David C. Farmer vs. Harmon - Witness Mazie Hirono

Mazie Keiko Hirono , born November 3, 1947) is an American politician. She was the second Asian immigrant elected lieutenant governor of a state of the United States. A lifelong Democrat, she ran against Linda Lingle for Governor of Hawai’i in 2002, one of the few gubernatorial races in United States history where two major parties nominated women to challenge each other. Hirono is currently the congresswoman for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district. She considers herself a non-practicing Jodo Shinshu Buddhist, and is often cited with Hank Johnson (D-Georgia), as the first Buddhist to serve in the United States Congress. She is the third woman to be elected to Congress from the state of Hawai’i.

Hirono was born in Fukushima, Japan in 1947. In 1955, Hirono's mother escaped an abusive marriage by emigrating to the United States with her children. Raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, Hirono attended Ka’ahumanu Elementary and Koko Head Elementary Schools. She later graduated from Kaimuk’i High School, which at the time of her attendance had a predominantly Japanese American student body. Upon graduating from high school, Hirono enrolled at the University of Hawai’i at M’anoa where, in 1970, she received B.A. in psychology. She left Hawai’i briefly to attend Georgetown University Law School. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and obtained her doctorate of jurisprudence in 1978. Hirono quickly returned to Honolulu where she practiced law.

From 1980 to 1994, Hirono served in the Hawai’i State Legislature serving her district in the House of Representatives. During her legislative tenure, she passed over 120 laws. She was honored by a coalition of leaseholders as Legislator of the Year in 1984. From 1987 to 1992, she was the chairman of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee.

In 1994, she joined the ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano and was consequently elected to a historic administration led by the first Filipino American governor and first Japanese immigrant lieutenant governor. During her tenure as lieutenant governor, Hirono was also President of the National Commission on Teaching, America's Future as well as the Hawai’i Policy Group. She also spearheaded the first-in-the-nation comprehensive Pre-Plus program, a precursor to universal pre-school education in the United States.

With her time as Lieutenant Governor coming to an end, Hirono formed a campaign structure as she set her sights on becoming the next Mayor of Honolulu in a 2002 special election to fill a vacancy to be created by Jeremy Harris' entry in the gubernatorial election. Hawai’i residents were shocked, considering his high polling numbers, when Harris abruptly dropped from the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Hirono maneuvered to gain the support of potential Harris voters in her challenge against former Hawai’i State House of Representatives Majority Leader Ed Case and former Republican Chairman D. G. Anderson for the Democratic ticket. Through the entire primary campaign season, Hirono and Case polled almost equally. Case appealed to Hawai’i residents that his campaign was one of government reform as opposed to Hirono whom Case alleged represented the "Old Boys' Network" of Democrats that had ruled over Hawai’i for forty years.

In one of the closest primary elections for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Hirono beat Case. Hirono ran against former Mayor of Maui, Republican Linda Lingle in the general election. Lingle's campaign of reform called Agenda for New Beginnings appealed to voters and elected her governor.

On June 7, 2008, the Honolulu Advertiser reported that Hirano and her husband Leighton Oshima had traveled to the 2008 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA, on a University of Hawaii charter. Previous lists released by the University redacted the names of 45 travelers, including Hirano.

Political Candidates Receiving Contributions/Support in the '08 Election Cycle from
CENTRAL PACIFIC BANK FED PAC (IKA CPB PAC- FED)

The final primary for EMILY's List is in Hawaii on Sept. 23, when former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono must overcome a crowded field for the Democratic nomination in the second district. Republicans see this open seat as a promising takeover opportunity. Their likely nominee is an wealthy man from a well-known Hawaiian family. Hirono, who grew up in extreme poverty after immigrating to the U.S. from Japan as a child, has a terrific record to run on and a deep reservoir of support in the state. Keeping this seat in Democratic hands is critical to taking back the House.

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section.

