Half of Cabinet Gave to Abercrombie Campaign
A Civil Beat analysis of campaign finance records found that half of Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s Cabinet donated money to help get him the job.
Of the 16 people in his Cabinet, eight contributed to his campaign.
Richard Lim, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, contributed the maximum individual contribution of $6,000 during the last election cycle.
Bruce Coppa, the state comptroller who runs the Department of Accounting and General Services, gave $3,075.
Coppa, who donated to Abercrombie seven separate times between Oct. 28, 2009, and Oct. 21, 2010, moderated several gubernatorial debates that included his future boss.
| Name | Position | Campaign Donation |
|---|---|---|
| Richard C. Lim | Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism | $6,000 |
| David M. Louie | Attorney General of the Department of the Attorney General | $4,050 |
| Bruce A. Coppa | Comptroller of the Department of Accounting and General Services | $3,075 |
| Patricia McManaman | Director of the Department of Human Services | $800 |
| Glenn M. Okimoto | Director of the Department of Transportation | $550 |
| Albert (Alapaki) Nahale-a | Chairperson of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands | $440 |
| Loretta J. Fuddy | Director of the Department of Health | $425 |
| Kealiilalanikulani S. Lopez | Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs | $150 |
| Russell S. Kokubun | Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture | $0 |
| Sunshine Topping | Director of the Department of Human Resources Development | $0 |
| Dwight Takamine | Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations | $0 |
| Jodie Maesaka-Hirata | Director of the Department of Public Safety | $0 |
| Major General Darryll D.M. Wong | Adjutant General of the Department of Defense | $0 |
| William Johnson Aila | Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources | $0 |
| Kalbert K. Young | Director of the Department of Budget and Finance | $0 |
| Frederick D. Pablo | Director of the Department of Taxation | $0 |
Source: List of Governor’s Messages / Campaign Spending Commission / Civil Beat analysis
- Read a related article on how 25 percent of Abercrombie appointees donated to his campaign and review the complete list of appointees and their donations.
