sualog of Makaha.

Patricia Borowitz, a 65-year-old Pauoa retiree, also disliked the regents' handling of the situation. "I think what they did, whether it was warranted or not, just the way they did it was shameful," she said. "We just don't do stuff like that."

Key documents behind the regents' actions were released to the public but not widely reported by The Advertiser, Lee said.

"If people took the time to look at the evidence, they will draw their own conclusions," she said.

Lagareta said that board members are "not out to win any popularity contests, we're there to do the best job we can for the university, and at every point this year I personally feel we have."

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

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