Abercrombie less of a force in latest legislative session

On paper, this legislative session should have been a slam dunk for Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

The state Legislature is one arena where victory should belong to the 75-year-old Democratic governor.

After serving 12 years in the state House and Senate, two on the Honolulu City Council and 20 in the U.S. House of Representatives, you would imagine that the only thing he hasn’t done is host "Let’s Make a Deal."

Lawmakers, however, are privately saying Abercrombie has been less than attentive and skilled at the game in a year when he should be working for a hallmark session.

"He was a little more passive than he normally is. It was kind of lukewarm," said one legislative ally, who was among members of the Legislature granted anonymity so they could speak freely.

Another House member said Abercrombie was rarely seen during this legislative session, although others reported that during the session Abercrombie held several meetings with House leadership.

After two years of highlighting early childhood education, Abercrombie has failed to get the defining portions of his programs passed.

Legislators say the administration refused to accept that there will not be a broad approval of a preschool plan until the voters decide on a constitutional amendment allowing public funds to go for private preschools.

One issue that had been privately predicted as an inevitable victory was raising the minimum wage. It was highlighted by Abercrombie and equally supported by Democratic leaders in the House and Senate.

As the session opened, Abercrombie was relying — in both his policy and political plans — on a surging economy.

That was not a prudent bet. The Council on Revenues sliced the economic growth rates so much that by midsession, Abercrombie and the Legislature were dismantling a budget that had been touted by Abercrombie as the engine of Hawaii’s economic rebound.

Even before the dampened economic expectations, House and Senate leaders were pouring cold water on Abercrombie’s idea of a bubbling economy.

Rep. Sylvia Luke, chairwoman of the Finance Committee, and Sen. David Ige, chairman of Ways and Means, had both predicted a stable or slightly shrinking state treasury and warned against any Abercrombie rosy predictions.

Not because of his own action, but because of his decision to challenge Abercrombie for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Ige blocked Abercrombie by just existing.

One legislative leader said Abercrombie "was kind of gun-shy."

"He was at a disadvantage from the beginning. He is running for reelection, and Ige was also running for governor. It clouded everything. If he (Abercrombie) was too aggressive, people would say he was all political.

"So his accomplishments were relatively modest. He could have been more aggressive, but if you are too aggressive, people will use it against him," the lawmaker said.

For example, by announcing an agreement to protect portions of the North Shore’s Turtle Bay area, Abercrombie immediately scored points with environmentalists.

They are an important part of the Democratic coalition, but Abercrombie’s full-throated defense of the now-abandoned Public Land Development Corp. had caused them to break from him. So saving unspoiled beach land was a plus.

But Abercrombie’s plan lacked the funding to preserve the acreage. It was Ige who put together the novel payment plan that involved refinancing existing state debt on the Hawai‘i Convention Center to find the needed money.

Ige noted that his plan "creates an opportunity for the state to avoid any additional appropriation, taxes or fees."

A senator said, "Abercrombie almost botched it by not having the funding lined up."

Preserving open space was one of many split decisions this year, so the question for voters remains: Has Abercrombie had enough legislative successes to preserve his governorship?

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.