Apologies, then action
We are sorry. We take full accountability. We need to do better to regain the public’s trust.
This past week brought a pair of mea culpas from high-ranking officials on Maui. Both were as sorely needed as they were refreshing in their unconditionality.
The first came Monday during a news conference held near the summit of Haleakala when Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, commander of the U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, apologized for an estimated 700-gallon diesel fuel spill. And then, Thursday in Kihei, faced with scorching comments from state Land Use Commission members and testifiers, Hawaii Superintendent of Education Keith Hayashi admitted the DOE mishandled its commitment to build a grade-separated pedestrian crossing for Kulanihako‘i High School.
It’s fair to assume Mastalir and Hayashi are more accustomed to demanding accountability from others than humbling themselves in public. Circumstances left them little choice.
On the evening of Jan. 29, a power surge amid a lightning storm at the summit caused an emergency generator’s fuel float to fail in the on position. Its alarm also failed. Diesel fuel pumped through the night, overflowing the generator’s tank until being discovered by site maintenance personnel the next morning. The 700 gallons seeped under and around a concrete pad holding the shipping container-sized generator.
A spill of that size is problem enough. In light of the Red Hill fuel leak on Oahu, fierce protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope on Hawaii island and calls for the Air Force’s lease atop Haleakala to not be renewed when it comes due in 2031, Mastalir was fighting to stay ahead of a full-blown mess. There was no equivocation in his words as he spoke Monday. Following the standard playbook for public relations crisis management, he took accountability and apologized. He promised transparency and action to both fix the problem and rebuild trust.
During the DOE’s presentation to the LUC Thursday, Hayashi seemed content to sit back and let Deputy Superintendent Curt Otaguro follow the same formula. Under pointed questions by commissioners, however, Hayashi was induced to also apologize and admit accountability.
While the failure at the summit happened in a flash, the ones delaying the opening of Kulanihako‘i High School have been unfolding for a decade. Hayashi and Otaguro were in different jobs when many of the DOE’s decisions and deceptions — unintentional or otherwise — were made regarding the pedestrian crossing. Understandably, both were keen to move forward from the issue Thursday. They hoped for wiggle room with the frustrated LUC, but found that door slammed shut. No crossing, no school opening.
The military has promised to remediate the ground around the spill site to a depth of 6 feet and go deeper if necessary. The DOE has promised to fast-track the overpass it committed to in 2013.
Promises and apologies only go so far. In fact, they are worthless if not backed up by appropriate action.