Top Contributors to Mazie K. Hirono (D) during the 2006 Election Cycle
Rank	Donor	Amount (US Dollars)
1	EMILY's List	$ 28,850
2	University of Hawaii	$ 12,350
3	Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$ 11,000
4	National Education Assn	$ 10,500
5	State of Hawaii	$ 10,200
Source: The Center for Responsive Politics' www.OpenSecrets.org site. Note: Contributions are not from the organizations themselves, but are rather from the organization's PAC, employees or owners. Totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

Links to more campaign contribution information for Mazie Hirono from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile:	2006 election cycle	Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation:	2006 election cycle	Career totals
Top contributors by industry:	2006 election cycle	Career totals

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Mazie Hirono voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Since entering the House of Representatives in 2007, Mazie Hirono has tended to vote along the party lines of her fellow liberal Democrats. Liberal interest groups have given Hirono an average score of 89.3 on supporting their issues. [2] Conversely, she has received an average score of 6.9 on conservative issues [3]Furthermore, Hirono was sponsored by several traditionally liberal interest groups, including the Sheet Metal Worker's Union and EMILY'S List over her congressional career. [4]Hirono's main legislative issues focus on agriculture, business, education, energy, health care, labor, military and veteran issues, native Hawaiian issues, and women's issues. These are all important to Hawaii but are also predominantly liberal political issues.

Hirono has sponsored and co-sponsored several pieces of legislation focused on Native Hawaiian Rights. On her website, Hirono claims to be "a champion for the rights and needs of Native Hawaiians and is working to make sure the government honors its obligation to Native Hawaiians." [5]She co-sponsored the Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act (H.R. 505)[6], which she has argued for with several speeches on the House floor. Hirono has also sponsored several minor pieces of legislation like H.RES. 1153 (celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage month) [7] The rights of Native Hawaiians are very important and unresolved issue in Hawaii and Hirono is trying to help her constituents directly by endorsing such legislation

Hirono is a member of the Education & Labor committee and the subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and on Higher Education, Lifelong learning, and competitiveness. [8]. Hirono receives heavy support from education; she has has $23,000 donated to her campaigns over her career from the University of Hawaii. [9] She has sponsored legislation celebrating the University of Hawaii, [10] and a few other resolutions passed to aid teacher, by increasing the number of jobs or helping improve their salaries. Hirono is against No Child Left Behind, instead believing that we need a complete overhaul of the system by increasing fairness and flexibility, supporting teachers and principals, encouraging best practices and protecting Native Hawaiian education. [11] She also supports adjusting the college financing system and Early Head Start schools in ways similar to her fellow liberal democrats.

Additionally, Hirono is a strong supporter of the military and veterans, two groups that have played an important role in Hawaiian history. She is most supportive in the area of veteran's rights. Hirono proposes that her congress increases the VA budget and funding for health care facilities to show support for our troops. [12] Hirono has been effective in this area; the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of American gave Hirono a grade of A+ in 2007-2008. [13] She sponsored legislation helping the children of Filipino WWII veterans in 2007 [14] and co-sponsored many other minor bills along the way. Hirono has also helped the military of Hawaii in other ways. In November of 2008, she helped cleanup a landfill in Hawaii filled with six torpedoes and numerous casings through a 2 million dollar earmark. [15] Her support of the military is appreciated by the veterans, whom she has also helped get jobs if they are down on their luck. [16]

Hirono cosponsored The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act in the 110th Congress which would establish a commission that would determine the facts and circumstances involving the relocation, internment and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans.[1]

The Hawaii Nature Conservancy, Hawaii Program and its board of trustees held a community gathering at the Waikiki Aquarium recently....

by Steven Ertelt, Editor, www.LifeNews.com
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Another top pro-abortion group says it's in Barack Obama's corner in his battle for the White House against John McCain. Emily's List released a statement today saying it is behind Obama now that he has virtually wrapped up the Democratic nomination.

