Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 10, 1 October 2000 — Interim OHA board moves forward [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Interim OHA board moves forward

By Manu Boyd WITH 0NLY weeks remaining before the Nov. 7 general election, the nine governor-appointed trustees of the Of&ce of Hawaiian Affairs are moving forward. The interim board replaces the former OHA Board of Trustees who, on Sept. 8, resigned en masse to avoid longer-term governor-appointed replacements. On Sept. 1 1 , Gov. Cayetano named fīve to the post of interim trustee including two retumees, Clayton Hee (O'ahu) and Hannah K. Springer (Hawai'i). Ilei Beniamina, educator and Hawaiian language advocate was named to the Kaua'i/Ni'ihau seat, replacing former govemor-appointed tmstee Donald Cataluna. Gladys Brandt, educator and community leader, was, for the second time, named interim tmstee at-large, this time replacing Mililani Trask. In 1998, Gov. Cayetano named Brandt to fill the \ acancy created by the passing of Tmstee Billie Beamer. Dante Carpenter, former Hawai'i County Mayor, legislator and OHA administrator, replaced Rowena Akana (at-large). Following swearing-in ceremonies, the fīve-member interim board met in an emergency meeting where Clayton Hee was elected unanimously as chairman of the board. Hannah Springer, also by unanimous vote, was named chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. On Sept. 16, the remaining four interim tmstees were named by the govemor, including the first-ever tmstee of nonHawaiian descent, Charles Ota, former University of Hawai'i regent, filling the

seat held by Louis Hao (Maui). NonHawaiians may now mn for and be appointed to tmstee positions as decided

by Federal Judge Helen Gillmore in Arakaki vs. State. Colette Machado was retumed to her seat, representing Molo-

ka'i/Lāna'i. Nani Brandt, Moloka'i businesswoman and former Hawaiian Homes commissioner, filled the at-large seat vacated by Haunani Apoliona, and entertainer/culture specialist Nālani 01ds replaced A. Frenchy DeSoto. In the first meeting of the full board Sept. 25, the moūon to autorize the administrator to execute a one-year extension of contract #1388 by and between OHA and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter under existing terms and conditions failed in a six to three vote. The second reading of OHA's spending policy was approved unanimously. OHA's Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund (NHRLF) was the subject of board action at its meeting of Sept. 28. Approved unanimously (one tmstee excused) were motions to: approve to change term of NHRLF Advisory Board voting members to three consecutive years and serve for a total of six years or two consecutive terms; approve to change the definitions of a "non-performing" loan to a "loan that is one or more years past-due and for whieh interest is not current," and; to provide the NHRLF manager lending authority up to $10,000 for all microloan requests and loan modifications. "The unanimous approval of OHA's spending plan is very significant," said Chairman Hee of the interim board. "They have an understanding that OHA is a perpetual tmst, and that the money is finite." Hee hopes that the interim board will, in its remaining weeks, set new initiatives in education and housing, in order to lay the groundwork for the new board in November. ■

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Top:Trustees Carpenter, Beniamina, Hee, Board Attorney Sherry Broder, Trustees Gladys Brandt and Springer in an emergency meeting Sept. 11. Below: Gov. Cayetano appoints Charles Ota, Nani Brandt, Nālani Olds and Colette Machado as the final four interim OHA trustees.

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