Here are a couple of photos showing members of the State Senate at work in the early 1980s, including two future governors.
In the first photo, Ben Cayetano is at the far end of the table, and is chairman of this committee. I believe he chaired the Senate Ways and Means Committee. To his right in the photo is current Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie. Out of the photo on the right, with his name card visible, is Dante Carpenter, current chairman of the State Democratic Party.
The second photo shows Neil Abercrombie wearing a “Save Hale Mohalu” shirt, with Dante Carpenter in the background.
As usual, click on either photo to see a larger version.
There are several clues available to help to date the pictures. Abercrombie and Cayetano were elected to the Senate in the 1978 election, if I recall correctly. Cayetano served as Ways & Means chair, but I don’t recall when he took over the committee.
Both were later part of a group of “dissident” senators, including Carpenter, Duke Kawasaki, and others, who lost their chairmanships in a mid-session reorganization in the 1983 session.
I would guess the photo is likely taken during the 1982 session, or perhaps in the early part of the 1983 session, before the Senate reorganization led by Dickie Wong, and before the raid that demolished Hale Mohalu later in 1983.
Anyway, it’s an interesting little flashback in Hawaii legislative history.
Discover more from i L i n d
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Can’t be any later than 1982. Notice Andy Anderson’s nameplate? The ’82 session was Andy’s last as a senator before unsiccessfully running for governor later that year.
Where did you get these? More to come?
things could be worse — much worse
After further digging, I’ve concluded that the first photo must be either 1979 or ’80. The key to the puzzle is Anson Chong. His last legislative session was 1980. Then in that year’s election, he was voted out of office.
Good catch on Anson Chong.
More on the blurried people in the back of the 2nd photo: I believe that’s (the late) Bernard Punika’ia by the open door. That would explain the Hale Mohalu t-shirt. And Nancie Caraway to the right? Perhaps it was a Senate Health Committee hearing about the State closing Hale Mohalu? I think Carpenter chaired Health for a spell during that period and it looks like he’s at the head of the table.