Ellen R. Malcolm, the president of the group, released a statement today saying she supports the pro-abortion senator.

"Now that the primaries have concluded, I wholeheartedly congratulate Sen. Barack Obama. He has inspired millions of Americans and shown that he is more than ready to take on Sen. John McCain," she said.

"The differences between Sens. Obama and McCain dwarf the nuanced policy differences between Obama and Clinton," she added. "We can never forget what John McCain stands for: a steadfast determination to overturn Roe vs. Wade."

"I know that EMILY’s List members, like all Democrats, will be unified in our determination to undo the damage created by George W. Bush and the Republicans," she added. "I am confident that our party will come together to take the White House in November."

Emily's List had endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party and it condemned fellow abortion advocates NARAL when the latter group came out in support of Obama just weeks ago.

Malcolm's group, also ran advertisements against Obama during the primaries that upset Planned Parenthood and other abortion activists who know Obama is just as pro-abortion as Clinton.

Malcolm displayed that affection for Clinton in the statement, that read more like a farewell message for Clinton than an endorsement of Obama.

Ultimately, Malcolm admitted she knows Clinton "will use that power to help Democrats, including Sen. Obama, win."

During the primary campaign, Obama came under criticism from Ramona Oliver, communications director for EMILY's List, who complained he is all flash and no substance and that he wouldn't do as well if he were a woman.

"All of the substance, all of the work, all of the policies, all of the accomplishments probably don't come off as flashy," she says of the comparison between Clinton's image and Obama's.

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono and her husband, Leighton Oshima, were among the dozens of people who flew on a University of Hawai'i charter jet to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

UH officials yesterday released the full list of more than 580 people in the official Sugar Bowl travel party.

The full list included the names of at least 45 people that the university previously blacked out due to concerns raised by the public-employees union, the Hawai'i Government Employees Association.

The university also revealed the names of 30 other participants — including Associate Athletic Director Carl Clapp and five members of his family — who were previously left off the list because they reimbursed the school for the travel. The university had earlier promised participants that their names would not be released publicly if they reimbursed the school.

"They should have disclosed this (list) from day one," said UH Regent Kitty Lagareta. "I don't see why it was so top secret."

The Advertiser sued the university on May 23, seeking the full list of the official UH Sugar Bowl travel party, which cost state taxpayers an estimated $2 million.

The university released a redacted version of the list minutes after the lawsuit was filed and more than two months after the newspaper made its initial request for the names.

Mark Platte, senior vice president and editor of The Advertiser, welcomed the disclosure by the university but said the newspaper's review of the matter is not done.

"The Advertiser is pleased that the University of Hawai'i finally agrees with us that the official UH travel list for the Sugar Bowl is the public's business," Platte said.

"Now we can get down to investigating in what official capacity each travel guest represented the university at taxpayer expense."

UH spokesman Gregg Takayama said the school released the entire list after receiving an opinion last week from the Office of Information Practices that the university could not withhold names of people who were on the Sugar Bowl travel list.

Takayama added that university officials took some time to redact the names of children who attended the event because they felt their privacy rights should be protected.

Complicating matters, many of the vendors that provided flight and hotel accommodations did not send their bills to the university until March, he said. As a result, the exact costs for the university and members of the travel party were not available until then.

Gerald Kato, a University of Hawai'i journalism professor, called the controversy an unnecessary public relations nightmare. The names should have been disclosed early on because the trip involved state funds and the list was public record, he said.

"I'm surprised that the university dragged its feet in releasing the information," said Kato. "The worst part of this delay in releasing the information is that it makes it seem like they have something to hide."

Hirono, in a statement issued by her spokesman Marvin Buenconsejo, said she flew on the UH charter with her husband with the understanding that they would pay for the roundtrip flights later. The flights cost about $1,300 per person.

According to Takayama, Hirono and Oshima paid for the trip after the costs were calculated in March.

"I attended the event on the clear understanding that I would use my personal funds to fully pay for all of my and my husband's expenses, which I did," said Hirono in the statement.

