It takes 2 tries, but governor gets it right with DLNR pick

You seldom get a second chance to make a first impression, but Gov. David Ige may have found a way with his inspired appointment of respected conservationist Suzanne Case to head the Department of Land and Natural Resources after he was forced to withdraw development lobbyist Carleton Ching.

The governor signaled he wants to make peace, not war, with those who defeated Ching, and thus smartly ended a nasty distraction that otherwise could have dogged him for the rest of his term.

Environmentalists felt betrayed by the Ching appointment after they supported Ige over Neil Abercrombie because of their alarm about the former governor’s close ties to developers.

The battle scars aren’t entirely healed, but these natural allies will be more inclined to give Ige the benefit of the doubt and consider the possibility that the Ching affair may have been brain flatulence rather than an attempt to pave paradise.

A sigh of relief was heard from state senators, who reluctantly said "no" to their former colleague on Ching in response to public uproar and worried the governor might press the fight by coming back with another in-your-face nominee.

Case is expected to win quick confirmation after a hearing next week before the Senate Land and Water Committee.

In their career backgrounds, Ching and Case are polar opposites: He lobbied for land development on behalf of Castle & Cooke; she worked to preserve the aina as executive director of the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii.

But from Ige’s perspective, he would argue they are similar in terms of fulfilling the main qualities he was looking for — strong leadership and a proven ability to get things done by collaboration.

The difference is Case has professional experience that is relevant — not contrary — to DLNR’s mission of managing and protecting Hawaii’s public lands, waters and other natural resources.

The Nature Conservancy is a more than 60-year-old worldwide organization whose mission is to "conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends."

It achieves this mainly by acquiring and managing vital resources that need preservation, getting them into the hands of others who can do so or persuading existing owners to practice better conservation.

Far from clashing with business, the group prides itself on collaborating with businesses, governments and indigenous people to achieve common aims.

In Hawaii, the conservancy has protected some 200,000 acres of land and watersheds under Case’s leadership, including more than 50,000 acres now under its management and nearly 120,000 acres from Kahuku Ranch on Hawaii island that were purchased and transferred to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

She’s an excellent fit for DLNR, and Ige deserves respect for parking his ego and doing the right thing to protect Hawaii’s future and get his young administration back on point.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.