It’s showtime for Tsutsui

Cue the new lieutenant governor: Shan Tsutsui, you’re on.

The succession of the former state Senate president, age 41, to the lieutenant governor’s post is the next phase in the rollout of Hawaii’s "Generation X" cohort. With the death of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and the appointment of 40-year-old former Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz to the seat, the domino effect is shaking up the leadership and leaving room for younger politicians to step up.

This is unquestionably a healthy development. Hawaii certainly has been lucky to have had an experienced and well-positioned advocate such as the late senator for so many years. But if there’s been any down side to Inouye’s long tenure, it’s that there’s been so little movement in the top ranks of government, leaving few entry points for fresh candidates to enter the political realm.

Now, the churn has begun, and there will be ample opportunities for new ideas to come to the fore.

Tsutsui, of Maui, hesitated before accepting the job, apparently in consideration of family concerns with the Honolulu home base of the job. However, Abercrombie persuaded him to take it, underscoring that the position would enable him to shepherd special projects and, second, that he could sometimes work from a Maui satellite office.

The lieutenant governor himself has said that he wants to use his position to raise the profile of neighbor island concerns — a point that the non-Oahu constituency ought to celebrate. Too often neighbor islanders have felt their issues were afterthoughts in the Honolulu-centric state government, and having Tsutsui as a point person should make those needs more prominent elements on the legislative agenda.

As Senate president, Tsutsui pushed for $500 million in bond financing for construction projects. Now he will have more than his own district to consider, but it should help Maui, Hawaii and Kauai counties to have him on the state Capitol’s fifth floor.

Having the satellite office is a welcome outward sign of that commitment. Its budget should be constrained, given the still-tenuous state of the economic recovery. In fact, there’s no reason for it to be a huge cost item. Tsutsui’s staff on Oahu can coordinate business with a skeleton crew on Maui through videoconferencing. In this day of virtual connectivity, there are reasonably priced solutions to the problem of physical separation.

The young lieutenant governor will have his work cut out for him in other ways. Others in the "LG" spot have turned it into a launchpad for the governor’s chair or a trip to Washington, D.C. Ben Cayetano, one alumnus of the No. 2 office who comes to mind, was able to carve out an agenda of his own while wearing the lieutenant governor hat, most notably starting the After School Plus (A+) program.

Tsutsui did preside over some key votes, including the legalization of same-sex civil unions and the bill recognizing Native Hawaiians as a political entity. But his single two-year term as Senate president was relatively quiet, owing partly to the budgetary shortfalls. Tsutsui also has a shorter resume than forerunners such as Cayetano did. If he wants to advance his political career even further — though he’s not yet made those ambitions known — he will have to become less low-key and better known to residents statewide.

He has a lot to prove, in short, and voters await, with curiosity and real interest, to see what he can do.