Chief should meet with lawmakers

Some fear that the Honolulu Police Department will sweep a domestic-abuse case involving one of its officers under the rug. HPD Chief Louis Kealoha did nothing to dispel that worry when he canceled a meeting with a group of women leaders concerned about the Sept. 8 incident.

Members of the Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus and three female City Council members were seeking assurances that the department is making the case a high priority — a valid concern given that responding officers initially failed to even file a report.

Kealoha should meet with the women leaders. Waiting until Sept. 30 to share information at a forum about domestic violence is too late, and fails to give this issue the high priority it deserves.

UH faculty gives 2 thumbs down

The University of Hawaii-Manoa Faculty Senate has spoken, loud and clear, about its unhappiness with UH President David Lassner and his dismissal of former Chancellor Tom Apple. The honeymoon, if there ever was one, is now over, following the group’s 43-16 vote to censure Lassner.

Lassner terminated Apple on July 30, following what he described as an unsatisfactory performance review. But the faculty opposed this "precipitous" action because, according to the resolution, he did so without proper consultation.

That had to smart for Lassner, given that the group’s move is believed to be a first for a UH administrator.

On the other hand, the senate’s a pretty tough audience. It wasn’t so long ago that some among the faculty flashed a big thumbs-down for Frank Wiercinski, the retired general who had been Lassner’s rival for the job.