When it comes to their policy and personal goals, Gov. David Ige and first lady Dawn Amano-Ige, Hawaii’s first couple, could just as aptly be called first parents and first partners.
As they’ve said many times, improving public education and the welfare of Hawaii’s children tops their to-do list, and the couple, who’ve been empty-nesters for a year and a half, seemed happiest and most relaxed during a recent interview at Washington Place when discussing their three children.
Ige, 58, an electrical engineer who served in the state Legislature for 28 years before winning the 2014 gubernatorial election, had opened his Dec. 1 inaugural speech with thanks to his wife for the sacrifices she had made to support his political career, adding that they scarcely spent a day apart during their 29-year marriage.
Recognized as a partner while having stayed behind the scenes, the Ewa-born first lady asked that the governor be included in her get-acquainted interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Before she joined her husband in the historic mansion’s glass-enclosed lanai, which serves as an informal parlor, Amano-Ige, 57, posed for photographs on the white-pillared entry porch.
"I feel more comfortable here, out front," she said. "When organizations have events, we welcome people as (ceremonial) hosts."
It’s a tradition she likes, she added.
Slender in a long-sleeved shift that bared her knees, beige patent-leather heels, a gold chain and hoop earrings, Amano-Ige struck a pose, hand on hip, pushing her shoulder forward.
"The skinny-arm shot — my daughters taught me," she said with a laugh that revealed dimples.
She bent and plucked a loose bandage off one foot. "From running," said Amano-Ige, who runs four laps around Magic Island early each morning. (As first lady, she is on sabbatical from her job as a vice principal at Moanalua High School.)
Her dress, a bold monstera print by Manuheali‘i, was bought after she’d attended a fashion show sponsored by St. Andrew’s Priory and visited the Hawaii Fashion Incubator. "One of my goals is to understand local fashions and trends; we have such wonderful designers here," Amano-Ige said.
"As a vice principal and raising my children, I was quite busy," she added with a laugh. "Now it’s nice to have some time."
It was a hot afternoon, but birdsong and a cool breeze rippled through the lanai, where the Iges settled into wicker armchairs for a chat. The governor wore a deep sea-blue shirt by Big Island designer Sig Zane, chosen by his wife during a campaign visit to Hilo.
"He doesn’t put anything on sale," the governor said with a disappointed expression.
"Yes, he does, once a year," his wife said.
"Well, never when I was there."
The Iges looked at each other frequently as they spoke, listening to and sometimes interrupting each other, occasionally touching hands. They have quite different tastes in music: She goes for contemporary soul and pop, while his iPod is filled with local "oldies": Cecilio & Kapono, the Brothers Cazimero, Kalapana.
"I still remember my first album: Carole King’s ‘Tapestry,’" he said with a dreamy look.
"He was thrilled when we went to the Governors’ Association Dinner at the White House and there were Hall & Oates," his wife added.
Aside from hosting events, Amano-Ige said she hasn’t spent much time at Washington Place. After the inauguration, the family of five, plus their cat, Lucy, moved from their Aiea home into "the residence," as the modern governor’s home is called. A graceful, two-story wood cottage, it stands mauka of the 1847 mansion built by the sea captain father of Queen Liliuokalani’s husband, John Dominis.
After the overthrow of her government and Hawaii’s annexation by the U.S., the queen lived in Washington Place until her death. Her portrait stands in the glass-enclosed lanai, and Amano-Ige, who lists reading as one of her favorite activities, said she was reading the new edition of Liliuokalani’s book, "Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen."
Asked whether they were comfortable in their new digs up the hill, the governor frowned. "The washing machine broke and the air conditioning doesn’t work," he said.
"Those are just a few minor things," said his wife gently.
"When we came to the residence, it wasn’t quite fully furnished," the governor continued. "We had to rummage in the basement of Washington Place. Dawn did a great job of finding different things, including some of Gov. (George) Ariyoshi’s old furniture."
