Proposal to put OHA chief Crabbe on paid leave fails
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Kamana’opono Crabbe, Office of Hawaiian Affairs CEO, shown in this Dec. 2014 file photo, said OHA is “committed to transparency and accountability.”
A proposal to put Office of Hawaiian Affairs CEO Kamana‘opono Crabbe on paid leave while the Board of Trustees works on a deal to buy out his employment contract failed Thursday.
Chairwoman Rowena Akana emerged from a closed-door trustees’ meeting to say that her idea was tabled with only Keli‘i Akina, Carmen Hulu Lindsey and herself supporting paid leave.
“They refuse to take action against this administrator,” Akana declared.
A narrow board majority, led by Akana, voted Jan. 8 to enter negotiations to buy out Crabbe’s three-year, $150,000-a-year contract. But the ultimate fate of Crabbe is far from certain because six votes are needed to remove the chief executive officer.
Thursday’s closed session ended relatively quickly for the nine-member board after it lost its quorum.
Akana said the board minority refuses to budge even though she has obtained documentation of misconduct that implicates Crabbe.
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She said the documents, some secretly passed to her by OHA employees, indicate Crabbe’s lieutenants hacked into the trustee server and published online some confidential legal documents and falsified records. One falsehood, she said, accuses her of using her trustee allowance to pay for Botox treatments.
Akana added that she might have to sue the trustees to stop the “malfeasance” and “corruption” they continue to allow at OHA.
Prior to Thursday’s closed session, the trustees were scolded for about 2-1/2 hours by two dozen beneficiaries, some of whom said they were embarrassed by the board’s recent actions, others who urged members to clean house and still others who called for trustees to enter a formal process of reconciliation and forgiveness.
“It’s time to move forward, stop bickering and act your age,” Healani Sonoda-Pale told the trustees.
Pohai Ryan said OHA’s credibility is suffering.
“It’s not only embarrassing, it’s wrong,” she said.
Some spoke up for Crabbe, while others offered support for Akana. There were also accusations of corruption and mismanagement. Bumpy Kanahele and Mililani Trask said the FBI should be called.
Others endorsed the forensic audit Akana is proposing. Forensic audits could lead to criminal prosecution if anything illegal is uncovered.
But Kau‘i Pratt-Aquino presented a 752-signature online petition that calls for the ouster of Akana. She said Akana’s attack on Crabbe is based on a personal vendetta rather than job performance.
After the meeting, Crabbe issued this statement:
“We at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are committed to transparency and accountability. We look forward to addressing and clarifying the numerous inaccurate things said at today’s board meeting. I take my duties as the sole employee of our board seriously, and I implement the decisions made by the board.”
On the forensic audit, Crabbe said, “As a state agency, we follow all applicable state procurement laws. In addition, each year, we undergo a financial and compliance audit, conducted by an outside public accounting firm. To date, OHA has received unqualified, or clean, opinions for all years. We are also complying and working with the State Auditor’s Office as it continues with its current audit of OHA, which occurs every four years as required by law.”
17 responses to “Proposal to put OHA chief Crabbe on paid leave fails”
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OHA has turned into a farce, a failure. Shut it down, take it apart, return the budget back to the people of Hawaii.
OHA has lost the confidence of the public and most Hawaiians. It is a race discriminatory body using public money to waste. It is sad that it is such a disgrace. It needs to be audited and made accountable for the millions wasted and lost through bad decisions and outright corruption.
When Mililani Trask is calling for FBI involvement in Hawaiian affairs, you know that OHA really messed up.
Bumpy and trask are right. Call the FBI!!!!
Kamana’opono hang in there! You’ve done nothing wrong. Get up stand up don’t give up the fight for our people. Continue to lead with Aloha.
Bumpy and Trask claim Hawaii is already a sovereign independent nation, and they complain about the “illegal” overthrow and ongoing “belligerent military occupation” of Hawaii by the U.S. Yet when OHA can’t figure out how to govern OHA, they call on the FBI for help? They want the U.S. to untangle the mess at OHA? ROTFLMFAO. Couple of clowns those two.
I have to agree here with Mr. Conklin. These characters deride the United States as “occupiers” and then run to the Feds for cover when they don’t get their way. As another posted above, it’s time to dismantle the whole OHA/DHHL fiasco. It is a failure on every level except for providing cushy jobs for the well-connected.
Yes that is RICH! For Trask to call anyone who is Haole for help is just over the top. Handle it yourself since you despise all of the Federal Government. Just figure it out. Mass protests, internet shamefest pointed at the alleged perpetrator of crimes. Whatever it takes just so long as it is your own community doing it.
Bumpy Kanahele and Mililani Trask said the FBI should be called…ask the FBI to share any evidence it already has and then take it to a federal grand jury directly. The local US attorney is an Inouye crony so don’t look for any help there. The state legislature needs to consider setting up an inspector general system like the federal agencies employ to weed out insider dealing. Opponents can organize their own “trial” in the form of public hearings to vent the evidence and let the moot court jury rule. At least this will make public what is irritating some trustees and some employees who rebel at going along to get along. A forensic audit that goes all the way back run by a special federal prosecutor from outside is the only way to ensure strings don’t get pulled locally to keep the cover up going. There are numerous incipient law suits in the pipeline that Grassroot could lend a hand in getting funding for that could result in fines and even jail. Come on, now……..clean up the mess Inouye sanctioned by being shady himself……
One of the few advantages I can see to the USA having elected a jingoistic, narcissistic megalomaniac as President is that he might just possibly put an end to the mess at OHA/DHHL by appointing a Special Prosecutor. Of course some Hawaii Republican with Trump’s ear would need to start this, and there don’t seem to be any. As Mythman notes, the current Fed prosecutor is an Inouye crony, and the State has no interest in cleaning up its playpen. Only forceful outside intervention will work. Meanwhile, the Hawaiian nationalists and fake Indian tribe proponents can probably expect no help from Trump, for which I suppose we should be thankful.
OHA as a whole is an embarrassment. They have spent years stealing money thru the pay they receive and DO NOTHING to EARN IT! I don’t know what Mr. Crabbe’s intention are but apparently he has struck a nerve with other board members. It also appears Ms. Akana has some kind of personal issues with him or it could be she feels threatened because he want to bring change and she just wants to be same o same o do nothing flat tires collect free salaries and do nothing to earn it. Just like career politicians. They need to know what the UNEMPLOYMENT Office looks like.
I think Akana is secretly in love with Crabbe. Crabbe is a dufus. He sent John Kerry a letter asking if the Hawaiian kingdom still existed, this letter coming from a man who accepts his paycheck weekly from a state department agency. He needs to go cause he ain’t too bright.
Sounds like national politics. Or international politics. Or politics.
No need FBI, Offer him a fair settlement and move on. If he won’t resign, show him why he should walk away!
It appears that OHA has lost their “I”dentity as Hawaiians and have immersed themselves in the ways of the missionaries and lost the true “Aloha” for their people. It’s all about “ME.”
“One falsehood, she (rowen akana) said, accuses her of using her trustee allowance to pay for Botox treatments.”
what part was false: the misuse of her trustee allowance or getting botox treatments?
They should all be on none paid leave for ever.