Democrats still haunted by Gill-Burns battles of ’70s

Stephanie Ohigashi lives on Maui with three pit bull mix dogs and two cats.

Apparently that isn’t a complex enough balancing act, because just about two weeks ago, Ohigashi decided to run for chairwoman of the Hawaii Democratic Party.

Hawaii’s ruling majority political party goes into convention Saturday and Sunday to hear from its various tribes, and to pick a new leader as party war horse Dante Carpenter steps down.

In this remarkably unstable political year, the Democratic Party faces its first state convention without the unifying directive of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye.

It also goes into the election session with no guaranteed lock on holding the governorship. Democrats have no assurance that the divisions caused by the primary election races between U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, or Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state Sen. David Ige will not imperil the party in the November general election.

Those are all upcoming hurdles. First, Ohigashi, a Maui native and lifelong Democrat, has to mount a campaign against former Oahu Democratic Party chairman Anthony Gill, an attorney, who has been campaigning for the chairmanship for several months.

Gill packs impeccable Democratic credentials as the son of Tom Gill, one of the founders of the modern Democratic Party in Hawaii. Much of the internal history of Hawaii Democrats is made up of the battles between party members who supported Tom Gill — the former congressman, lieutenant governor and unsuccessful candidate for governor — and those who backed John A. Burns, Hawaii’s first elected Democratic governor.

Ohigashi is the stepdaughter of former Hawaii Supreme Court member and state Sen. Thomas Ogata, and the niece of long-time Maui Mayor Eddie Tam.

She is now executive assistant to Maui Councilman Mike Victorino — yes, the father of Shane Victorino.

Since at least 2007, one of the party’s most divisive issues has been pushed by Anthony Gill. He wants to close the Democratic Party’s open primary system.

The party filed suit in federal court to close the state elections and lost.

Gill is now handling the appeal and running for chairman.

In a recent Star-Advertiser interview, Gill said that the Democratic Party should be considered like any other organization with its leaders or representatives elected by members.

"We say we would like to nominate our candidates with our membership whom we know and trust, and, you know, because we’re inclusive, we’re happy to also take the vote of anyone who will publicly say they will support our party," Gill explained.

This plan, while supported by the party’s central committee, has been criticized by many elected Democrats, who say it will lower the number of Democrats voting in the primary election and does not broaden the party’s base.

Gill defends his plan, saying: "There’s a remarkable correlation between people who are elected and people who think that the current system is wise. (They) have learned how to use the current system. I do not say that they’re all like that. Many Democrats, particularly those who remember the problems of grassroots organizing in the first place, completely understand the party’s position, and there are others who do not."

Ohigashi, who as a central committee member voted against Gill’s proposal, said the open primary system has broad support.

"The 1978 Constitutional Convention changed the process and the voters ratified and I respect the voters," she said in an interview.

It is almost too much to ask of Hawaii history that the Gill-Burns battles of the 1970s remain to haunt the party.

But Ohigashi was quick to mention that as a young woman, she worked in the Legislature, and when a fight among Democrats broke out, it was Burns who as governor was able to calm down and unite Democrats to push forward major legislation.

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