There was no household staff at the residence, where Amano-Ige had been doing all the housecleaning just as she always did in their Aiea home. She was happy to add, however, that a housekeeper had recently come on board, dividing duties between Washington Place and the governor’s house.
Although they sometimes go out for a late dinner in a restaurant, the Iges continue to mostly cook at home. Ige traditionally grills his Korean-style "camp chicken," which got its name from camping trips with the children. "I cook everything else," including nishimei and shrimp tempura, said Amano-Ige. "He’s the meat eater; I tend to prefer vegetables."
Although former first lady Vicky Cayetano was the driving force and fundraiser for the modern residence, it wasn’t ready for occupancy until a few days before the end of Gov. Ben Cayetano’s final term in 2002. The Iges’ son and two daughters, who are all in college or graduate school, were the first children to live in the house, ordering in pizza — after first notifying security — during their winter break from college.
Ige said he’d been thinking of the children when he thanked his wife for her sacrifices.
"A lot of family responsibility fell on Dawn," he said. "I tried to stay engaged, but when the Legislature was in session I often worked late. I’d tell her I would pick them up for ballet, but then a hearing that was supposed to end at 4 would go to 5 or 6 p.m. and I’d have to call and ask Dawn if she would get them."
She said she was surprised when her husband mentioned her in his speech. "Yes, that was very unexpected. I did hear him practicing the speech at home, but that hadn’t been part of the rehearsals."
Asked if she misses working full time, she nodded. "I miss being in the schools. It’s nice to start the morning greeting students and taking care of them during the day, watching them grow throughout the year."
She gave her husband credit for providing support at crucial times during her professional life.
"I’ve had different careers in business and in education … (and) in each of these careers there’s a period of transition and learning, and David has always been there to support me.
"He’s the optimist, he’s a glass-half-full kind of person."
Both Iges named their parents as role models. Both of their fathers had left school after the eighth grade and served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, but never spoke about what they did during the war. Instead, "they focused on simply raising their families," Amano-Ige said.
"We didn’t have much but we didn’t know it," Ige said, relating how his father, a steelworker, took him and his five brothers fishing and crabbing at Kahe Point, Ewa Hau Bush and Waialua Stream. "We picked oysters and clams in Pearl Harbor and Kaneohe Bay before they all got wiped out."
His mother grew up on Kahuku Plantation, where school ended in eighth grade, and moved to Denver in order to finish high school and get her nursing degree.
Amano-Ige’s father was a crane operator, and her mother worked "long hard hours" in the cafeteria at Campbell High School.
As parents, the governor said, an ongoing challenge for the couple has been trying to ensure their offspring had "a normal childhood" despite his being a public figure. "Sometimes it was hard to protect them from the politics."
The children, however, proved resilient and creative. "They enjoyed the (gubernatorial) campaign. They came up with events like Youth for Ige, and a tech event with online polling — just a fun kind of thing," their mother said.
Lauren, 24, is at law school at Georgetown University; Amy, 23, attends the University of Rochester in New York and will be entering nursing school; and Matthew, 19, is "developing apps" as a sophomore at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, their parents said with proud smiles.
The Iges themselves met as candidates for student government positions at the University of Hawaii, where he studied electrical engineering and she was in journalism, later earning a master’s degree in business from Chaminade University.
"We started a party called PRIDE. I can’t remember now what the acronym stood for," Ige laughed.
"I can’t, either," said his wife, who has said in previous interviews that what struck her first about Ige was his nice, loud laugh.
And what was it about Amano-Ige that caught the governor’s eye?
"I thought she was charming, easy to talk with," said Ige. "And she was very competitive, very focused on winning and also very creative. She tried to make campaign events fun."
On their first date they went to see a movie — neither can remember which — followed by a snack at Coco’s Restaurant. They dated for "three or four years."
Asked how the governor proposed, Amano-Ige replied it was more a mutual decision than a one-sided offer of matrimony.
"Maybe it wasn’t as romantic as we would have liked it to be," she said with a smile.
Even with their children in college on the mainland, Amano-Ige said one of their current challenges is to find an opportunity to slip out for a movie date.
