Senate panel rejects 1 of 2 UH regent nominees

By Tara Godvin
Associated Press

A Senate committee yesterday voted 3-2 against Gov. Linda Lingle's nomination of Big Island businessman John K. Kai to the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents.

The Higher Education Committee did recommend confirmation of another nominee, Ramon S. de la Pena. The full Senate will vote on both appointees.

Both Kai and de la Pena were given a second hearing yesterday after their initial hearings last month went poorly. Both are serving as interim UH regents.

Committee chairman Clayton Hee said he was not satisfied with Kai's ability to express his knowledge of and ideas about university policies.

Kai also contradicted himself when explaining his stance on the administration policy of making UH-Manoa the system's research engine, said Hee, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Kahuku).

Kai said the Manoa campus should be the engine but that other campuses should also have a chance at developing doctorate programs, including the Hawaiian language program at Hilo.

Kai said he felt that the questioning was unfair.

"I thought I did my best in there in terms of trying to answer what I perceived to be loaded questions sending me down a path of trying to entrap me on some of those questions," said Kai, president and co-founder of Pinnacle Investment Group.

De la Pena is an emeritus researcher of natural resources and environmental management at the University of Hawai'i.