Gov. Neil Abercrombie has released my fellow Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee, Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey, from a commitment she made not to seek the Maui trustee seat in a November special election. Several current trustees encouraged the governor to take this action.
Please let me take this opportunity to talk about two OHA trustees who were appointed by a governor and were later elected to a term in their own right. The first is former Maui Trustee Charles Ota, appointed by Gov. Ben Cayetano in 2000, who served as OHA's first non-Hawaiian trustee, but had great aloha for our Hawaiian people and their well-being. He did such a fine job that he was elected to his own term by Hawaii's voters.
I am the second trustee appointed, also by Cayetano, then elected, in 2000. I have since been elected three times and will retire from the board this year, but my commitment to our Hawaiian people remains steadfast. Thus I write this letter.
It is not up to Abercrombie to choose a permanent Maui trustee, that is for Hawaii's voters to decide. I encourage you to join me in supporting one of the most passionate, intelligent and down-to-earth trustees I have ever had the pleasure to serve with. Her real estate and cultural knowledge are an invaluable asset to OHA as we navigate toward a bright future for the Hawaiian people.
Hulu Lindsey is worthy of your vote.
Donald B. Cataluna
Honolulu
