Sen. Ron Kouchi won his first election at the age of 24, and today, the state Senate’s soft-spoken, immensely articulate new leader is enjoying a reputation as one of the Legislature’s “good old boys” in state politics.
Kouchi, 57, tried and failed to depose then-Senate President Donna Mercado Kim before the start of the 2015 legislative session.
Asked what the difference was between the two attempts, Kouchi just says, “the outcome.”
The revolution may have been bloodless, but the floor vote electing Kouchi was 19 to 6 and it did not leave a completely settled Senate. Even last week, Kouchi was adjusting the lineup of committee leaders.
“Every day you work at it, and on any day when 13 people decide on the direction they would like it to go, that is the way this business works,” Kouchi said explaining that a Senate majority is just 13 votes.
First putting together a coalition and then, more important, keeping it together is what makes a good legislative leader, and Kouchi appears qualified. He served 12 years as chairman of the County Council on Kauai, where politics is both intense and personal.
Personally, Kouchi is a self-described “Southern Democrat” who voted against both same-sex marriage and civil unions in past legislative sessions, but supported raising the state minimum wage.
He formerly worked for an insurance company and is now community relations director for Garden Isle Disposal. The firm’s president is Kouchi’s brother.
“Ron is a very, very smart guy; he has learned a lot politically from people like
(former Kauai state Rep.) Dennis Yamada, when he was majority leader,” said state Rep. James Tokioka.
“He worked on the Council with Tony Kunimura, Jeremy Harris and JoAnn Yukimura. He has been a major part of government on Kauai for 30 years,” Tokioka said.
Kouchi left the County Council to run unsuccessfully for Kauai mayor in 2002. He made it back to the Council, and when there was a vacancy in the Senate, former Gov. Linda Lingle appointed him to that body in 2010.
Tokioka said losing the mayor’s race was a turning point for Kouchi.
“That was a humbling election for him. It helped him and his wife become closer to their religion and to each other.
“It gave him time to reflect on what was important and it softened the edges,” Tokioka said.
Today, listening, not talking is key, said Kouchi.
“The key factor to leadership is just listening; through listening you can help determine where everybody is trying to go and then help them … while still recognizing the strong personalities that exist here and that there is a little more independence exercised by the chairs,” Kouchi said in an interview.
For instance, former Senate President Kim is resuming chairmanship of the Government Affairs Committee, Kouchi said, which will allow her to continue to work on reforming the state procurement laws. But Sen. Laura Thielen, who was offered a combined Health and Environment Committee, rejected it. Kouchi said Health was then offered to Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, who decided to keep her Human Services Committee chairmanship. The Health Committee was then combined with Consumer Protection and headed by Sen. Roz Baker, who is currently Consumer Protection chairwoman and has experience running the Health Committee.
Whatever the final arrangement, Kouchi will discover that the Senate is not so much run, as it is balanced.
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
