Government sours on poi business

The track record of government-run businesses has been, shall we say, mixed. Some say the federal government’s move to rescue General Motors worked well.

But poi, as opposed to Pontiacs? Not so much.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has decided, four years after acquiring Makaweli Poi Mill on Kauai, to give the business to a nonprofit partnership, doing business as Lehua Poi Co.

Of course, it was Hurricane Iniki that wrecked the old poi mill and drew in OHA for a bailout, which ran the business through a nonprofit subsidiary, Hi‘ipoi LLC. And then horrendous rains in 2008 spoiled much of the crop right when the plan called for a ramping up.

However, Clarence Ku Ching, former OHA trustee, did acknowledge bureaucratic micromanaging was a problem. After losses totalling $400,000, so ends another cautionary tale about how the public and private sectors don’t always mix.

A delegation full of women

With women as both House members and one senator, Hawaii is second only to New Hampshire with the highest proportion of women in the state’s congressional delegation.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was to be sworn in today as representative of the state’s 2nd Congressional District, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa will continue to represent the 1st District and Mazie Hirono will fill retiring Sen. Daniel Akaka’s Senate seat. Both House seats and Senate seats representing New Hampshire are women, but women make up at least half the delegations in only three other states.