Holding Public Office Takes Courage, Especially Now

Journalists like us drive conversations. But elected officials act – and take the heat from an often angry, sometimes misinformed public.

Managing Editor Cynthia Wessendorf’s report on the growing danger of wildfires in Hawai‘i ran in the November 2022 issue of Hawaii Business Magazine and online at hawaiibusiness.com – nine months before Lahaina burned.

After the Maui fires, a dozen local, national and international media published “Why the Fires Happened” stories that repeated much of the same information that Cynthia reported last fall and quoted the same or similar sources.

We had the story beforehand, as we have so many times in the past on various issues. That’s part of our job: to report on important subjects before they get on the general public’s radar. We collect the facts and report on vital issues in clear and compelling language, then spread the stories to as many readers as possible.

But that’s where our power ends. Like other fact-based news media, we help provide information for the public conversation, but we don’t make the decisions.

More than a few people lamented to me after the Lahaina tragedy, if only “they” had acted on your wildfires story, with “they” being government leaders. Yes, if only.

Political Life is Brutal

Have you ever thought about joining “they” – about running for public office? About having power to do something about wildfires before they killed 99 people? Or helping decide on a hundred other issues?

If you care about Hawai‘i and its people, and follow the news, you have probably thought about standing for election or maybe simply accepting an appointment to a public board. You think that with the power you acquire, maybe you can make things better.

Most people do not run for public office, and I admire the courage of the few who do, whatever their motives or policies. I think courage is the number one attribute required for public office today, because however many supporters and admirers you have, you will also have enemies and haters who will question your motives and attack your decisions relentlessly.

In the 20th century, politicians only had to deal with public criticism in legislative assemblies, the news media and town halls. In the 21st century, social media means criticism is everywhere, all the time and without restraint. Truth and lies are present in about equal measures, but restraint seems entirely absent.

The families of politicians are no longer out of bounds. Death threats are commonplace. Simple disagreement about policy is no longer enough; your opponents are disgraceful and evil.

You must have a lot of courage to enter that political ecosystem. Not all prove worthy of the voters’ trust, but they do have moxie and fortitude.

He Took the Tougher Job

I have considered running for public office because I think that 37 years of reporting on local news has given me a good perspective on people’s needs here and how to make the system work better. But I retreat from taking that leap for many reasons.

One, I am not that selfless. My current job requires long hours and difficult decisions; I cannot imagine facing the even longer hours and even more difficult decisions that politicians face.

As a reporter and editor for more than four decades, my job has been to listen to different perspectives and tell my readers the essence of what I learned. Only in this column do I get to express my opinions.

I’m not allowed to have tunnel vision and focus only on wildfires or housing or education – and neither are politicians. I have reported continually on Hawai‘i’s problems and have offered possible solutions but never had to choose whether to spend a million in taxpayer dollars on one problem with little left for another problem.

A few people have made the leap from local news media to elected office, with Rick Blangiardi being the most prominent recent example. I admire him for taking that leap.

I moderated an event about homelessness in Hawai‘i back when Rick was still running Hawaii News Now; he was one of the panelists. At the time, HNN was relentlessly covering the problems of homelessness and at one point I asked Rick, “What are the solutions?” He essentially replied that’s not our job.

Back then, he and I had the easier job. He decided to take the tougher job as mayor and I admire his courage and that of all the others who have chosen to take on similar responsibilities.