Leading is easy when everything is humming smoothly along. It’s when a wrench is tossed into the works that you see what the folks in charge are made of.

         Are they calm and rational during unexpected times of stress? Do they inspire others to be calm and rational? Can they pull the trigger on critical decisions even if the data is incomplete? How about making a tough call for the greater good when they know it is bound to be unpopular with vocal segments of the community, that it may cost them votes down the line? 

         The State of Hawaii and County of Maui are set to bid farewell to two leaders who made quite a few snap decisions while leading us through the first global pandemic in 100 years. Hawaii Governor David Ige and Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino did not run for office touting their medical expertise or crisis management skills, but that is what we counted on when Covid-19 turned the world on its ear.

         Sure, Ige and Victorino would take a few “do-overs” if they could. Made in the heat of battle, there are decisions they wish they had or had not made, but isn’t that true for all of us? Hindsight is always 20/20. No leader worth their salt allows themselves to get bogged down in the middle of a storm waiting for the perfect solution.

         Yes, we can second-guess closed beach parks, police checkpoints and mandatory quarantines, but let us not forget the tenor of the times. In spring and early summer of 2020, the pandemic was sweeping the globe like something out of a Stephen King novel. Folks in New York City and Italy were dying by the thousands every day. The advice trickling down from national and international leaders was scattered and ever changing. 

         First, it was stay inside for two weeks to let the coronavirus go away. Washing hands and surfaces were suddenly touted as keys to survival. Like us, Ige, Victorino and their staffs were hanging on every word from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Who else could they listen to? We seem to remember someone in office suggesting people drink bleach and expose their innards to ultraviolet light to treat the disease.

         Ige and Victorino made our safety and the lives of Hawaii’s elders their top priorities. There were legitimate concerns that our island hospitals would be overwhelmed. Ige and Victorino did not let that happen.  

         According to the WHO, more than 6.6 million deaths are attributed to COVID-19 worldwide, more than one million of those in America. The latest CDC data shows Hawaii is the state that has suffered the least deaths on average, 103 per 100,000 residents.

         Ige and Victorino may have prevented countless more.