Four years after promises of a new day dissolved into a tumultuous and at times combative administration under Neil Abercrombie, Gov.-elect David Ige, the unassuming electrical engineer from Pearl City, takes the reins of state government with the promise to lead in a more collaborative fashion.
Ige and incumbent Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui are to take their oaths of office Monday at a ceremony in the state Capitol courtyard.
But don’t expect grand flourishes or soaring rhetoric from the 57-year-old Ige, say those who know him. The veteran state lawmaker brings a more even-keeled, problem-solving style to the state’s top office.
"Where he is and where his values are — they’re those of an engineer that wants to see something accomplished," said Dan Boylan, a MidWeek columnist and former history professor at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu. "That’s where I think he’ll define his capacity as a leader. That’s where I think we’ll find him.
"If we don’t, if he is just a fiscal guy who watches the money and so forth, then there’s not going to be much of an administration."
Ige takes over from fellow Democrat Abercrombie, whose feisty, contentious political style alienated many voters who supported him in the previous election. Such disenchantment helped Ige overcome name recognition and fundraising disadvantages and propel him to an unprecedented 35-point victory over Abercrombie in the primary.
Even the venue for this year’s inauguration shows the contrast in styles. Four years ago Abercrombie held the ceremony on the grounds of Iolani Palace, where governors of the past had taken the oath. Gov. Linda Lingle held her inaugurals at the Capitol in 2002 and 2006.
"It’s in the (Capitol) rotunda, and that’s really considered to be the people’s house, so that’s setting a nice tone right there," said Sen. Jill Tokuda (D, Kailua-Kaneohe), an ally of Ige’s in the state Senate.
"I think, really, we can expect and look forward to maybe even just a different kind of feel," Tokuda added. "His whole campaign style throughout the gubernatorial run was about personal engagement, and it was really about connection. I would expect that we would hear and feel much of the same in his inauguration."
Ige, able to capitalize on party loyalty and low voter turnout in traditionally Democratic Hawaii, won the general election over Republican James "Duke" Aiona and Independent Party candidate Mufi Hannemann.
House Speaker Joe Souki said he expects Ige to preach civility in government and try to bring all the factions together.
"Even though he won a lopsided victory, there’s still strong feelings on the other side, and I think that needs to be resolved," Souki said. "I think he’s aware of that."
Souki added that the time frame of less than a month from election to inauguration doesn’t give Ige much time to work on the transition. Ige still has to name the members of his Cabinet and begin preparation of the state budget — most of which will have been crafted by Abercrombie — to be submitted to the Legislature later this month.
Souki said he does not expect any broad policy announcements just yet.
"I think it will be coming out as he begins meeting more with his kitchen Cabinet and with his directors," Souki said. "Maybe in the State of the State speech, he’ll probably come out with more at that time as to what his plans are."
Boylan said he expects to hear the engineer in Ige come out in the speech.
"I think he wants to see things done that have been talked about for too long, that he’s seeing come up again and again in the Legislature — they get discussed, and bills are introduced and then they’re dropped and so on," Boylan said. "He certainly brought that up on a couple of occasions in regard to agriculture and the need to foster agriculture.
"I would listen to the engineer in him — to do what hasn’t been done and finally get it done."
John Hart, chairman of the communications department at Hawaii Pacific University, calls Ige more of a "blank slate" than previous governors such as Abercrombie and Lingle, who had a more well-defined political agenda coming into office.
"I don’t think anyone feels that even though they’re from the same party, given what happened in the primary, that he is under any obligation to continue the Abercrombie agenda," Hart said. "In fact, he’s made it very specific in several cases, for example, early childhood education, that Abercrombie championed that he is not going to continue that agenda."
He added, "I think this is going to be an inaugural that is going to be watched not for any great moments of oratory, because that’s not David Ige and he’d be the first one to tell you that, but exactly what is the Ige agenda? I think people might be looking at this the way we normally look at a State of the Union address. In other words, not so much for the resounding vision, but what are your policy priorities, and what do you plan to do about them?"
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INAUGURATION KICKS OFF AT 11:15 A.M.
The inauguration of Gov.-elect David Ige and Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui is scheduled for Monday in the courtyard of the state Capitol.
Public seating for the inauguration begins at 10:15 a.m., and the program starts at 11:15. Residents are encouraged to take public transportation or park in private lots near the Capitol. Street parking around the Capitol will be reserved for school buses, and state parking lots will be closed.
The ceremony will include performances by students from Pearl City and Moanalua high schools, a procession of veterans from the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the national anthem by Raiatea Helm, a 19-cannon salute by the Hawaii National Guard, and other entertainment.
Ige is of Okinawan descent. Following the oaths of office, at noon, a traditional Okinawan blessing with drums and Shishimai lion dogs will take place in front of the governor’s fifth-floor office, organizers said. Entertainment, including tours of the governor’s office and Washington Place, and performances by various community groups, is scheduled to continue from 12:45 until 3 p.m.
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