Everybody behave.

You knuckleheads in the back, this means you.

Let’s keep the chaos in check, at least until Tuesday. Until the end of the month, if can.

Don’t drive crazy on state roads, don’t start any fires, don’t discover any imported snakes or pallets of illegal aerial fireworks. Keep it mellow at the airports, at the harbors, in the prisons and at all state parks.

And if anybody has any pull with the weather, damaging surf, big earthquakes, or, I dunno, falling space junk, please put in a word to the appropriate celestial forces to keep everything calm.

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The governor of Hawaiʻi has left the state, gone on vacation on the East Coast to see his ‘ohana and gather up support for his future political endeavors, whatsoever those may be.

The person elected to be lieutenant governor, Sylvia Luke, is in the doghouse, on unpaid leave due to her entanglement in bribery investigations by both the state and federal governments.

The person not elected to be LG but serving as LG is busy this weekend so, well, we’re down to the fourth-string quarterback, folks.

On Friday, the governor’s office sent out a news release that attempted to explain the complicated choreography:

 
“During the period of June 11 through June 15, Acting Governor Keith Regan and Attorney General Anne Lopez will be out of state on previously scheduled travel.

“Regan will travel to attend his son’s college graduation, while Lopez will travel to attend her mother’s funeral.

“During that time, Department of Budget and Finance Director Seth Colby, Ph.D., will serve as acting governor in accordance with the state’s constitutional line of succession and continuity of government procedures. The Governor’s executive leadership team will remain fully engaged and available to support Director Colby and ensure continuity of government operations throughout the period.

“Governor Josh Green will retain executive authority while traveling and will remain in daily contact with state leadership throughout the period. Governor Green will return to the state on June 23, 2026.” 

Who is Seth Colby, besides acting-acting-governor of Hawaii? 

He is the brand new director of the Department of Budget and Finance. He would have been ahead of Comptroller Keith Regan in the line of succession to be acting LG in April when Luke stepped down, but at that point, Colby was so new he was not yet confirmed to the position by the state Senate.

That’s not even the fourth-string quarterback. That’s a freshman walk-on.

Colby might be personally a great dude and a smart cookie, but in this instance, he’s kind of random.

That’s not the point.

Back in February, Green cancelled his travel plans saying he could not leave the state in Sylvia Luke’s hands without ever mentioning her name in the press release:

“Governors convene in Washington, D.C. each February, hosted by the National Governors Association. This annual winter meeting is important to the collaborative work I do on behalf of the people of Hawaiʻi.

“However, in light of recent events and to ensure steady leadership for our state during this time, I have canceled out-of-state travel for this month, including my attendance at this long-planned conference.”

It seemed at the time that Green was sending a big, pointed message to Sylvia Luke that he did not trust her. In hindsight, however, it seems as though he was sending a big, pointed message to all of Hawaiʻi that Luke could not be trusted. 

The same executive leadership team backing up acting-acting Gov. Colby could have backed up Luke. Green could have retained executive authority while traveling and he could have checked in with Luke every day. Every couple of hours, even. 

Green was out of state when the Lahaina fires happened and Luke handled the early response well enough so nobody really criticized Green for being gone during a massive crisis, something that takes out political leaders all the time. 

At that time in February, Luke could have been told not to sign anything, proclaim any executive orders, touch any buttons, sit in the cushy chair or have meals with campaign donors, but no. She didn’t just get benched. She eventually got booted. Green deftly contained the mess and kept Luke’s troubles from contaminating his image. 

As the old song says, everybody needs a little time away. Green has every right to go holoholo. And it was probably wise not to leave Luke in charge given everything we now know (and don’t know) about her legal situation.

But with the pilot gone, the co-pilot out, and two back-ups out of town, it’s like calling Ted Striker up from economy class to fly this plane. (That’s an “Airplane” reference, and if you haven’t seen the movie, you totally should.)

Everybody straighten up and fly right. Nothing puts a dent in political aspirations like being out of town when something bad happens.