Waihee, 37, resigned as vice chairman of the state agency. A message left at his office wasn't immediately returned.

On Dec. 14, Waihee pleaded not guilty to a charge of drunken driving in connection with a May 10 traffic accident in Honolulu.

Waihee thought it was in the best interests of OHA and its beneficiaries to leave the leadership position as he sorts through some "personal issues," OHA chairwoman Haunani Apoliona said.

Waihee, the son of former Democratic Gov. John Waihee, wasn't given a Breathalyzer test following the accident. A blood test allegedly showed he was illegally impaired by alcohol.

Late last year, state Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, D-Waipahu-Waikele, left his post as vice speaker of the House after being charged with drunken driving following an Oct. 16 traffic accident. He crashed his car into a concrete median on Moanalua Freeway.

Karamatsu pleaded no contest Dec. 21, his 33rd birthday, and was sentenced to 72 hours of community service and a $750 fine. The lawmaker also faced a six-month suspension of his driver's license.

Waihee was charged after his car collided with a pickup truck near the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. A second charge of driving without insurance was dropped.

A police officer said in his report of the accident that he could smell "an alcoholic-type beverage" on Waihee's breath.

Waihee said last month that he was "sorry for anyone I may have hurt, inconvenienced or embarrassed for my actions."

Waihee, who has served on OHA's board of trustees since 2000, became vice chairman in 2004. His current four-year term expires in 2010.