Capitol Watch: Dec. 18

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Welcome to Capitol Watch. There’s a new governor, new leadership at the Legislature and other government branches, and Civil Beat is reporting on all of it.

1:45 p.m. Abercrombie Names D.O.H. Team

Neil Abercrombie called reporters to executive chambers on a Saturday afternoon to announce he had filled one of his last two remaining Cabinet positions.

Neal Palafox was named health director, along with Loretta Fuddy as first deputy director and Gary Gill as deputy director for the environment.

Jan Sekiya Gouveia was also named as deputy director of administration in the Department of Transportation, completing the team of four that leads D.O.T.

Palafox, 58, whose appointment requires state Senate confirmation, is chairman of the Department of Family Health Services and Community Health at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Fuddy, 62, is chief of Family Health Services Division at the Health Department; Gill, 50, is a program director for Blue Planet Foundation and a former Honolulu City Councilman; and Gouveia, 42, is vice president for executive operation at Waimana Enterprises.

An additional D.O.H. deputy director will be named at a later date.

AG Before Xmas

Abercrombie expects to name an attorney general “before the weekend,” he said at today’s press conference.

Asked why the AG was his last Cabinet selection — as contrasted with Linda Lingle, who selected Mark Bennett early on as governor — Abercrombie said he had plenty of strong candidates to choose from.

The problem, he said, is that accepting the job is a “gut-wrenching” experience for potential nominees, many of whom work for established law firms and who would be making tremendous sacrifices going into public service.

The new AG will assume what is arguably the most high-profile of positions in the governor’s Cabinet. Among other challenges, he or she will inherit a slew of class-action lawsuits that could cost Hawaii as much as $200 million.

Akaka, Inouye and DADT

In a history-making moment, the U.S. Senate voted 65-31 to repeal the military’s ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

The vote came after an earlier 63-33 vote to invoke cloture and prevent the possibility of a filibuster. Dan Akaka, a co-sponsor of the bill, and Dan Inouye voted in the majority both times.

“No longer will valuable members of our military, inspired to defend our freedom, be discharged solely for having their sexual orientation revealed,” said Akaka.

“My only regret is that nearly 13,000 men and women were expelled from the military during the 17 years that this discriminatory policy was in place,” said Inouye.

Kobayashi Confirmed for District Court

In other news from the U.S. Senate, Leslie E. Kobayashi was confirmed today to serve as a U.S. District Court judge in Hawaii.

Kobayashi, who has served as a magistrate-judge since 1999, is President Obama’s first judicial appointment in Hawaii.

Neil Abercrombie: Choirboy

The governor led a chorus in singing “Silent Night, Holy Night” at a Washington Place holiday celebration Friday evening. Reportedly, the man can carry a tune.

Catch up on our previous coverage:

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