"It was an honor to join the University of Hawai'i administration and athletic department in attending the biggest game in Hawai'i Warrior football history."

Hirono was the only political figure who flew on the UH charter. Other elected officials who attended the Sugar Bowl such as Gov. Linda Lingle and Mayor Mufi Hannemann flew to New Orleans on their own, paid for their own flights and hotel accommodations and were not part of the official travel group.

Clapp, the UH associate athletic director, also traveled to the Sugar Bowl with family members. According to records release yesterday, five members of the Clapp family were among the members of the UH party.

Clapp said earlier he paid the university for the travel of his family members but declined to disclose the costs.

According to Takayama, Clapp's reimbursement presumably occurred after March since the costs for the airfare and other travel costs were not available until then.

The issue of who was included in the Sugar Bowl guest list is now the subject of a review by the state Ethics Commission.

Dan Mollway, the commission's executive director, declined comment on his agency's inquiries since the matter is pending.

But in comments on Thursday, Mollway noted that his office is looking into whether state employees received "unwarranted advantages or special treatments" when they received free travel and hotel accommodations to attend the New Year's day bowl game.

"From my perspective, disclosing the names is just part of the equation," added state Rep. Mark Takai, D-34th (Newtown, Waiau, Pearl City).

The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts has selected Daniel Greene, a New York artist, to paint the official portrait of Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Executive Director David Farmer said the final selection was made by Cayetano from a small group of artists who had submitted portfolios to the foundation.

The state will spend $30,000 for the portrait, with Cayetano expected to make up any extra payments, Farmer said.

EMILY’s List Announces Endorsement of Mazie Hirono
for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EMILY’s List, the nation’s largest grassroots political network and financial resource for women running for elective office, today announced its endorsement of Mazie Hirono in her bid for Hawaii’s 2nd
Congressional District.

“Mazie Hirono is an accomplished civic leader. She has the political experience and the dedication to her work to fight for what is best for her community,” said Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY’s List. “Mazie knows how to get things done and she is our best opportunity to retain this historically Democratic seat. EMILY’s List recognizes the importance of this race, and our membership will lend all its considerable strength to seeing that Mazie Hirono is victorious.”

Hirono served two years as a deputy attorney general in Hawaii before spending fourteen years in Hawaii’s House of Representatives, passing more than 120 laws to protect both consumers and workers. She was the first Asian immigrant in the United States to serve as lieutenant governor. Her interest in women’s issues led her to help create the first bipartisan women’s caucus in the state, advancing issues such as unpaid family leave, larger childcare tax credits, and tax credits for companies offering childcare for their employees.

Born in Japan, Hirono has worked hard to promote fairness and equal opportunities. She learned to speak fluent English in Hawaii’s public schools, graduating with honors from high school, as a member of the honors fraternity
Phi Beta Kappa at University of Hawai’i-Manoa, and with a law degree from Georgetown University....

With this information, along with a strong campaign structure, EMILY’s List announces its endorsement of Mazie Hirono for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District. With more than 100,000 members, including over 400 in Hawaii, EMILY’s List is the largest political action committee in the nation...

In ten election cycles, EMILY’s List has helped elect hundreds of pro-choice Democratic women to federal office, state legislatures, state constitutional
offices and other key local offices....

David C. Schutter, the brilliant Honolulu trial attorney whose aggressive and fearless representation of the powerless and powerful made him one of Hawai'i's best-known lawyers, died yesterday at his Kailua home following a massive stroke last month. He was 64.

Schutter died about 3:20 p.m., said his son Chris, who was at his father's side along with three of Schutter's grandchildren...

During his final days, David Schutter was visited by a steady stream of family members and friends, from former Gov. Ben Cayetano to Associate Hawai'i Supreme Court Justice James Duffy. They came to pay final respects to the almost legendary lawyer known to take on difficult cases and prevailing based on the force of his personality, hard work and near-photographic memory.

