A simmering feud inside the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board burst into full public view Monday, when a five-trustee majority ordered four colleagues to yank a court filing that backed ousted CEO Stacy Ferreira. The showdown exposed a deep rift over how OHA should respond to Ferreira’s lawsuit accusing the agency of whistleblower retaliation and violations of Hawaii’s open-meetings law.
The four-member minority bloc of trustees, Carmen Hulu Lindsey, Kalei Akaka, Keli‘i Akina and Luana Alapa, had filed a response in court saying they "affirmatively support Plaintiff’s entitlement to full damages resulting from this unlawful conspiracy," according to Hawaii News Now. That move, submitted last week, broke from the board’s existing legal posture and set the stage for a rare, very public airing of internal disagreements at Monday’s meeting.
Trustees aligned with Chair Kaiali‘i Kahele, along with OHA’s lawyers, argued that the minority’s solo play had weakened the agency’s position in court and created a legal mess. "It has impaired my ability to defend OHA in this case," OHA attorney Joe Adams told trustees, and the next hearing has now been pushed to Aug. 6, according to Honolulu Civil Beat. Civil Beat also reported that the board’s vice chair filed an internal complaint alleging violations of the office’s code of conduct tied to the disputed filing.
After a tense back and forth, the board voted 5–1 to direct the minority trustees to withdraw their response. Trustee Kalei...
Footage widely circulated online led to the spread of misinformation after a family of holidaymakers visited the site from London. A family-run holiday park has found itself the target of online ab...