Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 12, 1 December 1994 — Hawaiians re-elect Akana, Hee, Aiona, DeSoto [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiians re-elect Akana, Hee, Aiona, DeSoto

Voters choose Beamer, incumbents

bv JefT Clark Hawaiian voters catapulted B i llie Beamer and four incumbents to the

OHA Board of Trustees Nov. 8. Beamer, an outspoken critic of OHA whose cable access TV show has brought attenlion to the board's dis-

agreements, replaces Kamaki Kanahele, who gave up his at-large seat

to run unsuccessfully for the State Senate. Chairman Clayton Hee was re-elect-ed to the O'ahu seat, Rowena Akana and A. Frenchy SeSoto were re-elected to their at-large seats, and Vice Chair Abraham Aiona was re-elected to the Maui seat. All nine OHA trustees will be sworn in during investiture ceremonies Dec. 2 at Kawaiaha'o Church in Honolulu. (The remainder of the board is eomposed of Trustee-at-large Kīna'u Boyd Kamali'i, Hawai'i island trustee Moanike'ala Akaka, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau Trustee Moses Keale, and Moloka'i and Lāna'i Trustee Samuel L.

Kealoha, Jr.). Forty-five eandidates ran for the five seats on the board; 31 vied for the three at-large seats. Beamer is a former chairwoman of the Hawaiian H o m e s Commission and director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. She also ran the Honolulu Parks Department

for part of the 1980s. "I believe this is a very very critical time for we Hawaiians to determine where we want to go," Beamer said. When asked what she would like to see the Board accomplish during her term, she said, "I see the next four years being used to lay the groundwork and the infrastructure from whieh our people ean make decisions." "I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to work for our people. I am humbled by the support and pledge to commit my energies on behalf of the Hawaiian people," said Hee. "My family joins me in thanking everyone who voted in the OHA elections."

Aiona said, "I appreciate the fact that the OHA voters put me back into office simply because the board is still working on many areas that are important to the Hawaiian people: housing, education, reparations and entitlements, and sovereignty and self-determination as the final result," he said. "And so I look forward to continuing the board's work. The board should organize as quickly as possible and cooperate." DeSoto, who was largely responsible for creating OHA at the 1978 state Consititutional Convention and who has been a trustee since 1980, said, "I want to thank the Hawaiian community

for their faith and continued confidence in me. I pledge that I will continue to work very, very hard for the Hawaiian people."

Akana, the top vote-getter, said, "I feel fortunate to be given another opportunity to serve another four years. I think that it's an overwhelming mandate to be number one out of 45 candidates. I think that says something; I think it says that the people want to see me here, and I'm gratified to be given the opportunity. "I don't know what the next four years will bring; I'm certainly not planning to be part of the majority," Akana continued. "I think there is power in being in the minority, power because you ean speak your mind without owing anybody anything, and there are no goodies to be taken away from you if you don't vote with the majority or you don't vote with the people who have certain agendas. I have always said that the only agenda I have here is the people's agenda." According to the Lt. Governor's Office, 55,424 people voted in the OHA election. In the at-large race, Akana received 20,990 votes. She was followed by Beamer, with 17,514, and DeSoto, who got 14,083 votes.

Here are the winners of the 1994 OHA election. At-large seats (3) Votes Rowena Akana 20,990 Billie Beamer 17,514 A. Frenchy DeSoto 14,083 O'ahu seat Clayton Hee 20,631 Maui seat Abe (Chief) Aiona 18,996

Billie Beamer