"He was such a passionate warrior for the underdog," said Duffy, a longtime friend. "He really felt for the less privileged people in society. He was just a ferocious advocate."

But the other side of Schutter was his generosity and his love for his sons and grandchildren, said Chris Schutter, who took care of his father the past 2 1/2 years at their Keolu Hills home.

"He was the most generous and compassionate man that I've ever known, not only to us, but complete strangers," Chris Schutter said. "He was that type of man: If he could help you, he would not hesitate."

Schutter's reputation started growing in the 1970s, when his clients included reputed underworld figures, victims of police misconduct and brutality and some of Hawai'i's most infamous violent criminal defendants.

He focused on civil litigation in the 1980s, including representing Big Island rancher Larry Mehau in his quest to clear his name of allegations that he was the "godfather" of organized crime in Hawai'i.

Along the way, Schutter clashed with some judges, who would sometimes be annoyed by his flamboyance, razor sharp tongue and courtroom theatrics that could overshadow his well-known ability to cross-examine witnesses and argue the heart of his clients' cases.

But Schutter also defended judges' decisions, including when they were criticized by former city Prosecutor Charles Marsland.

Schutter's legacy includes a legion of young lawyers who flocked to him, eager to learn from the master attorney. After leaving his office, they rose to positions throughout Hawai'i's legal community. Among them is Associate Justice Steven Levinson. Another who worked with Schutter is Cayetano.

"There are many smart lawyers in town, and David was very smart — but it was his tremendous will to win, his imagination and his willingness to take risks that separated him from the rest," Cayetano said.

"He was the one everyone turned to if it was a tough case," said Honolulu attorney Frank O'Brien, Schutter's partner in the 1970s. "He did stuff that nobody else had the courage to do, the ability to do."

Born on Sept. 2, 1940, Schutter grew up in Wisconsin, earning a law degree at the University of Wisconsin and later working at a Phoenix law firm. He came to Hawai'i in the 1960s when his military intelligence Army reserve unit was attached to the 29th Infantry Brigade at Schofield Barracks.

Schutter and Henry Peters, who would become speaker of the state House and a Bishop Estate trustee, organized a campaign to deactivate the brigade. It failed and Schutter served in Vietnam.

Upon his return in 1969, the young lawyer was one of three finalists to head the public defender's office. Longtime friend Brook Hart got the job and recalls Schutter's response: " 'That's great.' "

In private practice, Schutter pioneered the successful representation of victims in police brutality and misconduct cases against the city. He represented John F. Orso, who was awarded $250,000 by a jury for his lawsuit that argued he was falsely arrested for the 1970 Chinatown murder of underworld figure Francis Burke.

Schutter also represented teenager Rodney Kiyota, one of the most notorious defendants of the 1970s. Schutter negotiated a stunning plea agreement in which Kiyota received a 10-year prison term for manslaughter for the 1976 stabbing of a 12-year-old girl and reduced rape and sodomy charges involving a University of Hawai'i student.

In perhaps his most explosive criminal case, Schutter was the lawyer for organized crime figure Charles Stevens, who was found guilty by a jury of the 1978 double murder of a man and a woman whose dismembered bodies were found in a shallow grave in Wai'anae Valley. The verdict was set aside by Circuit Judge Harold Shintaku.

Gov. Ben Cayetano's dream of a state art museum is bigger than the first two floors of the One Capitol District building.

The governor told a conference of art teachers that within five years, he would like to see all five floors of the building across the street from the state Capitol devoted to art.

"The state foundation has a second floor right now. One day, I'd like to see the entire building dedicated to the art of Hawaii, the art of the Pacific, the art of Asia and the art of those across our country," Cayetano said.

A new state art museum is scheduled to open on the first two floors of the building in the fall.

The governor said after he leaves office, he plans to lobby the next governor to devote the whole building to house art collections.

