The wind-swept, cool afternoon on inauguration day was a dramatic change from the hot and dry outdoor ceremony four years ago that brought a new Hawaii governor into power.
Gov. David Ige was sworn into office in a Capitol atrium ceremony that several people in attendance said they hoped signaled a sea change from the administration of former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who took office during a ceremony at Iolani Palace.
"I’m optimistic because of his approach," said Lila Gardner, 75, who volunteered for Ige’s campaign and attended her first inaugural ceremony Monday. "He listens to people, in opposition to Abercrombie, who was an in-your-face type of person."
The nearly 90-minute-long ceremony included touches reflecting Ige’s roots, such as performances by students from his alma mater Pearl City High School and from Moanalua High School, where first lady Dawn Ige served as a vice principal. The colors were presented by a contingent from the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team to honor Ige’s father, who served with the 442nd during World War II.
With red, white and blue bunting draped along the Capitol’s second-floor railing, Ige’s inauguration also included plenty of only-in-Hawaii flourishes, such as entertainer Raiatea Helm’s rendition of the national anthem, which she sang while playing ukulele.
Helm was followed by Pomaika‘i Lyman singing "Hawai‘i Pono‘i," backed by the Kahaluu Elementary School Ukulele Choir.
Helm was then pressed into extra singing duties when the program ran ahead of schedule. She was asked to spontaneously perform three songs to kill time before Abercrombie’s term as a fellow Democratic governor officially expired at noon, as mandated by the Hawaii Constitution.
Jessica and Troysen Garcia of Kahaluu also attended their first inauguration, with newborn son Jayten, to watch their oldest of four boys — 10-year-old Jayden — play ukulele with his Kahaluu Elementary classmates.
While Troysen said he hopes Ige does more to help Hawaii’s homeless, Jessica said she wants Hawaii’s eighth governor and his administration to "stand for righteousness — for our kids’ sake."
As usual, the Capitol crowd included plenty of political veterans, former governors, mayors, judges and others accustomed to changes in the state’s leadership.
But something in the gusty air seemed "more positive" to Democratic Party district representative Veronica Duzon of Ewa Beach — especially compared with four years ago when Abercrombie’s inauguration was held on a day that was "summery and hot."
Duzon said she hopes Ige "can get a grip on the economy and make us more tech-friendly and green-friendly." She added, "We want to keep moving forward in the right direction."
She hopes that Ige, as an engineer, will "roll his sleeves up," said Duzon, whose husband, Edward Arias, is a former software engineer. "I hope the fact that he’s an engineer means that he’s going to get right on top of anything technical."
From her seat in the back of the Capitol atrium, Rebecca Ryan of Waikiki said Ige’s inauguration had a sense of optimism that seemed different from others she has attended.
"It does feel different," Ryan said. "I hope he starts helping people around here so we can all be pulling together."
CORRECTION: Shan Tsustui’s wife is Lyndelle. She was identified as Lynelle in a photo caption of on page A7 of Tuesday’s paper and in an earlier version of this story.
