Tsutsui settles into state’s No. 2 job

Admittedly reluctant at first to take the job, Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui says he did not want to join Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s administration if it meant merely making appearances — "groundbreaking, reading books and blessings" — or simply carrying the administration’s water on controversial issues.

"While I appreciate the fact that it’s part of the job, I didn’t want that to be the primary purpose of what I did," Tsutsui said.

"Quite frankly, I didn’t want to come up here and just be a 49 percent shareholder and, no matter what I say, have absolutely no effect on some of the decisions that were made," he added. "And yet, I didn’t expect him to say, ‘OK, whatever you want to do is what we’re going to do.’"

Six months and one legislative session into the job, Tsutsui says that has been anything but the case, and he is now free to concentrate on initiatives like an enrichment program for middle-schoolers.

"The governor has just gone out of his way to make sure that I get included on some of the decisions that are being made," he said. "He and I meet quite often and I’ll share with him my concerns about maybe a different view or position that it seems the administration is taking where I think it might be better if we look at it from a different way, and he’s taken all of those things into consideration, at least, when he’s making a decision."

Tsutsui, 41, who assumed office in late December after the appointment of his predecessor, Brian Schatz, to the U.S. Senate vacancy created by the death of Sen. Daniel Ino­uye, had little time to prepare for the job with a new session only a month away. Now familiar with each other’s management style and leadership skills, Tsutsui and Abercrombie say the transition is essentially complete and that both plan to pursue new terms in 2014.

Tsutsui says he can now focus on the role he sought when he accepted the job: guiding policy. One of the first initiatives he plans to tackle is state-sponsored after-school opportunities for middle school students.

The Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture and Health or REACH initiative would bridge a gap in after-school opportunities available for students during their middle school years. While the After School Plus, or A+, program has proved successful at the elementary school level, and high schools offer no shortage of after-school athletics and activities, Tsutsui said he hopes to establish a similar, comprehensive program at the intermediate school level.

Those opportunities could come through athletics, with sanctioned interscholastic sports, or other programs such as robotics or digital media.

"What I want to do is make it available and basically allow them to decide which programs fit their schools," he said. "If students at Washington Middle are really engaged and interested in robotics, then absolutely they should look at having programs like that. If the students there are more sports-minded and are interested in volleyball and soccer, let’s provide the structure for them to have an organized league within the middle schools so they can compete against some of their neighboring schools."

Abercrombie, who has made early childhood education a key pillar of his administration, enthusiastically welcomes the approach.

"He recognizes the important role of middle schools," Abercrombie said. "He’s been a big supporter, of course, of our preschool early childhood education and development and he’s connected that to the middle schools."

Which programs would be undertaken is still being examined, but schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said the overall proposal has support from communities and businesses.

"It’s great to have someone high-profile like Lt. Gov. Tsutsui willing to take on expanding opportunities for students," Matayoshi said in an email. "This helps with keeping kids engaged in school and after in a variety of activities.

"The difficulties will depend on what kinds of programs (are sought)," Matayoshi continued. "The lieutenant governor was smart in basing the projects on successful programs like After School All-Stars, so there is a path that can be followed. Of course, funding will be an issue also, for such things as bus and materials."

Tsutsui said he would like to have a pilot program introduced in a few schools at the start of 2014.

Among the lawmakers Tsutsui met with early on regarding the initiative was Sen. David Ige, the Senate’s Ways and Means chairman, who said the A+ program, funded through a fee of $85 per student, could serve as a funding model.

"I really think that it doesn’t have to cost a whole lot," Ige said. "A+ for the most part is self-sufficient at the elementary school level and the model would be similar, so it’s really initial seed money to try and organize it and try and get the right people involved and then really trying to create a structure."

Ige, like many of Tsutsui’s former colleagues in the Legislature, said Tsutsui has made the transition to high office virtually seamlessly, given his short preparation time. When he took office, Tsutsui said he hoped to serve as a liaison between the administration and the Legislature, a role at which many expect him to excel.

"Shan has a very good understanding of how this place runs and what it takes sometimes to get measures through and so he’s really in a good place," said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who succeeded Tsutsui as Senate president.

Abercrombie, too, has found the relationship beneficial, perhaps most effectively on the effort to repeal the Public Land Development Corp. law. The governor found himself in the position of seeking repeal of a law that was supported overwhelmingly by the Legislature and his administration, but faced intense and vocal backlash from the public.

Lawmakers say Tsutsui was able to help communicate the governor’s views and help guide the repeal measure, which Abercrombie signed.

"I think it was very, very beneficial to us, as an administration, in terms of going to conference meetings in particular and bringing disparate points of view together and reconciling them with what we’d like to accomplish in the administration," Abercrombie said. "So, he’s been a very, very good partner. He’s been an encouraging one and he has exemplified, as far as I’m concerned, the qualities of leadership that I saw in him when I asked him to become lieutenant governor."

Tsutsui said he hopes to make as much progress as he can on REACH and other initiatives in the next year and a half, noting that a full four-year term is not guaranteed. Although they would run as a team, each has to make it through his respective primary election before that can happen.

No challengers have formally announced against either, but Rep. Calvin Say, the former House speaker, is exploring the possibility of a run at lieutenant governor. Tsutsui said he has not thought about any election beyond next year, and though he says he never, before this year, aspired to be among the state’s top elected leaders, he acknowledges the potential for his office to serve as a steppingstone to the top job.

"I’m going to try to work hard to get some of the things that I want to focus on done in the next year and a half," he said. "If I’m fortunate enough to serve for another four years, then I’ll just continue to focus on that. Then we’ll see.

"In 2018 I’ll make a decision."