But Cayetano and interim state Foundation on Culture and the Arts director Ron Yamakawa declined to comment on reports that the current state art museum project is over budget.

In his state of the state address last year, Cayetano estimated turning the first two floors of the building into a state art museum would cost $3.3 million.

In a related matter, the governor said he plans to appoint four new members to the board that oversees the state arts foundation. Two board members, including the former chairwoman, resigned just before a vote to fire former culture and arts foundation executive director David Farmer on Feb. 20. Two other board members had resigned previously.

The board oversees the work of the foundation to administer state arts and culture programs. One percent of the state's construction projects is set aside for the acquisition of art.

Cayetano said he did not know the details of the board's decision to fire Farmer. He said he hoped the controversy would not interfere with the board's mission.

The One Capitol District building was used by the Armed Forces YMCA from 1928 to 1987. Local developer Chris Hemmeter purchased the building in 1987 for $11 million for his corporate headquarters. Thirteen years later, Hemmeter sold the building to BIGI Corp. of Japan for $82 million after he decided to move elsewhere.

In 2000, Cayetano's administration purchased the Hemmeter Building for $22.5 million.

Cayetano talked about his plans for the state art museum during a welcoming speech at the "Governor's Conference On Arts Education 2002" held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village yesterday.

Cayetano says criticism swayed him against approving
Japanese Cultural Center funds

Gov. Ben Cayetano said yesterday he will veto the surprise $8 million construction appropriation slipped into the state budget and approved by lawmakers to bail out the financially troubled Japanese Cultural Center.

The governor said he is taking the action in "response from the public and, in particular, Japanese Americans who have contacted me and told me that they thought that the way it was done was not right."

Senate Ways and Means Chairman Brian Taniguchi (D, Manoa-Moiliili-McCully-Pawaa) inserted the appropriation into the budget after learning of the problems the nonprofit center had in making its mortgage payments. He had been criticized for slipping it into the budget unnoticed.

Taniguchi said last night that $8 million appropriation "wasn't inserted in the last minute. It's factually not true.

"My goal is to try to be sure that the center is preserved. If he (the governor) vetoes it, that's one less option that the cultural center will have. But it's his prerogative to do so."

Sen. Sam Slom (R, Kalama Valley-Aina Haina) said Taniguchi is "technically correct" because the appropriation was added to the budget before conference committee meetings, however, "there was never a public hearing on it.

"No one came forward and said, 'This is why we want the appropriation.' It was totally inappropriate to be in the budget. I applaud the governor's action," he added.

The money was earmarked for planning, land acquisition, design and construction for the center.

"I think the senator had the best of intentions. I just think that it is an appropriation that does not have the support of the community, including the Japanese-American community," Cayetano said.

Susan Kodani, the center's president, has said the center did not directly ask for the money but had welcomed the support.

Although $10 million was raised largely through private donations to support the 8-year-old cultural center, it had only enough capital to operate on a day-to-day basis, Kodani said in March.

Kodani said last night that she and other members of the center are discussing "many kinds of other options" to meet the center's mortgage payments, but would not comment on those alternatives.

Cayetano also said he is still weighing a veto of $5.5 million in the budget for the University of Hawaii's purchase of the old Paradise Park property in Manoa Valley because he is not sure it is a university priority.

The university reportedly was negotiating to buy 150 acres in upper Manoa Valley that includes the former Paradise Park as the site for a Pacific Center for Ecosystem Science to coordinate state, federal and private research into preserving Pacific island ecosystems.

Conservation biologists and archaeologists would use the rain forest setting for their studies, according to Kenneth Kaneshiro, director of the UH Center for Conservation Research and Training. He said the concept of the shared site came up more than 10 years ago.

The center also would provide a site for the UH medical school to study linkages between ecosystem health and human health, addressing such problems as dengue fever, Kaneshiro said.

"I want to know why the university did not include it in its capital improvement program," he said.

