I have Ige fatigue.

I have watched and reported on seven of Hawaii’s eight governors, but none has been more wearisome than David Ige. As far as crackling new news or a jolting perspective on government, Ige was never one to provide either.

We have watched many local politicians who either said they would do something or squabble with others over doing things, but Ige at times seems to just be fulfilling the state constitutional requirement that Hawaii have an elected governor.

His earnest application to whatever issue he had at hand seemed to be just the prescription Hawaii needed in 2014 to clobber incumbent Gov. Neil Abercrombie, with much mumbling but not arguments.

Now it has worn thin and his responses to both natural and self-inflicted crises have left the public impatient for leadership. The questions have resulted in him scoring in the bottom of national rankings for gubernatorial job approval for the last three years.

The latest locally taken poll, the Civil Beat-HNN poll, found that 54% have a negative opinion of the governor. Just 1 in 5 have a positive view, while the rest said they weren’t sure.

The fumbled incoming- missile alert, the unclear and indecisive action on moving either the telescopes or the protesters from the top of Mauna Kea, and then the devastating rains washing away and isolating portions of Kauai all contributed to the uncertainty.

Mother Nature’s pummeling the Garden Island was not Ige’s fault, and neither is today’s dilemma — but it is worse than all the rest combined. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be the new normal for Hawaii and the world. Those who are early adopters and those who adapt incorrectly are being punished.

For Ige, his inability or reluctance to communicate the state’s plans left the public scared and uncertain. In the face of the coronavirus, Ige’s emergency orders stopped tourism, and now as it starts back up, the flurry of changes and questions leaves local businesses fearing for their future.

Suddenly last week, Ige dropped a series of announcements as if in answer to six months of legislators, mayors, business operators and the general public all hammering on Washington Place’s door.

For small businesses, Ige announced a plan to send everyone on unemployment a $500 restaurant card. We haven’t seen the execution of this plan, but if it keeps Hawaii’s outstanding mom-and-pop eateries open, then good job!

And finally, with a new permanent director for the labor department, Hawaii is bulking up the unemployment division and getting 200 more people to answer the phones. The department’s response has not been bad or muddled; it has been just inhumane, as thousands of applicants have not been able to file.

The standard Ige administration response has been “antiquated computer system.” But Ige ran for office in 2014 acknowledging that the state’s computers hadn’t been upgraded in years, so whose fault is it if nearly seven years later, the state government remains a bastion of low tech?

And it may not qualify the Ige administration for the overachievement award — but the governor, after facing reports that he had spent only $71 million in federal aid with $862.8 million unspent, Ige said Hawaii would take and use every last federal dollar.

All that proves that Ige is able to listen to critics and adjust; the remaining question is, why must it be so difficult?

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.