As Gov. Neil Abercrombie browsed the state unemployment numbers last week, there was good news: Statewide unemployment has dropped to 5.7 percent in September.
Back in 2008 was the last time it was that low.
All politicians see or imagine their own contributions to unemployment figures and happily say they had a hand in the rising number of job holders.
In Abercrombie’s case, one could argue that there has been a bit of a mini hiring boom created by filling the vacancies by executive staffers leaving his office.
The most recent and one of the more high-profile is the departure of Donalyn Dela Cruz, his original press secretary. Dela Cruz is a former Honolulu TV reporter who went on to work for a number of public entities.
Dela Cruz was an asset when she served as spokeswoman for Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, the Bishop Museum, the state Democratic Party. While with Abercrombie, she was promoted from press secretary to deputy director of communications.
So far Abercrombie has seen two deputy directors of communications, two directors of communications and two senior policy advisers leave during the first two years of his administration.
Dela Cruz won’t be going far; she is becoming director of communications for the state Department of Education. The current spokeswoman, Sandy Goya, will become director of school communications.
Last year, many key executives Abercrombie brought in to run the state left.
They include his chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff, the Health Department director, public housing director, human resources director, public safety director, the Hawaiian Home Lands director, the state civil defense deputy director and scores of other deputies.
Not being able to gather and keep a competent staff is a major problem for Abercrombie. After coming from representing Hawaii in Congress for 20 years, Abercrombie was not familiar with much of the history and minutia of the state bureaucracy. So for him, it was critical to have a steady staff helping him.
Instead, while his initial picks were top level, running a hiring hall instead of a government does not put you on the path to excellence.
Abercrombie has been able to rely on his kitchen Cabinet of lobbyists and long-time supporters to help place people in state government, but the governor has never had a serious discussion about his Cabinet vacancies and the role his unelected advisers play in his administration.
The struggle with communications continues to dog the Abercrombie administration, which after two years is still having a difficult time separating communicating with the electorate and continually campaigning for office.
A certain portion of every week is taken up with drop-bys at public schools, charity events and even low-profile meetings. Because Abercrombie is an entertaining and forceful speaker, there is the appearance that he is communicating. But he is actually just giving speeches.
The office needs to hold weekly, open-ended news conferences, something every other governor has done.
No matter who is handling his communications — and Dela Cruz was a reliable professional — Abercrombie has to be able to sit for regular discussions on a variety of topics.
He should answer questions about rail and bus transit and the state’s role. At the same time he should be able to discuss the state’s prison policy and costs. And he should be able, at the same news conference, also to sit and answer questions about the creation and future of the Public Land Development Corp.
Today, meetings with the press are to spin the issue of his liking and no comment to everything else.
No press secretary would call it communications.
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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.