"This was a legislative proposal that came primarily from the (House) speaker's office," Cayetano said. "I think if the university wants to do it, then the university should move forward and get the Board of Regents to support it."

The Paradise Park purchase is not included in the university's priority list of capital improvement projects, and if approved would displace projects with a higher priority, he said.

A former politician convicted of voter fraud in 1984 and an attorney convicted of terroristic threatening a decade ago were among the 30 people pardoned by Gov. Ben Cayetano in the past year.

Cayetano also pardoned Gary E. Kaplan, who in 1971 confessed to police he had committed 500 burglaries over five years. Kaplan was convicted of robbery and theft, and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison in 1971.

In one of the most noteworthy cases, Cayetano pardoned Ross M. Segawa, who was convicted in 1984 in a voter fraud case. Segawa, who was a 1982 candidate for the state House, arranged to have University of Hawai'i law school students who lived outside his district register within his district so they could vote for him.

Segawa pleaded no contest to criminal conspiracy, criminal solicitation, evidence tampering and 10 counts of election fraud. Segawa and his mentor, former Sen. Clifford "Chip" Uwaine, served time.

Segawa could not be found for comment, and the governor's office declined to say where he is.

Kim Murakawa, Cayetano's press secretary, said Segawa was convicted 17 years ago, and "has made a positive social adjustment since then." She said the state attorney general's office, the Hawai'i Paroling Authority and the Department of Public Safety recommended that the pardon be granted.

Cayetano also pardoned former Honolulu attorney Leonard Appell, who made news in the '80s when he was accused in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme.

Appell was imprisoned Oct. 15, 1987 for allegedly attempting to hire a man to kill attorney Martin Wolff, who had sued Appell. Appell was acquitted, but later charged in a second case for allegedly threatening another man by hiring someone to run him down with a car. Appell was convicted in 1991 of terroristic threatening, reckless endangering and failure to return a rented motor vehicle.

Cayetano pardoned him in March, which was 10 years after the convictions. Appell also could not be found for comment, but Murakawa said Appell "has not been arrested for any criminal offenses since that case, and is considered a successful member of his community."

So far, Cayetano has pardoned about 110 people in his more than six years in office. Cayetano caused a stir last year when he pardoned Honolulu attorney Thomas Foley. Foley was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in 1997 for killing a man and seriously injuring the man's wife in a car crash while driving drunk.

When Gov. Ben Cayetano traveled to the Bahamas last year, he met with executives from an international hotel and casino company that is now proposing a new 1,500-room resort at Ko ‘Olina that would include gambling.

The gambling proposal by Sun International Hotels Ltd. appears to have little hope of approval by the state Legislature this year. Although Cayetano said yesterday he is willing to listen to the plan, he has long opposed casinos in Hawai‘i and isn’t promising to support Sun’s proposal.

Cayetano was in the Bahamas Dec. 9-13 visiting the Atlantis Resort, a facility owned by Sun International that boasts the largest aquarium in the world. Kim Murakawa, Cayetano’s press secretary, said the governor’s main purpose for the trip was to visit the aquarium, but Cayetano was informed at the time that Sun would propose a development in Hawai‘i.

Cayetano was accompanied on the taxpayer-financed trip by his former chief of staff, Charles Toguchi, who is now a lobbyist for Sun, and by public relations executive Jim Boersma, who has represented Sun for about a year.

Boersma said the governor, Toguchi and he had dinner with Sun executives, but that as far as Boersma knows, Cayetano did not discuss gambling with the executives.

Sun is proposing two bills that would allow developers to compete for a license for a single casino in west O‘ahu. The operations would be overseen by a gaming commission and pay a wagering tax of 12 percent to the state.

Under the bills, the state would be guaranteed a minimum take of $32 million to $42 million a year for the first three years, with $30 to $40 million going into a scholarship program for college-bound students who maintain grades of a B-minus or better, Boersma said.

