Woo vs. Harmon - Witness Robert Bunda

Office of The United States Trustee vs. Harmon

(Formerly Woo vs. Harmon)

CV05-00030 DAE KSC

U.S. District Court For the District of Hawaii

Judges: David A. Ezra; Kevin S. Chang

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HEARING ON MOTION FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT

DATE: January 16, 2007, 10:30 AM

(Hearing Cancelled w/o Notice)

JUDGE: Hon. David Ezra

—

DEFENDANT’S WITNESS

ROBERT BUNDA

22nd Senatorial District
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 202
415 South Beretania Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

phone 808-586-6090; fax 808-586-6091

e-mail senbunda@Capitol.hawaii.gov

Born: April 25, 1947, Waialua

Education

University of Dallas, graduate studies 1975, Dallas, Texas
Texas Wesleyan College, BS 1974, Fort Worth, Texas
Ludwigsburg American High School, Stuttgart, Germany
Leilehua High School, Wahiawa, Hawaii

Political Office

State House of Representatives 1983-94
State Senate 1994 - present
Created Hawaii's first ocean Management Plan
Co-created Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund
The only legislative member of the Governor's Task Force on Educational Governance

Professional

Independent Businessman
Insurance Broker since 1979
Banking Executive 1973-79

Community

Wahiawa Community and Business Association, Member
Wahiawa Lions Club, Member
West Oahu YMCA, Director
Wahiawa General Hospital, Member
Eames Kumiai Association, President

Military

U.S. Air Force
Texas Army National Guard
Hawaii National Guard

Member of the Democratic party.

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March 17, 2007

Controversial judge gets OK

Lobbying helps confirmation of Glenn Kim

By Richard Borreca, Star-Bulletin

The state has two new judges now that the Senate confirmed Mark Recktenwald as chief judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals and Glenn Kim to the Oahu Circuit Court.

Kim survived a 16-9 vote with both Sen. Clayton Hee, Judiciary Committee chairman, and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa voting against the 14-year veteran deputy city prosecutor.

Kim's nomination became controversial after two former deputy prosecutors said Kim was abusive and disrespectful.

Although Kim had the support of Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle and Gov. Linda Lingle, Hee said he had doubts about Kim's judicial temperament.

In 2004 the Senate rejected Ted Hong as a Big Island Circuit Court judge on a 13-12 vote, after saying that he also lacked proper judicial temperament.

In the Hong case, however, the Hawaii Bar Association had given him a negative recommendation. Kim was rated qualified by the legal group.

Recktenwald, a former deputy federal attorney and the current state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs director, was confirmed without opposition.

Recktenwald takes over from James Burns as chief judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the state's second-highest court.

Lobbying helps confirmation

Sen. Clayton Hee says it was his toughest decision, recommending the rejection of deputy city prosecutor Glenn Kim as a Circuit Court judge.

But for Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, it was one of her toughest fights as she maneuvered the nomination through the Senate's partisan minefield.

Hee (D, Kahuku-Kaneohe) lost his fight as the Senate voted 16-9 to confirm Kim.

"Being local, it is tough for us to be in opposition to local people," Hee said in an interview after the vote. "We have that aloha in each of us. It is hard to be different. And I have aloha for Mr. Kim."

Hee insisted that while Kim, 57, had a spectacular resume -- serving in Vietnam, winning the Bronze Star, earning two degrees from Harvard, graduating at the top of his law school class and working 14 years as a deputy Honolulu prosecutor -- his relationships with people were flawed.

Two former deputy prosecutors told Hee's Judiciary Committee that Kim was demeaning, disrespectful and abusive.

Kim told Hee that he denied those charges, which led Hee to say during a 25-minute floor speech that Kim was saying that the women were lying to the committee.

"It is for the nominee to prove his worthiness," Hee said.

But Lingle and city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle had been working their own lobbying campaigns.

Thursday evening, Lingle, Carlisle and Bob Awana, Lingle's chief of staff, went separately door to door to ask senators for their support.

At the same time, senators were getting e-mail in support of Kim. Former state Sen. Russell Blair, who was a former deputy prosecutor and had worked with Kim, e-mailed his support, even though Blair is now living in California.

"Glenn's resume is backed up by his personal qualities. He is bright, hard-working, honorable, generous and is called to public service," Blair said.

Also supporting Kim were Democrats who had not sided with Hee and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa during the Senate reorganization last year.

Former Senate President Robert Bunda, for instance, helped line up votes for Kim.

Sen. Ron Menor, who had supported Bunda in past Senate organizations, said the vote also showed that Democratic politics was changing and that senators felt free to vote against the recommendations of a committee chairman.

"This would have never happened in the past," Menor said.

Hanabusa, who voted against Kim, discounted that assertion. "The Senate has been all over the place," she said. "The votes are just the votes."

http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/17/news/story01.html

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Robert Bunda is expected to testify regarding his business, professional, political and personal relationships with Richard Wong; Henry Peters; Jeff Stone; Kevin Showe; Ko Olina Partners; Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate; Robert Kihune; Gilbert Tam; Sandwich Isles Communications; Clayton Hee; Al Hee; Summit Communications; Mary Lou Woo; Steven Guttman; Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA); Haunani Apoliona; Oswald Stender; Dee Jay Mailer; Hawaiian Electric Company; Edwina Clarke; Nathan Aipa; Colleen Wong; Namlyn Snow; Margery Bronster; Earl Anzai; Lyn Anzai; Linda Lingle; Robert Awana; Unity House; Tony Rutledge; Anthony Pounders; Michael Green; Arlene Ilae; David M. Louie, Roeca, Louie & Hiraoka, LLP; Sheriff John F. Souza, III; Clyde Kaneshiro; Honolulu Disposal Services; Waste Management, Inc; Stanley Hong; Robert Katz; Campbell Estate; Carlyle Group; Fred Anawati; Marisco, Ltd.; Norman Mineta; The Carlyle Group; Stanford Carr; Peter Savio; Walter Dods, Jr.; Bert Kobayashi; Leighton Mau; Steven Nakashima; Marr Hipp Jones & Pepper; Puco Trucking; Armstrong Builders; Centex Homes; The Weinberg Foundation; Ed Case; Steve Case; Jeffrey Case; Aon Insurance; Suzanne Case; The Nature Conservancy; The Starr Foundation; Faye Kurren; Judges Barry Kurren, Kevin Chang, David Ezra, Lloyd King, Robert Faris; Paul Alston; Rocco Sansone; Marsh & McLennan, Inc.; Robin Campaniano; AIG Hawaii; Colbert Matsumoto; Bishop Museum; Mark Polivka; John Waihee; Ben Cayetano; Gary Rodrigues; Dan Inouye; Daniel Akaka, Todd Apo, Sabrina Toma, Michael Nauyokas, Judge Colleen Hirai, Judge Alan Kay, Judge Michael Town, Judge James Duffy, Judge Alan Kay, Judge Michael Seabright, Colleen Hanabusa, David Farmer, Richard Turbin, Senator Ted Stevens, and others to be named upon discovery.