New York eyeing Obama library

Up until two weeks ago, it appeared to be a head-to-head battle between Honolulu and Chicago for the right to host the Obama Presidential Library.

Watch out — here comes New York City.

Columbia University, where President Barack Obama earned his undergraduate degree in 1983, has reportedly entered the fray, offering land on or near the campus on the city’s Upper West Side.

According to Chicago media reports, "sources" say Columbia President Lee Bollinger is directly involved in the effort, the land has been identified and there have been at least initial discussions about fundraising for a complex with a price tag of up to $500 million for construction, financing, staffing and other costs.

The official line isn’t quite as detailed, to say the least, but it is hardly dismissive of the media reports, either.

"While it is premature to comment on a library selection process that has yet to be initiated, Columbia looks forward to learning more about the objectives that will inform President Obama’s ultimate decision when that information becomes available," said Robert Hornsby, Columbia’s associate vice president for media relations.

Proponents of Hawaii’s presidential center — led by a team from the University of Hawaii with nearly universal support from leaders across the state — have been working hard to maneuver the president’s birth state into an attractive position for when it’s time to select the location of the post-presidential library.

The effort includes making available an 8-acre site near the ocean in Kakaako and preparing the groundwork for institutes with specific research concept proposals the president may be interested in pursuing after his days in the White House are over.

But Hawaii proponents are also saying they would be happy with only a piece of the library complex, an acknowledgement that Obama’s new hometown of Chicago may have an edge.

Under a split scenario, Chicago, say, might be home to the actual library — a repository of presidential papers and documents — plus a presidential museum, while Honolulu would host Obama’s private foundation and public affairs school, commonly known as a think tank.

Or vice versa. Or some combination thereof.

However, with Columbia now in the mix, plans could also leave Hawaii on the outside looking in, especially if the lure of the power of New York’s big-money fundraising potential is too much for Obama to ignore. As an example, former President Bill Clinton’s library is in his home state of Arkansas but his foundation is in New York City.

Hawaii library advocates say they remain undeterred.

"Hawaii, especially, offers something Chicago and New York don’t," said Hawaii U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, who has been involved in the local Obama library planning. "The rebalancing to Asia and the Pacific is here and real. As the U.S. moves forward, Hawaii offers a strategic location from which the former president can play a significant role."

Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui said his office remains focused.

"The administration is fully supportive of this initiative and our office is continuing to work with the university and other stakeholders on plans to keep moving forward," he said in a statement.

Part of the lure of a presidential library is the potential for hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development — office buildings, hotels, restaurants. The Clinton Presidential Center has helped bring $2.5 billion in economic development to Little Rock, Ark., according to its website.

There is no shortage of presidential library proposals in Chicago, where Obama launched his political career and maintains many friends and associates, including his former chief of staff and now mayor, Rahm Emanuel.

Pitches for the library are being developed not only by the University of Chicago, where Obama was a law professor for 12 years, but at Chicago State University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. Land for a potential presidential center has also been identified in several Chicago-area neighborhoods.

The Chicago media, meanwhile, seems to have a hard time taking Honolulu’s bid seriously.

A Chicago Tribune editorial in July, for example, described Chicago as "a normal city, where a major library and museum would fit right in," while dismissing Hawaii as "a tropical paradise."

"With no insult to Hawaii’s respect for the life of the mind, it’s fair to say that very few people go there in fierce pursuit of book learning. Who’s going to want to relive the 2009 stimulus debate when they could be snorkeling, surfing, peering into a volcano, lying on a beach, playing golf, gorging at a luau or learning to appreciate ukulele music?"

Presidential scholars in Chicago would be "undistracted by gentle breezes and hula dancers," the Tribune said, while in Honolulu there may be a few visitors interested in an educational experience. "But face it — a lot of tourists just won’t quite get around to doing anything that doesn’t involve bare feet and sunscreen."

Robert Perkinson, the man who is leading the UH effort, scoffs at any snide Hawaii stereotyping.

"The president doesn’t think that way," he said, adding that Obama understands "Honolulu is a global city of consequence," a place ideally situated between East and West.

Perkinson, an assistant professor of American studies, said he firmly believes Hawaii has the upper hand because the president has expressed over and over his desire to spend more time in Hawaii — not just on vacation. Obama, he said, can use the living quarters incorporated in the proposal as a base where he can spend three or four months at a time or more.

As for Columbia’s entry into the race:"New York has more billionaires per square acre than Honolulu, but the president is a more-than-capable national fundraiser and international fundraiser."

Perkinson pointed out that New York and Chicago face a different kind of problem: how to create an institution that will stand out. Building a new, must-visit museum will not be easy in either of those cities, he said.

"In Hawaii there are not as many world-class civic institutions. It’s easier to imagine that such an institution would rise to the top on any visit to the islands," he said.

Perkinson, who has been working on this project practically since the day Obama was elected, said early on it was decided that if the president was going to make his decision based on insider connections, Hawaii would lose.

"Chicago has many more people who can whisper in his ear than we have," he said. "So our proposal has to stand on its merits."

As the perceived underdog, Perkinson and his steering committee gambled on developing some research concepts they hope will appeal to the president. They are:

» A Convening Institute, where Obama can bring together world leaders to discuss the great problems of our day and explore ways to solve them.

» An Education and Leadership Academy, where research would focus on leadership and issues involving learning from the preschool level to the 12th grade.

The concepts were developed in consultation with leaders and educators and at public sessions with numerous organizations and groups.

Maxine Burkett, a UH associate professor of law, led the development of the Convening Institute, which she described as an "action tank" (rather than a think tank) where leaders can research and find solutions to such problems as climate change, clean energy, child welfare and ocean policy.

Burkett said Honolulu is perfect for such an endeavor because it is away from the rancorous din of partisan Washington politics, while being in the middle of the dynamic Asia-Pacific region.

Patricia Halagao, a UH assistant professor of education, led the development of the Education and Leadership Academy. She said both Obama and the first lady have expressed interest in working with youngsters in their post-presidential era.

"He was a university professor," she said. "Teaching is in his blood."

While no formal search for a library locale has been initiated by the Obama administration yet, that process may begin in the coming year, observers say.

Schatz said for now Obama is too busy governing to think about it. At the White House last week, Obama talked about foreign policy and boosting the economic prospects of the middle class, he said.

"There was no indication that it’s even in the top 10 things on his mind," Schatz said.

But the senator added that comments from Obama’s staff have left him encouraged about Hawaii’s proposal.

"He will be a young former president who will be interested in public service, both locally and globally. We want to make sure he has the best option for a highly productive post-presidential life," Schatz said.

While most presidential libraries are in home states, Chicago supporters point to Ronald Reagan as the precedent for why Hawaii will not land the Obama library. Reagan was born and raised in Illinois and even graduated from Eureka College in Illinois, but his presidential center is in California, north of Los Angeles, where his political career began and then thrived.

Halagao said she’s convinced Hawaii is part of Obama’s identity. During his inaugurals, she said, he held two balls: one for Illinois and one for Hawaii — one she was lucky enough to attend.

"We do not think we are wasting our time on this effort," Perkinson said.