The proposal will be introduced in the Senate by Senate President Robert Bunda, D-22nd (Wahiawa, Waialua, Sunset Beach), and in the House by Rep. Nathan Suzuki, D-31st (Salt Lake, Moanalua).

State lawmakers have rejected one gambling proposal after another in the last decade, most recently killing a measure last February that would have legalized shipboard gambling.

Most lawmakers said they remain opposed to all forms of gambling. In a survey of legislators by The Advertiser last month, 41 of the 51 members of the House said they oppose legalizing casino gambling, as did 19 of 25 state senators.

Only two of the state’s 76 representatives and senators said they would vote to legalize casino gambling. One is Suzuki, and the other is House Tourism Committee Chairman Jerry Chang, D-2nd (South Hilo) who has agreed to hold a hearing to consider Suzuki’s bill.

Key leaders such as House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chairman Eric Hamakawa, D-3rd (South Hilo, Puna) and House Finance Committee Chairman Dwight Takamine, D-1st (Hamakua, North Kohala) have historically opposed gambling. Hamakawa joined in a petition drive among House members in 1998 to end all discussion of gambling that year.

A gambling measure likely would have to clear both the Finance and Judiciary committees.

In the Senate, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Brian Kanno, D-20th (‘Ewa, Makakilo, Kapolei) and Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brian Taniguchi, D-11th (McCully, Mo‘ili‘ili, Manoa) both indicated in the Advertiser survey they oppose legalizing casino gambling.

Taniguchi said yesterday he believes there are other ways to finance college scholarships, and "personally, I would have some very serious concerns about passing casino gambling. I think it would have an adverse impact on Hawai‘i, and I think it would change Hawai‘i as we know it."

Boersma said the Sun resort would provide 5,000 to 6,000 permanent jobs, making Sun one of the largest private employers in the Islands.

The gambling would be an "amenity" in the larger resort with other attractions, Boersma said, adding that less than 30 percent of Sun’s revenue is from gaming.

"If it’s done right, it can be positive for Hawai‘i," Boersma said. "Overall for me, the positives outweigh the negatives, and I think if people are open-minded and look at it, they’ll come to the same conclusion."

Boersma said a media campaign will kick off with newspaper advertisements at the end of this week to make a case for the gambling proposal.

No one at Ko ‘Olina has talked to anyone about a casino at the resort, said Sheila Donnelly-Theroux, whose Sheila Donnelly & Associates company speaks for Ko ‘Olina.

Ko ‘Olina originally was conceived as a $3 billion resort project with condominiums, single-family homes, hotels and stores fronting manmade lagoons.

Financing for Ko ‘Olina collapsed in the early 1990s as Japanese backers of the project ran into difficulty, and only a fraction of the project was completed.

"Nobody at Ko ‘Olina is part of any group or has talked to anybody about a casino," she said.

Only Hawai‘i, Utah and Tennessee prohibit gambling of any kind. But gambling is still popular among Hawai‘i’s residents. An average of 644 people in Hawai‘i fly to Las Vegas every day.

Dorothy Bobilin, president of Hawaii’s Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, said a casino would "open the floodgates" for other forms of gambling.

She said her opposition is based on more than moral ground, that it focuses on social and economic problems she said gambling could bring.

"Look at the ripple effect of the Kahapeas and Sias in the world," she said of former Honolulu housing official Michael Kahapea, a high-stakes gambler who stole nearly $6 million in city money for his Las Vegas gambling adventures, and bankrupt local financier Sukamto Sia, who left millions of dollars in gambling debts.

If a gambling bill develops out of talk of a casino proposal, it will mean a battle in the Legislature, Bobilin said.

The problem for the anti-gambling group is that lobbyists have a lot more money to develop a public relations campaign to sell people on the idea of a casino, said Ira Rohter, associate professor of political science at the University of Hawai‘i as well as a Green Party member and gambling opponent.

"It’s one of those things based on the myth of revenues coming in," he said. "· It looks like free money. It turns out there are a lot of social costs.