Too bad Wally Fujiyama isn’t here to help HCDA

What Kakaako needs is Wally Fujiyama.

If somehow the ghost of the legendary, local attorney and political power broker could visit the dreams of the developers now insistent on transforming Kakaako into the Great Wall of Kowloon, the state would be in a better place.

Right now the Legislature is moving plans to regulate some of the development in the mostly underdeveloped parcel between Ala Moana and downtown.

Because it is a creature of state government, the Hawaii Community Development Authority is bound by the rules written down by the state Legislature.

Right now it appears there is some willingness among House leaders to change the procedures used by the HCDA to develop the prime acreage. There is support for increased development standards and also a call for an audit of HCDA, plus House members are eager to go over the HCDA budget. The Senate, however, does not appear to share the House members’ zeal.

If the House says "Yes," and the Senate says "No," the result will be that nothing moves and the HCDA plans and its resulting construction spree remain in place.

Viewing the pending possible impasse, one veteran Democrat told me the "entire effort will be mostly symbolic, because even if we pass something, the governor will veto it and the Senate won’t override it."

For citizens hoping for a more enlightened development process and more appreciation for urban planning, the problem is that there is only so much the Legislature can do.

Just like the cliché that when you have a hammer, all problems look like a nail, for those in the Legislature, all problems look like they can be solved with a new or tougher law.

Maybe if Wally were on the case, things would be different.

During the Japan-created real estate bubble of the 1990s, Fujiyama held sway and foreign developers lined up for his advice.

He was close to many state Democrats, particularly former Gov. Ben Cayetano. His great skill, however, was navigating local development, finance and political processes for Japanese clients.

Former reporter and editor Kelli Abe Trifonovitch recalled in a magazine article how she followed Fujiyama around for a profile.

"We shot video of him one night, as he did what he typically did to entertain clients. That night he hosted then Daiei USA Inc. President Tetsu Aiko at a Kona Street karaoke and hostess bar. The scene felt a little surreal, but it was fun to witness the iconic Fujiyama in action," reported Trifonovitch, who now works for the University of Hawaii.

The local hospitality was not as important as what Fujiyama was able to extract from his wealthy clients: a pledge to give back to the community, which was going to reward the investors.

"Wally used to make it a condition that if a client wanted his services, he expected that they would give back to the community," Trifonovitch wrote.

Local attorney Colbert Matsumoto, CEO of Island Insurance, in a 2009 interview in Hawaii Business recalled that Fujiyama’s counsel came with a stipulation.

"Wally used to make it a condition that if a client wanted his services, he expected that they would give back to the community. He got them to make major donations to schools and community organizations. Community leaders need to make these people understand that if they want to play and profit in Hawaii, they have to give back to the community," Matsumoto said.

Today if Fujiyama were on the HCDA board, how much more likely would it be that developers, through their own devotion to the community good, would promise to develop five public mini-parks or two schools and a community center as a goodwill gesture?

Sometimes the result you need is found in leadership, not legislation.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.