Doug Chin, the longtime deputy prosecutor who served as city managing director under former Mayor Peter Carlisle, was tabbed Friday as the new attorney general for Gov. David Ige’s administration.
"It’s an honor for me to join the administration and serve as the attorney general," Chin said in a news release from the Governor’s Office. "This is an opportunity to solve problems, and I welcome it."
Chin served 12 years in the prosecutor’s office and joined Carlisle after he won the mayor’s office in 2009 until 2012 when a new administration took over. He is stepping down as managing partner of the Honolulu law firm Carlsmith Ball to take the position.
Chin’s nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.
Sen. Gil Keith-Agaran, chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee, which will hold Chin’s confirmation hearing, said he is familiar with Chin both in his public- and private-sector work.
"I look forward to working with him during the session," Keith-Agaran (D, Kahului-Paia) said. "The attorney general plays an important role for the state and the people of Hawaii as well as heading up one of the largest groups of lawyers in the state."
Keith-Agaran said there are no immediate plans to hold any confirmations for gubernatorial appointees requiring a recommendation from his committee, noting that the Senate traditionally deals with nominations later in the four-month session.
However, Keith-Agaran expressed relief that the announcement was made Friday, noting that the opening day of the 2015 Legislature is Wednesday.
"It’s never good for one of the major departments to not have someone (who will lead it) in place before session starts," he said. "I look forward to meeting with Doug soon."
If confirmed, Chin would replace Russell Suzuki, who has served on an interim basis after David Louie left the position in December at the end of former Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s administration.
The appointment ends an exhaustive search for an attorney general. Several sources at the Legislature said the administration approached at least a half-dozen attorneys or judges for the position but was turned down by all of them.
Ige called Chin a man of integrity with the skills and experience to perform at the highest level.
"He is able to defend the state in court, facilitate and negotiate agreements, manage a large department and communicate well," Ige said. "It’s rare to find someone who can do all those things."
Former Mayor Carlisle, Chin’s longtime boss, applauded the selection.
"He’s smart, hardworking and humble," Carlisle said. "He really is a remarkable talent in almost everything he does."
Chin possesses the right "combination of people skills and legal skills," gained from working both as a partner in a major downtown Honolulu law firm and two government agencies, to be able to lead what essentially is the state’s largest law firm, Carlisle said.
"We’re going to have an AG, I hope, that’s going to last some time and make us all proud."
Chin earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University and added a law degree from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law.
