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Souki resigns as House speaker

Ouster of Maui lawmaker from post reveals rifts in county’s delegation

 Joe Souki
Joe Souki, whose district spans Kahakuloa, Waihee, Waiehu, Wailuku and Waikapu, resigned as speaker of the House on Thursday. He is shown campaigning in 2008. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
South Maui Rep. Kaniela Ing and Central Maui Rep. Justin Woodson defected from the Maui delegation Thursday, throwing their support behind Oahu Rep. Scott Saiki as speaker and ousting longtime Wailuku Rep. Joe Souki, legislators said. "Why humiliate a man whose given so much of his life to public service?" asked Rep. Lynn DeCoite, whose district includes East Maui, Lanai and Molokai, on Thursday. "This is shameful that our Maui delegation did not stand strong." Souki resigned as speaker -- a position he has held since 2013 -- in a letter to House members. A resolution to replace Souki with Saiki came during Thursday's final House floor session. The House consequently voted to elect Saiki of urban Honolulu. DeCoite and another lawmaker, who declined to be identified, said Ing and Woodson did not support Souki and that the former speaker was "forced out." They believe Maui County is now at a "major disadvantage" with him gone. Souki "was undercut by some looking out for interests other than Maui County," the second lawmaker said. "That's the thing that saddens a lot of people and the Neighbor Islands. The old belief is that the Maui delegation stepped together no matter what, and from that strength you could negotiate things. That's where the strength came from. That's the everlasting damage." Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, who previously served as Senate president, said in a statement that Souki's resignation was the "result of a political power play" and "a tremendous loss of political influence for the people of Maui County." Tsutsui commended Souki for being "a great leader and for continuing to serve with dignity and great respect during this difficult time. "Unfortunately, this is the world of politics," he said. Ing said Souki's resignation was "his choice," and that he was not forced out. When asked if he would have voted for Souki as speaker, Ing said: "I don't know. It didn't get to that point." "I would've done what's best for South Maui, which is to retain the most influence in the House," Ing said. "When a transition is inevitable it's really important that Maui retain influence and not be pushed out completely." Ing said he agreed with Souki on a lot of issues this session, and that Saiki has "big shoes to fill." He added that Souki is "one of the most impressive public servants in the history of our state" and Maui owes him a lot for the school, hospital and airport funding he helped secure. "He's been a real trailblazing voice for over four decades, and we agree on a lot of the same values," Ing said. "He was ahead of his time. He's been speaking the language of millennials three generations ago." When Woodson was asked whether he would have voted for Souki, he replied: "I don't think it's ever beneficial to engage in those types of exercises because the Legislature moves so fast and we didn't even know what to expect today. "All we can do as legislators is try to listen to the community to see how the community feels about a particular issue and make a case for the rest of the members and work with our counterparts," Woodson said. "There's an infinite amount of scenarios that could've taken place today, and I don't think it's fruitful to engage in those conversations. "If someone claims to think that they know what happened or if there was going to be some kind of standoff -- that's just not accurate," Woodson continued. "You can't predict those things. No one could predict today. I had one staffer rushed off to the hospital because of a potential heart attack, and I'm trying to figure out how he's doing. I had no way of knowing that would happen today. It's common for things like that to happen up here." Woodson lauded Souki's ability to "bring everyone together," even when there was "great division" in the House. He said Souki listened objectively to both sides and proposed a middle ground as a solution. "I think that's kind of unique in how the Legislature operates, because mostly the leadership will pick one side and go in that direction and convince the rest of the body to move that way," Woodson said. "Speaker Souki was very much one to find the middle ground. I say that, but that's extremely difficult to do." DeCoite said it was "heart-wrenching" to see Souki ousted, especially after West Maui Rep. Angus McKelvey was removed as chairman of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee in March. The committee is a powerful post that has taken up controversial issues such as pesticide regulation, illegal vacation rentals and payday lending. "I called Speaker Souki this morning, and I told him I will support you to the end," DeCoite said. "When the resignation came down, I believed it was a forced-out resignation. "I supported the speaker on day one. We never agreed on everything, but they (Ing and Woodson) basically shattered Maui County by not supporting him to the end," she said. The other lawmaker said a "new regime" has formed under Saiki and House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke, and that Souki got "caught in the middle." The lawmaker said Souki resigned to prevent political factions from going to war against each other. "There's definitely going to be some tumultuous times ahead because of the way the reorganization was carried out," the lawmaker said. "We still have some huge issues on the table . . . and that's where Souki had the gift. He was able to handle situations that would've devoured most and led to a long period of stability." Souki served as speaker from 1993 to 1999 and was speaker emeritus from 2000 to 2013. He has served in the House since 1982. Souki could not be reached for comment Thursday. McKelvey said Souki is "beyond irreplaceable" in what he accomplished for Maui County, and that future support for the county is "murky at best." He added that more issues down the line could