Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, May 19, 2018
OHA Trustee Candidates Aila and Kiaaina ‘Instrumental’ in OHA’s Biggest Boondoggle
By Andrew Walden @ 9:54 PM :: 9657 Views :: Ethics, OHA

OHA Trustee Candidates Aila and Kiaaina ‘Instrumental’ in OHA’s Biggest Boondoggle

by Andrew Walden  

OHA Trustee candidates Esther Kia'aina and William Aila claim OHA needs reform, but their record shows they are part of the problem.

In publicity interviews at the time of their campaign announcement they let the cat out of the bag:

“Aila and Kia'aina say they were ‘instrumental’ in Hawaii’s successful bid to host the 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress.” – Civil Beat, Oct 31, 2017

A State Auditor's report, released four months later, cites OHA’s $500,000 co-sponsorship of IUCN as a the largest single example of “Spending on Loosely Administered, Non-Competitive Awards” which cause “the Fiscal Reserve (to be) spent down rapidly.”

Image result for kamanaopono crabbe iucn waikiki 

OHA CEO Kamana'opono Crabbe as ‘Master of Ceremonies’ at IUCN, Waikiki, September, 2016.

IUCN has been tagged as a ‘Greenwashing Event’ funded by Shell Oil.  Why would they need OHA money?

Activist Mililani Trask explained to the OHA Board of Trustees Jan 26, 2017: “(OHA CEO Kamana'opono) Crabbe gave the IUCN conference a $500,000.00 gift of trust funds on so he could be the Master of Ceremonies of a gala Hollywood style opening ceremony at the IUCN Conference in Honolulu. He brought in, at the Trust’s expense, dozens of his friends to dance, chant and pose for the media. These expenditures did not benefit our Hawaiian Peoples and were a flagrant Breach of Trust. OHA Trustees did not approve these expenditures until after Crabbe made he commitment and thereafter, on the advice of Klein, voted to support it to avoid possible litigation!” 

According to the Audit Report (pg21), that BoT approval came in October, 2014.

The Audit Report (pg 21) points to: “action items we tested were missing multiple items, including two — $500,000 for the IUCN Congress and $100,000 for the trip to New Zealand — that provided only proposal letters as support for the funding requests. The information most frequently missing from or unclear in the action items were: (1) authorized use; (2) why the request could not be funded through the budget; and (3) urgency and impact to OHA.”  

The involvement of Kia'aina and Aila in an expensive project designed to boost Crabbe should be of no surprise.  They have been working hand-in hand with Crabbe for years.

November, 2009: Esther Kia'aina and Kamana'opono Crabbe were both appointed on the same day to top positions at OHA by former CEO Clyde Namuo--Kia'aina as “Chief Advocate” and Crabbe as “Research Director.”  Kia'aina and Crabbe would work side-by side for the next two years.

2011: Namuo quits as OHA CEO to become become Executive Director of Native Hawaiian Roll Commission.  Crabbe becomes OHA CEO.

2012:  Kia’aina runs for US Congress in District 2 but comes in third getting only 5.7% of the vote in the Democratic Primary.  Kia’aina 2012 Campaign donors include: Crabbe supporter and current OHA Trustees Chair Collette Machado, FedRec Profiteer Anthony Na’alehu, and crooked DoI appointee Tony Babauta—an associate of Robin Danner who would, in November, 2012, be fired by the Obama Administration.

2013: DLNR News Release, July 19, 2013 -- “As part of the transition (to a new administrator of the State Historic Preservation Division), a screening committee consisting of DLNR Chairperson William J. Aila, Jr., DLNR Deputy Director Esther Kia'aina, OHA Chief Executive Officer Kamana'opono Crabbe, and University of Hawaii anthropology and ethnic studies professor Ty Kawika Tengan has been established to review applications and interview candidates.”  Abercrombie’s DLNR Chair Aila would announce Alan Downer as the next SHPD administration in November, 2013.

2014-2016: Kia'aina and Aila “were ‘instrumental’ in Hawaii’s successful bid to host the 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress.”

According to her LinkedIn page, Kia’ana’s current sinecure as Executive Director of the Pacific Basin Dev Council (PBDC) began in October, 2017—just as she announced her campaign.  PBDC is located at OHA's old HQ building and has been a revolving door with OHA admin in the past.

Hawai’i Free Press asked Aila and Kia’aina how they respond to the calls for Crabbe’s ouster in wake of the State Auditor’s report.  They did not reply to our inquires -- but their campaign rhetoric shows their focus is entirely on punishing OHA Trustees who oppose Crabbe.   Conveniently, the three Trustees who most consistently support Crabbe—Dan Ahuna, Robert Lindsey, Collette Machado-- are not up for reelection this year.

Will the thousand dollar crooks who oppose Crabbe be pushed aside by Aila and Kia'aina to enable OHA's continuing multi-million dollar graft?  This year, ‘Throw out the bums’ might mean ‘keep Crabbe’ if voters pick the wrong replacements.

---30--- 

February, 2018: Crabbe: Who is the Auditor to Judge ME? 

March, 2018: OHA: Does Draft Audit Blow Blackmail Scheme? 

April, 2018: Land and Power: Abercrombie, Delacruz Behind Slate of OHA Trustee Candidates

April, 2018: Sam King Announces OHA Candidacy 

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT