Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs have delayed their decision again on picking OHA's next chief executive officer.
In a last-minute call, OHA Board of Trustees Chair Kai Kahele canceled a meeting on the CEO selection and held a press conference Monday afternoon announcing that the decision will be made after the general election.
"I believe a brief deferral of this decision is appropriate,” Kahele said during the press conference. "This is not simply about selecting an individual. It is about ensuring that OHA's next CEO has the opportunity to establish a strong and productive relationship."
The search for OHA's next permanent CEO comes as five OHA trustees are up for reelection. The outcome of the races could determine whether the search process should restart.
Kahele said the board could make a decision as soon as December. He added that if there are new trustees, there are materials on the three CEO finalists: Todd Apo and Kualana Park, and Summer Sylva.
Previously the board selected Apo in a 5-4 vote over interim CEO Sylva. Apo is a former Honolulu City Councilmember with experience in land development, and Sylva was previously the executive director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp.
Supporters of Sylva — community members, attorneys, and state and county lawmakers — demanded that the board delay their decision until after the election. They questioned if Kakaʻako weighed in on the trustee's decision on picking their next CEO.
Davis Price, a former OHA employee, said he was happy with the board's decision to wait until after the general election.
"We've seen controversy around the CEO before," he told HPR. "As a former employee, it was exhausting. But as a benefit, it's also exhaling to see the same scenario unfolding around this CEO decision."
He pointed to then-CEO Kamana‘opono Crabbe where there was a divided board that wanted to oust him.
"That developed into a very bitter and unfortunate scenario for staff and beneficiaries, so we definitely don't want to see that happen again," Price said.
The announcement of delaying the selection of the CEO also came when OHA released a 118-page investigative report titled, "The Public Trust – Fiduciary Duty, Transparency, and Accountability." It details the complaints deposed CEO Stacy Ferreira and BOT Chair Kai Kahele alleged against one another.
