The recent power struggle that has wracked the leadership of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is expected to flare up again this week in two board of trustees meetings scheduled to take place behind closed doors.
At least one group is planning to demonstrate outside today’s closed session at OHA’s Iwilei headquarters, calling for both sides to engage in hooponopono, the Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.
“The lahui (Hawaiian nation) needs our trustees and administration to work together in a pono (righteous), dignified manner, not shouting at each other in public meetings,” Ka‘iulani Milham of ‘Aha Aloha ‘Aina said in a news release Monday.
Today’s 9 a.m. executive session with attorneys will focus on “the OHA administration’s request to discuss a confidential executive summary of incidents” involving Rowena Akana, the veteran board member who was elected chairwoman last month.
Thursday’s 10 a.m. closed session will again take up the employment contract of CEO Kamana‘opono Crabbe. A narrow five-member board majority, led by Akana, voted Jan. 8 to negotiate a buyout of the three-year, $150,000-a-year contract.
Akana’s attempt to suppress public discussion about the controversy at last week’s public board meeting backfired after six trustees walked out in protest, a move that ended the meeting 10 minutes in, due to lack of quorum.
Akana, who removed two personnel items at the top of the meeting, explained that she was trying to prevent “a circus” while avoiding a violation of the state’s Sunshine Law.
Heated controversy and strife have plagued the OHA trustees since Akana edged out Robert Lindsey as board leader last month and the new majority voted to buy out Crabbe’s contract.
Today’s meeting is likely to touch on a 2013 lawsuit Akana filed against the other eight trustees for allegedly violating the state’s Sunshine Law when they decided 8-1 to buy the Gentry Pacific Design Center for use as OHA headquarters.
The defendant trustees countersued Akana, claiming she sent confidential and privileged documents to former OHA trustee Mililani Trask for use on her cable show.
Akana said the computer transmission of the confidential information was a mistake by one of her staff members.
Meanwhile, fellow trustees have complained that the lawsuit has forced OHA to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“The lawsuit was about the Sunshine Law because this board was taking things into executive session and taking action on things that should have been in public session,” Akana said.
In the lawsuit, Akana was accused of defying OHA’s bylaws and behaving contrary to her fiduciary duties. More recently she was accused of harassing and bullying staff members, especially the staff of Chief Financial Officer Hawley Iona, who has resigned from OHA. There are some 33 complaints from OHA staff members, according to Kauai trustee Dan Ahuna.
Akana has countered that all of the complaints have originated from Iona.
As for Crabbe, it’s unclear whether he will lose his job even though five trustees voted to buy out his contract. It will take six votes to ultimately achieve the ouster.
Members of Hui Ku Like Kakou, Ka Lahui Hawai‘i and ‘Aha Aloha ‘Aina said Monday they are planning to hold banners and signs outside the closed-door meeting today. The members said they will not support the removal of Akana as chairwoman or a termination of Crabbe’s contract until hooponopono is attempted.
