It is past quitting time on a Friday at the state Capitol, and Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland is steering an elderly homeless man in a wheelchair to her parked car.
“I’m taking him to IHS,” the smartly dressed Liliha Democrat says, guiding the man into the front seat and the wheelchair into the trunk.
“It turned out I waited until 8 for the caseworker and then he didn’t go; I felt bad I couldn’t help more,” Chun Oakland, 55, said in an interview.
For 26 years at the state Legislature, if there was someone holding the hand of Hawaii’s disadvantaged, it belonged to Chun Oakland, whose father was the longtime director of the
Kalihi YMCA and whose mother was a social worker.
Chun Oakland decided not to run for reelection this fall — and though she won’t provide specifics on what she will do, she said retirement is not an option.
“My intent is to just take all this work outside. I know with my service I want to continue this,” Chun Oakland said, explaining that she has set up so many task forces and interest groups to help society’s disadvantaged, she knows new leaders will flourish.
“Susie’s expertise in human services is unmatched; no other legislator knows as much of his/her subject area as Susie does about human services,” said Rep. Bert Kobayashi, a Kaimuki Democrat who has served with Chun Oakland in both the House and Senate.
“Susie has dedicated her entire legislative career to human services, even though human services is not a power base or a strong fundraising base,” Kobayashi said, adding
“Susie has been involved in virtually every major human-services accomplishment over the past two decades.”
Admiration for Chun Oakland crosses party lines: Hawaii Kai GOP Sen. Sam Slom said he may not always agree, but he is first in the Chun Oakland fan club.
“I never questioned her intent or total commitment to the children, older people and the poor and disadvantaged. She is tireless in her advocacy for those who have no voice. Her concern is genuine,” Slom said in an interview.
“She had opportunities for herself to gain more prestige and more money but she chose to stay with those who she helped the most. Susie is the heart of government in Hawaii,” said Slom.
“She’s made us more aware and caring legislators. Susie is the most compassionate person I know. She feels the hurt and pain that others experience, and wants to help them to be healed,” Sen. Les Ihara said last week in a Senate floor speech honoring Chun Oakland.
Ihara mentioned Chun Oakland’s signature speaking style, which often ended with her shedding tears over “abused women, foster children, hungry homeless, abandoned elders, crime victims, abused animals, and those hurt by their circumstances.”
I once asked Chun Oakland if her tearful approach to public speaking limited her effectiveness and she answered that her mother told her “strong women can cry.”
In Chun Oakland’s case, they can also be sharp, effective collaborators who know how to make progress by bringing everyone together.
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
