Rumors aside, Kanoho isn’t interested in retirement

LIHU’E — When rumors circulated around the Legislature that Democratic state

Rep. Ezra Kanoho was contemplating retirement, encouragement for him to

continue serving came even from Republicans.

That was gratifying for the

14-year representative of the 13th District (Puhi to Waipouli). He said even

though he didn’t think he’d spend this much time in the House, he has no

intention of retiring any time soon.

Kanoho, who turns 73 in the middle of

September, enjoys his role as an impact player.

“The most important thing

in life is to try to make a difference, to be worthy,” he said, adding the

place where he can make the most difference is the Legislature.

In short,

he has yet to tire of his public-service role. A full-time legislator, he feels

that in order for him to do the best possible job, he must devote his time and

attention to his work. That often means declining invitations to join

organizations which do community volunteer service, he said.

As many

non-profit organizations ask the Legislature for funds for their work, serving

on a non-profit board and then approving money for that organization would

place him in a potential conflict-of-interest situation, he said.

That is

something he would like to avoid, although during his time working for Hawaiian

Tel he volunteered with organizations such as the Rotary Club of

Kaua’i.

The potential conflict situations vanished somewhat when the

Legislature switched to “lump-sum budgeting,” which allows the various state

departments to decide where their allocated funds will be spent, he

said.

But before switching to that budgeting method, the Legislature

sometimes voted on specific dollar amounts for specific organizations, which

would have placed him smack in the middle of a conflict-of-interest situation

had he agreed to serve on a board or with an organization that also had asked

the Legislature for funds, he said.

He plans to return to charitable

community activities once his political career ends, he said.

In fact, he

was readying for golf and other pursuits 14 years ago when, at age 59, he

prepared to retire from Hawaiian Tel as its Kaua’i manager.

Around that

same time, state representative Alfred Lardizabal took an appointment to head

what at that time was the state Department of Personnel Services (now the state

Department of Human Resources Development), opening up his House

seat.

Lardizabal, a part-time Wailua Homesteads resident, is now deputy

negotiator in the state Office of Collective Bargaining.

Several people —

not including Kanoho — let it be known that they were interested in having

then-governor John D. Waihe’e III appoint them to fill Lardizabal’s remaining

term.

Kanoho said he was something of a “compromise candidate,” with

Waihe’e not wishing to alienate anyone on the announced candidates’ list by

appointing one of them.

During his years in the House, Kanoho has risen to

chairman of the Legislative Management Committee, member of the Finance

Committee and chairman of that committee’s grant-in-aid subcommittee, vice

chairman of the Water and Land Use Planning Committee, and member of the Energy

and Environmental Protection Committee.

He is Assistant Majority Floor

Leader and also a member of the Ocean Marine Resources Committee.

During

this year’s session, education issues received much attention and funding.

“Education is always number one,” said Kanoho, worried about sounding

cliché. “Education is the crowning achievement of this legislative

session,” with $216 million approved for school construction projects across

the state.

The University of Hawai’i system, and its Kaua’i Community

College in Kanoho’s district, benefitted from increased tax revenues, thereby

meaning more available funds for programs and facilities, he said.

Bonds

were floated to raise funds for playground improvements, school repair and

maintenance, he continued.

In the 2001 session, Kanoho predicts a bill will

pass granting immunity from liability for counties for beaches (lifeguards) and

other public places.

He said he takes pride in the legislation he has

worked to enact, the bad bills he has worked to kill or amend, and in his

accessibility — especially to Kauaians who visit Honolulu.

During the

session, he’ll come out of committee meetings to greet visiting

Kauaians.

“I think that’s a very special part of legislative process.

Whether you agree or not, you gotta listen. And I really pride myself in doing

that,” he said.

With thousands of pieces of legislation proposed each year,

meeting with people can be a time-consuming process. The tight legislative

timetable complicates things.

Some legislation impacts many people across

the state, while others affect only small segments of the population. All

legislation is important to the people it impacts, so Kanoho feels it’s the

overall work that’s more important than any package or single piece of

legislation.

It’s important to approve the right ones, like those

appropriating funds for necessary programs, he said.

One bill he worked

hard to defeat early in his political career was a proposal for a state

insurance company handling workers’ compensation claims. Approval would have

been a nightmare for the state by establishing a company competing with

private-sector insurance companies.

“Government’s function is to provide

services that the private sector cannot provide,” he said.

Kanoho enjoys a

close relationship with Governor Ben Cayetano, sharing Kaua’i campaign

headquarters with the governor. Having an accessible, open relationship with

Cayetano helps Kanoho and Kaua’i, Kanoho said.

“In the Legislature, as in

life, many things hinge on relationships—good relationships. It takes a while

to develop that kind of relationship, that kind of reputation,” Kanoho said.

The governor needs the Legislature, which makes laws and appropriates

money. The governor administers and decides whether or not to release funds.

But the two branches must work together, Kanoho said.

Kanoho thinks having

a competitor in this year’s race is good for voters in his district.

“The

whole idea of an election is to give people choices to promote interest in the

whole system, the whole process,” he said.

At the same time, “I think

anyone seeking elective office is thrilled at running unopposed,” as even after

all these years he finds it difficult to ask people for campaign donations.

Campaigns are also hard work, he added.

“I haven’t had a fund-raiser for

years,” said Kanoho, who has scheduled one for Oct. 21 at Smith’s Tropical

Paradise in Wailua.

Kanoho and his wife Pauline will celebrate their 50th

wedding anniversary next year. They have four sons and six grandchildren.

Playing golf in a foursome including three generations of Kanoho men is

one of Ezra Kanoho’s joys.

Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached

at pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).