STAND. COM. REP. 3530

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 489

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 489, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

University of Hawaii Board of Regents

G.M. No. 489

ANDRES ALBANO JR.,

for a term to expire 06-30-08,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, résumé, and statements submitted by the nominee, and finds the nominee to have the necessary qualifications to be appointed to the position of nomination.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nominee from the City and County of Honolulu Honolulu Emergency Services Department, University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, C. Brewer and Company, Limited, First Hawaiian Bank, five individuals associated with CB Richard Ellis, Inc., Tusher Architectural Group, Richland Pacific of Hawaii, Hawaiian Island Homes Ltd., Walter P. Thompson Surveying & Mapping, Pacific FM, Architects Hawaii Limited, Construction Management & Development, Inc., Graphic Communications International Union, Pan Pacific Mortgage, LLC, C.M. Bidwell & Associates, Ltd., Creative Planners of Hawaii, the nominee, his daughter, and six individuals.

ANDRES ALBANO, JR. is a Vice President of CB Richard Ellis Hawaii, Inc. He is an experienced real estate professional with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Mr. Albano has been a Registered Professional Engineer and Real Estate Broker since 1969. He has served as a Past President of the Development Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Developers Council, and Honolulu chapter of the National Association of Professional Engineers. He is also a member of the Business Development and Marketing Division Advisory Council of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Mayor's Task Force for Streamlining the Building Permit, Land Development Approvals, and Subdivision Approval Process.

Your Committee believes that Mr. Albano will bring a substantial amount of real estate experience to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents just as the system enters a phase of development that may include a substantial amount of new capital improvement initiatives, including the development of the University of Hawaii at West Oahu campus, and the possible redevelopment of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the surrounding neighborhood of Moiliili. Due to Mr. Albano's extensive experience in his professional field, there is a distinct possibility that, in the course of these university development efforts, he will work with people he has worked with in the past in other capacities.

Although such a familiarity would not automatically create a conflict of interest, your Committee is encouraged to know that the Board of Regents is reviewing their policy on this matter. Individual members of the Board of Regents each bring unique professional areas of expertise to the board, which should be encouraged. Nevertheless, your Committee hopes they can all strike the right balance between maximizing the utility of this expertise for the work of the board and avoiding conflicts of interest.

The nominee has identified a desire to facilitate the transfer of credits from the community colleges to the universities, the development of additional dorms and other measures to create a more pervasive sense of a "college experience" among students, infrastructure improvements system-wide, and an enhanced public perception of the academic stature of the university.

Your Committee is also encouraged to learn of the nominee's commitment to the University of Hawaii as an engine of economic growth and workforce development in the State of Hawaii, especially in the areas of teacher and nurse education.

Your Committee finds that the Governor has submitted a qualified nominee, who is likely to be an effective member of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents. However, it should be noted that nominees for the Board of Regents, as well as nominees for other boards and commissions hold responsible and critical positions that require careful and timely review, not only by the Legislature in their confirmation process but by the general public as well, to determine that the best and brightest candidate is confirmed for the position. For this to happen, it behooves the Governor to submit all of her nominees early on in the legislative calendar. This would provide the Legislature ample scheduling time for the timely confirmation process and also afford the general public the opportunity to submit essential and pertinent testimony regarding the nominee's qualifications.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair