Pamela V. Brown

Write Path, an L.L.C.  

Photo by Ron Kosen / Photo-Spectrum

   The Kauai, January 2004

By Pamela V. Brown

KAPAA - It was both daunting and exciting for Gary Hooser when he left for Honolulu last January to begin his first year as Kauai's state senator. Even though he'd served two terms as a councilman here on Kauai, he learned that it was an entirely different world in Honolulu where the job of senator is all-encompassing.

Gary Hooser - Photo by Pamela V. Brown

"It was kind of like being a new person at school," Hooser said from his office at H&S Publishing in Kapaa, where he's a partner. "You don't know where the lockers are. You don't know where to sit. You look around for a friend."

Since then Hooser (D-Kauai-Niihau) has made friends and created alliances with many of the 24 other state senators. He's also learned quite a bit about the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and "us against them" attitude that pervades many political bodies. Having come from the Kauai County Council for which elections are non-partisan, that came as a bit of a shock to him.

During his years on the council, Hooser said that the mayor and other council members could choose to agree or disagree with his viewpoint on any given subject, but their opposition rarely became personal.

"(On Kauai) no one ever said 'You're only doing this to make us look bad,' " he said. "But in the Senate and the House, just about every time you have an opposing view point from the other group, it's considered partisan, no matter what."

The reality, Hooser said, is that the vast majority of disagreements stem simply from differences in the basic philosophies between the two main political parties. But even just backing the party line isn't always enough to win the party's support to get re-elected.

"The parties don't look at the person in terms of how hard they work, what they stand for," he said. "They look at whether they're vulnerable or not, whether they're electable or not."

In that respect, Hooser said state politics are more cutthroat and an elected official's job is far more precarious than in a normal business setting. And that's taken some getting used to.

"When you compete in business, it's not all or nothing, it's more a difference in market share. But in politics you're in or out," he said. Before going to Honolulu, "I didn't realize the intensity of it."

Hooser said he would have still run for senator had he known how strong the competition was, because he loves what he does. "It gives you the opportunity to do things that will make a bigger impact. And someone has to do it," he said, noting that he takes seriously his responsibly to do what's best for Kauai and Niihau residents.

As a senator, Hooser has learned that the demands on his time are extraordinary - far more than anything he experienced as a councilman. He's on the clock, so to speak, virtually all waking hours, especially during the four-month legislative session.

With about 3,000 bills coming across each senator's desk, 350 registered lobbyists vying for time and attention, and non-stop meetings, there just aren't enough hours to formally get together with everybody.

"You're in a hearing and you'll have to step out of the hearing and have a 10-minute meeting with someone," he said. "You're constantly walking down the hallway on your phone. You grab the time."

Case in point: during a bomb scare at the capitol, Hooser and Kauai Representatives conducted their scheduled meeting outside under a tree while security people swept the building for explosives. (None were found.)

Hooser said he's found the pace hectic but invigorating. "Luckily I must be wired for that," he said. And living in Honolulu apartment during the legislative session, away from his family here on Kauai, helps him keep his focus. "My environment is like a cocoon over there," he said.

During the summer, Hooser travels from here to his Honolulu office at least twice per week. As much as he enjoys his work, he's always glad to get back to Kauai. The feeling of community is strong, he said, and he can count on people here to be honest with him.

"People in Honolulu definitely treat you differently," he said. "They deal with you with more deference. Everybody calls you 'Senator.' " Here on Kauai, Hooser said, he can trust people to be honest and forthcoming with him - and to treat him just like the "regular people" he said he and his family are.

"My wife's nickname for our family is the Griswolds," he said, referring to the National Lampoon "every family" of the "Vacation" movies. "My mother is from Oklahoma. My father is from Arkansas. Her family is the same way. They're the kind of people who have seats from the car out underneath the tree," he said. "We're not high society."

Hooser said he thinks his background helps him relate with people and to represent their interests in Honolulu at the state level. To that end, he hopes to play a greater role in Senate leadership, either formally or informally, when the next session begins later this month.

He plans to hold on to his autonomy in voting and keep the good relationships he's built has with his fellow senators, despite the inherent partisan politics.

"The games are going on but I've managed to keep my independence, keep my integrity and get things done," Hooser said. "That to me is a wonderful thing."

Contact Information:

Pamela V. Brown

(808) 651-3533 cell

(808) 821-1027 fax

pam@writepath.net

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