From: HawaiiGay1@aol.com Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 15:42:55 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Alert-Hawaii Veto Demand Comes From Questionable Group and Motives Aloha Folks, This is an update on the group referred to as the Hawaii Business Health Council that recently wrote a letter to Governor Benjamin Cayetano demanding he veto the reciprocal beneficiaries bill that would give limited rights and benefits to couples who could not marry. The following is a copy of the text of a press release sent out by GLEA Foundation regarding this group's membership, its hiding of who was a member, and members pulling back on the position of this council. Although not officially confirmed, officers of one of the businesses reported to be a member of the group told GLEA Foundation - Gay Community News that he could not establish that any meeting of council took place to even review the issue or concerns raised in their demand for a veto letter. He further indicated that he believed that First Hawaiian Bank initiated the letter to the council's president and Bank of Hawaii official Duane Feekin. No one else may have been involved in creating this letter. He further stated that he believed that First Hawaiian Bank wanted to use this approach to prevent First Hawaiian Bank and its relationship with the Mormon church out of the public view in challenging this bill. Important here, if true, is that First Hawaiian Bank has an ongoing conflict of interest in this issue in regards to its leadership Mr. Jack Hoag (former FHB CEO and current Board member) being a major leader of the Mormon church in Hawaii and founder/leader of Hawaii's Future Today (a primarily Mormon developed anti-Gay marriage organization). Legislators rerported Hoag used his influence as First Hawaiian Bank's CEO in previous years to oppose same-sex marriage on behalf of the church. As a result of this information and a need to know how the veto demand came about, I have formally requested a copy of the minutes of this group for all of 1997 (time-period this bill was drafted and passed. You can help by requesting this information, too - and by contacting the member businesses to see if they have information about the date of the meeting(s), who requested the letter, etc. do good Bill Woods, MPH GLEA Foundation Hawaii Gay Marriage Project ****** Press and Media Release June 11, 1997 GLEA Foundation Contact: Bill Woods (808) 537-2000 Why is Bank of Hawaii Hiding Members of Group they Used to Demand Governor Cayetano Veto Reciprocal Beneficiaries Bill ?? Who are the members of this group - and what do think about the group's demand to the Governor? Why did ITT-Sheraton Pull out of the group because of their strong stance for Civil Rights? Why is Outrigger Hotels and Resorts not in support of position of the Group?? The bold headline of June 4, 1997 Honolulu Advertiser stated: "Businesses seek Veto of Benefits Bill." A group calling itself the "Hawaii Business Health Council" who's "president" is Bank of Hawaii's Director of Human Resources, Duane Feekin gave statements to the media claiming 30 business members of the council were behind the demand for a veto. This article was one of a number of items carried by local newspapers, TV and radio referring to this "health council. But just who is this council? The Hawaii Gay Marriage Project of GLEA Foundation who has supported such legislation thought it important that everyone know just who this council and how they came to take this action when none of the business groups made any statements on this measure when it was before the legislature. Texts of two letters to Bank of Hawaii Chairman Richard Dahl is provided at end of this release. 1. The Hawaii Business Health Council was not listed with telephone directory. 2. The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii had not heard of this group. 3. Small Business Hawaii (specifically Sam Slom) had never heard of this group. 4. Reporter of article stated that she knew Mr. Feekin was with Bank of Hawaii. 5. When I reached Mr. Feekin I asked for the mission statement of this council and he state "it was to promote quality health care for all." 6. I requested a list of member businesses of the "Council" and he refused to make it available to me. 7. I requested a copy of the letter to the Governor that he sent and was referred to in the news and business articles. He refused to give me that, too. 8. I requested to know if First Hawaiian Bank and/or Jack Hoag had anything to do with the "Council." He said he would make not comment on my question. 9. I then contacted Bank of Hawaii Chairman (his office) and made the requests above except # 8 above. I also asked for Bank of Hawaii to review its participation in the council in the future and how they could justify supporting the statement made by the group which was opposite of its stated mission statement. I followed this up with letter (text provided at end of this release). I have not received any response to these inquiries from Bank of Hawaii or the so-called Council. 10. I requested a copy of the letter sent to the Governor from the Governor's office, which I received shortly after the request. The following businesses were listed on the letterhead of this council's letter to the Governor: GTE Hawaiian Tel, BHP Hawaii, Hawaii National Bank, Hawaiian Tug & Barge, Corp., Hawaiian Electric Co,Ilikai Hotel, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., Liberty House, Liberty House, Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hilton Hotels, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, ITT Sheraton Hotels, Pacific Guardian Life, Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Estate, Servco Pacific Inc., Alexander & Baldwin, Theo H Davis & Co, Ltd., American Linen, Times Super Market, Ltd., American Savings Bank, Young Brothers, Ltd., American International, AMFAC/JMB Hawaii Inc., Bank of America, Bank of Hawaii, C Brewer & Co, Ltd, Castle & Cooke, City Bank, International Savings and Loan, Crazy Shirts, Inc., Duty Free Shoppers Ltd, The Estate of James Campbell, and First Hawaiian Bank. We are now in the process of checking with each member name on this council's letterhead to see if they know about their membership on this council, its mission statement, and their concurrence with the demand for a veto on the legislation made with the support of their business. Having contacted two entities