A Senate committee today voted against recommending that Gov. Josh Green’s nominee to lead the massive state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism be confirmed by the full Senate, the governor’s second Cabinet appointee to be voted down after a bruising hearing.
Chris Sadayasu underwent a 90-minute confirmation hearing that drew universal support from other Green nominees and from representatives of some of the 10 agencies that report to DBEDT.
But he faced hard questions from most of the members of the Senate Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, which voted 4 to 1 to not recommend that Sadayasu be confirmed.
Only Sen. Carol Fukunaga, (D, Manoa-Tantalus-Makiki), voted in favor of Sadayasu’s confirmation.
The decision not to recommend Sadayasu’s confirmation was led by committee Chair Lynn DeCoite, (D, Upcountry Maui-Molokai-Lanai) who criticized Sadayasu’s “mishonesty” regarding communication.
She was joined by Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, (D, Kalihi-Fort Shafter-Red Hill), who questioned his “experience” and “sound judgement;” and Sen. Glenn Wakai, (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Pearl Harbor), who is Senate majority leader; and Sen. Kurt Fevella, (R, Ewa Beach-Ocean Pointe-Iroquois Point).
Green’s second nominee to lead the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Kali Watson, faces his own confirmation hearing today. Green’s first nominee to lead DHHL, former Honolulu City Councilman Ikaika Anderson, withdrew his nomination on Feb. 15 after a hearing of the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that lasted five hours a day earlier, which ended with four of the five senators voting not to recommend that the full Senate confirm him.
