HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION WELCOMES NEWEST MEMBERS TO DECISION-MAKING BODY

News Release from DHHL August 19, 2013

PAUKŪKALO, MAUI – The Hawaiian Homes Commission welcomed their newest members during a monthly commission meeting today in Paukūkalo, Maui.

 (L-R) East Hawaiʻi Island Commissioner Wallace Ishibashi Jr., HHC Chairman Jobie Masagatani, and Kauaʻi Island Commissioner Patricia Sheehan.

Hanalei businesswoman Patricia Sheehan and Hilo labor leader Wallace Ishibashi, Jr. were appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie last week to represent Kauaʻi and East Hawaiʻi Island respectively.  Sheehan and Ishibashi join the nine-member commission tasked with overseeing the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL).

“We welcome our newest members to the Hawaiian Homes Commission,” said Jobie Masagatani, Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair and DHHL Director, “As well respected members of their respective communities, their manaʻo will be invaluable in fulfilling Prince Kūhiō’s mission.”

Sheehan returns to the HHC after serving as Kauaʻi Commissioner from 1993 to 1997. She and her children operate the Hanalei Land Company, which manages their family’s 74-acre property.

Ishibashi was born and raised in the Hawaiian homestead of Keaukaha on Hawaiʻi Island. He is a retired officer of the ILWU Local 142, where he has been a member for nearly 40 years.

Sheehan fills the seat left vacant by ‘Imaikalani Aiu until a permanent replacement can be found, and Ishibashi will replace East Hawai’i Commissioner Ian Lee Loy. If Ishibashi is confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate, he will serve a four-year term ending June 30, 2017.

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ABOUT THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION
The nine-member Hawaiian Homes Commission consists of three residents of the City and County of Honolulu; two residents of the County of Maui, with one being a resident of Moloka‘i; two residents of the County of Hawai‘i, one being a resident of East Hawai‘i and the other a resident of West Hawai‘i; one is a resident of the County of Kaua‘i; and the ninth member is the Chairman. Members must be residents of the State at least three years prior to their appointment. At least four of the members must have not less than one-fourth Hawaiian blood. The Chairman of the Commission serves as the full-time administrator of the Department; other members of the Commission serve without pay.