we have gotten two businesses in direct opposition to the position stated by Mr. Feekin and the council. This is what ITT-Sheraton wrote yesterday: " ITT Sheraton's Hawaii Region canceled its membership today, effective immediately. by Dolores M. Sanchez, Vice President, ITT Sheraton Corp. Director of Media Relations. This is what Outrigger Hotels wrote yesterday: "I can assure you that I checked with our Chief Operating Officer and he confirmed that we have taken no adverse position as a company on this issue. As a company that is actively seeking gay and lesbian customers, it would be counter-productive for us to do so." by Bryan Klum of Outrigger Hotels Pretty good responses after contacting only two members so far!! What we would also like to know is why Bank of Hawaii and two of its highest officer have helped hide the members who were behind the veto request: particularly one business that is in major conflict of interest with their one of their board members, Jack Hoag, who is on the board of First Hawaiian Bank (former CEO), is major leader of the Mormon church in Hawaii, and leader/founder of the Mormon group called Hawaii's Future Today an anti-Gay marriage organization. Additionally, we have had informal conversations with other members who believe that a meeting and official action never occurred to create this position of the council. One officer stated privately that he believed the letter/action was contrived by First Hawaiian Bank to create a business-oriented challenge to the law through some other entity than First Hawaiian, itself. This statement is further strengthened by the fact the council president and Bank of Hawaii official Mr. Feekin and Bank of Hawaii Chairman Richard Dahl refused to identify the member business to prevent public scrutinization of this last minute attack. It is becoming clearer as we make more and more contact with the members of this council that there was probably a Mormon conspiracy within the First Hawaiian Bank to get this measure killed in a forum outside the public scrutiny of the legislative process. Are the other member businesses aware of the position of the council they are members? Are they aware that a conspiracy may be at hand? How many businesses by end of 6-12-97 will pull out of this council? Texts of letter to Richard Dahl: June 10, 1997 Mr. Richard Dahl Chairman, Bank of Hawaii FAX: (808) 521-7602 Dear Mr. Dahl: It is now June the 10, 1997, six days since I contacted your office to request information regarding Bank of Hawaii's participation in the so-called "Hawaii Business Health Council," its mission statement, its letter to Governor Cayetano requesting a veto of health-related benefits of employees and their reciprocal beneficiaries, and a list of participating businesses in this council. I have not heard a response to that request from you or anyone affiliated with Bank of Hawaii. I am surprised that you are in support of the hiding of organizational relationships of your bank with other business institutions under the heading "business health" to promote a veto of a bill that would extend quality health care to a segment of Hawaii's citizenry, complete opposition to the mission statement. Bank of Hawaii executives presented numerous media interviews regarding this demand for a veto without being willing to have your actions and the members' actions scrutinized by the public and those in the legislative process. I believe this community finds your actions deplorable and unethical at a minimum. Since there is no sense of decency to your actions other than going public without public scrutiny of the member businesses it seems that your actions are of the most deceptive type and unbefitting ethical business practices. This is additionally true of the other member businesses that we have since identified and who are identified herein: GTE Hawaiian Tel, BHP Hawaii, Hawaii National Bank, Hawaiian Tug & Barge, Corp., Hawaiian Electric Co., Hotel, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., Liberty House, Liberty House, Hilton Hawaiian Village - Hilton Hotels, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, ITT Sheraton Hotels, Pacific Guardian Life, Kamehameha Schools, Bishop Estate, Servco Pacific Inc., Alexander & Baldwin, Theo H Davis & Co, Ltd., American Linen, Times Super Market, Ltd., American Savings Bank, Young Brothers, Ltd., American International, AMFAC/JMB Hawaii Inc., Bank of America, Bank of Hawaii, C Brewer & Co, Ltd, Castle & Cooke, City Bank, International Savings and Loan, Crazy Shirts, Inc., Duty Free Shoppers Ltd,The Estate of James Campbell, and First Hawaiian Bank. Since my first contacting your office for the requested information, including asking you to review Bank of Hawaii's position on the request for a veto, I have individually contacted several of the legislators who were involved with the legislation to find out that they had never heard of this council. And that when they met with several representatives of this council that they were not made aware of the member businesses. Since at least one of these businesses has major a conflict of interest with its leadership and leadership of the Mormon church and stated founder and leader of Hawaii's Future Today, a major public antagonists of equal rights for Gay men and women, it becomes important to all who are watching this legislation to know that Bank of Hawaii help to hide that businesses involvement and surprising last minute challenge to a measure that has been visible in this year's legislative session since January. Surprisingly none of these member businesses had made any such challenges while it was within the legislature. At this point, I am now requesting copies of the minutes of the meetings of the Hawaii Business Health Council during this past calendar year. I believe that the information contained in the actions and deliberations of this group would be of great interest to the people of Hawaii and in particular to the people who would lost the rights to quality health care that this group is opposing. I hope you will see the merit in forwarding copies of these minutes to me at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, William E. Woods, MPH Executive Director ** Remember GLEA Foundation has no paid staff and exists solely by tax-deductible donations. To promote education and advocacy does cost money. Think about a donation today. GLEA Foundation P.O. Box 37083 Honolulu, Hawaii 96837