put the county "even further back big-time. "I'm hoping the new speaker understands that the interests of Maui are intertwined with those of the whole state." McKelvey said Souki is still a "very valued and respected" representative and his "wisdom and manao will be needed." He added that Maui and Hawaii residents need to get "vociferous again" and engage lawmakers at the Capitol, which has been "vacant to the public. "The electorate I think is completely over all the monkeyshines, but there is an eruption waiting to occur if the state keeps going from crisis to crisis to crisis," he said. "I'm hoping everyone can pull together now, regardless of where loyalties lie." Ing said he and Woodson are "very close" with the new leadership and talk a few times with them every day. He said Saiki has mentored both of them and believes he will be a "very fair leader moving forward." Woodson said Saiki and Luke have assured him that Maui's interests will "continue to be seriously considered" for capital improvement money and other matters. He said the new leaders have proved their support in funding Maui programs and projects. "It's evident in the budget year after year that they have been very supportive of Maui's needs and concerns, so I don't think that will diminish that much," he said. "It is significant to have a speaker from specifically Maui, but we work closely with the now-speaker Saiki and chair Luke that we should be able to move forward and have our concerns addressed." DeCoite said she'd honor and support the new speaker, but she believes Maui County is at a "major disadvantage." She said she believes lawmakers should be transparent and open to the public, and she hopes the new leadership would operate the same way. "We lost a lot today, and we lost a lot for our county," she said. "I'm hoping that we can continue to work together and move forward." Souki acknowledged in his resignation letter to House members that he had some disappointments this session, including lawmakers' failure to pass a compassionate aid in dying bill and legal immunity for lifeguards. "With the dynamics in this Legislature, we were also unable to agree with the Senate on funding to complete Honolulu's rail system. I regret that on these issues we were not able to do the work of the people." Souki thanked members of the House, "especially those who have stood with me through thick and thin." And, he thanked the people of Maui, "who I will continue to serve with the same dedication and compassion that I have always given for all these years. "Five years ago, I did not seek this position, but I was asked to lead this body in order to bring all members' voices to our deliberations," he said. "I hope that to some extent I was able to do that. I was humbled to lead this body, and it has been an honor to serve the people of this state." Saiki said in a statement that Souki has been a mentor and friend for many House members. He added that Souki taught them what it means to serve Hawaii with "honor, passion and pride. "He has left his mark on the state and in these halls that will never be erased," Saiki said. "I want to thank him for his service, for his words of wisdom and his guidance." The loss of Souki as speaker leaves uncertainty for Maui County's access to top leadership in the House, Mayor Alan Arakawa said. "Quite frankly, Joe has done a tremendous job as speaker," he said. "We have very good access to him . . . Joe has been one of the go-to people for us. I don't know what the new setup is going to be." Maui County senators expressed sadness over Souki's departure as speaker, saying he always looked out for Maui. "It's a great loss for us in Maui," said Sen. J. Kalani English, who said he worked well with Souki for years. "We all will have to carry more of the burden, all of us in the Senate, more so in the House. The Maui delegation in the House has to work a lot harder." English, the Senate majority leader, said Souki has "brought home, literally hundreds of millions of dollars for Maui." He added that when he was Transportation Committee chairman in the Senate and Souki chaired the same committee in the House, they were always able to work together. "I have great respect for Joe," English added. Sen. Roz Baker said Souki is a "skilled legislator," and she was saddened that he had to resign. "Some of the politics that is happening in the Legislature right now, I don't think it's up to the highest standards and that disappoints me," she said. "Hopefully, all of the Maui legislators can pull together and work with the new leadership." Souki will be irreplaceable in how that gave Maui leverage at the state Capitol, Baker said. "You can't replace somebody like a speaker to really help us with the bills that we wanted; to make sure that Maui wasn't forgotten in the budget," she said. Baker said that while the Senate will retain Ron Kouchi from Kauai as Senate president, the House leadership "is going to be very Oahu-centric." Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran said: "I feel bad. I've known (Souki) for so long. I enjoyed working with him. We represent the same areas." "Obviously when you lose someone with that much experience and in the position of speaker, it's never a good thing," Keith-Agaran added. The Maui County senators said they felt secure in their positions in the Senate, and they would not be affected by the recent ouster of Ways and Means Chairwoman Jill Tokuda. Baker chairs the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, and Keith-Agaran chairs the Judiciary and Labor Committee. English said there will be a "bit of a loss" for Maui, now that Tokuda is out. Over the years, Tokuda has come to Maui "and made it a point to get to know the people and the projects," he said. Keith-Agaran said he didn't think the shake-up in the Senate would have the same impact as the upheaval in the House. "We all know we need to work together," he said. "I think we probably will get through a little easier that the House will." * Staff Writer Melissa Tanji and City Editor Brian Perry contributed to this report. Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com. [gallery ids="657164,657176"]

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