Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 5, 1 Mei 2007 — New face at the table Getting to know recently appointed Hawaiʻi Island Trustee Robert Lindsey [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

New face at the table Getting to know recently appointed Hawaiʻi Island Trustee Robert Lindsey

By Sterling Kini Wong | 'ublicatiūns Editnr At an investiture ceremony in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs boardroom on April 16, Robert K. Lindsey Jr. was sworn in as the new OHA trustee for Hawai'i Island, filling the seat left vacant when late Trustee Linda Dela Cruz passed away on March 15. In early April, OHA's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to select Lindsey to serve out the remaining 18 months of Dela Cruz's term, whieh expires in November 2008. Lindsey's appointment brought a close to one of the quickest installations of a replacement trustee in OHA history, a process that in the past has often been marked by acrimony among board members, and in several cases ended with a gubernatorial appointment after the board was unahle to choose someone within the allotted 60 days. "This expeditious selectionprocess reflects the commitment of the board to move forward, honoring the memory of our colleague, Trustee Dela Cruz, and also reflects the maturity of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs," said Board Chairperson Haunani Apoliona following Lindsey's selection just three weeks after Dela Cruz's passing. Lindsey comes to the OHA boardroom from his five-acre farm on Hawaiian Homestead land in Waimea, Hawai'i Island, where he grows avocados. Lindsey is also an agricultural consultant and is involved in hedge fund investing. He previously served as a Kamehameha Schools land director, a park ranger with Pu'u Koholā National Historic Site and a social worker with the state Family Court. In the 1980s, he served a single term in the state Legislature. KWO caught up with Trustee Lindsey for an interview just before his first board committee meeting on April 18. Whal was your reaction to being selected as the new OHA trustee for

Hawai'i Island? Honestly, I was surprised and sort of overwhelmed. Every trustee that has talked to me said that I'm eoming aboard at a very good time. It's a good working board. People are making a real effort; they're focused on the issues and trying to accomplish things based on issues rather than personalities and personal agendas. Did you ever think you would get back into politics? I did one term in the state House back in 1984, and then I decided not to run for re-election. I was reluctant at first to eome to OHA. But I had really been encouraged by certain friends to keep my name in the nomination process. Now that I have had a eouple of weeks to look back and reflect, I'm glad to be here. Whal qualities do you think you bring to the boardroom? I'm basically very patient, gentle and quiet; I'm not one of those eonfrontational types. My approach to dealing with people and issues has been to spend more time listening and then trying to eome up with kind and positive ways to resolve issues. That seems to be my calling in life - managing crises and conflicts - and I hope that extends into my work with OHA. Whal would you like to aeeomplish as an OHA trustee? I admit that I don't yet know the organization as well as I should. The one promise that I will make is that I will do my best to make a positive contribution to OHA and its beneficiaries. In terms of the larger concerns that we have for our people, I have several priorities that I am interested in. We've been talking for 25 years about ceded lands, and I would like to see some kind of closure on that discussion. At the federal level, I would like to see the Akaka Bill move through Congress. I know that Mr. Bush is not a supporter of ours. But with

the Democrats back in control of Congress, hopefully in two years we will have a new president who will be a Democrat that is supportive of our federal recognition initiative. So you support federal recognition? Yes, I absolutely support federal recognition. The thing that bothers me is that there are people out there who want to take what few assets we have remaining away from us, all in the name of being "colorblind." So I think that federal connection will help us protect these few assets going forward. Have you signed up for Kau Inoa? Yes, I have. I think the underpinnings of a nation are its people, land and economy. That's the basic infrastructure all nations need to have to survive. We need to continue to enroll as many of our people as possible to build this nation. Wilh this appointment, you will serve less than half a nomial trustee term. Do you plan on running for re-election in 2008? I think I would like to get my feet wet and get to know the organization better. I think that is a question I would be better able to answer a year from now, if that's okay. E3

NŪ HOU • NEWS