One of the most overlooked aspects of reforming our Hawaii government is addressing the issue of personality and how some people are not ideally suited for public service. We often talk about ideology or partisanship, but government is more than just beliefs — it’s the people who actually work in it that make or break a state.

Now that we are about to enter the beginning of another campaign cycle, voters need to think about the kind of people and personalities that they want running their government. Think about how awful the Maui wildfires were and all the controversy that surrounded the way our government responded to them. And now ask yourself, what kind of people do you want handling the next crisis or picking up the next “3 a.m. phone call”?

In my experience working with numerous elected officials over the last two decades, I’ve seen a phenomenon where candidates got elected because they believed and said everything voters wanted to hear, but once in office, those same individuals had personality flaws that made them unproductive or toxic.

I personally would rather have someone in office who, though they may not be in my party or share my policy beliefs, has a personality suited for working well with others.

There are many kinds of “problem people” that can find their way into government — you might even be thinking of one or two right now — but from my experience, the following are the kinds of people who cause the most trouble in Hawaii government.

People Who Can’t Say No

At first glance, one might think that having people who say “yes” to everything would be a benefit to local government. But the danger comes when people are so self-conscious about being in power, not being criticized or not being rejected that they are completely spineless.

Often, these types of individuals habitually say things like “I don’t want to hold this up.” But actually, this is less about not being an obstructionist and more about not being able to establish and enforce healthy boundaries.

Want to know how public servants can fall into the trap of being bribed? Ever wonder how regulations or laws get selectively enforced? Curious how cover-ups start? Not sure how glaringly bad bills cruise through so easily?

More often than not, people who don’t have the ability to say “no” and stick with their “no” are behind these kinds of problems.

You can spot this kind of personality easily because you’ll notice this type of person always defers to whoever holds power or whoever has the most money at any given time. As a result, they are often weak in backing up their constituents and advocating for the issues they purportedly were elected to support, and useless when an actual crisis happens that requires leadership.

People Who Can’t Make A Timely Decision

This may seem counterintuitive, but Hawaii government is loaded with people who don’t like governing. How does this happen? I personally theorize that some voters think that by voting for someone passive or seemingly uninspired, they’ll be able to preserve their livelihoods and independence. In reality, these types of people cause a loss of both, because when they get put in a position to “take the 3 a.m. phone call” they freeze up and aren’t able to make a decision.

While the first type can’t say “no,” this problem group is infamous for not being able to make up their minds at all. For some individuals, a chronic fear of being wrong or making mistakes causes habitual hesitation and inaction. These people may say things like “this will get better on its own” or “let the free market decide.” But they are often covering up the fact that they don’t know what to do or are afraid of making decisions (but still want to be in the position of prominence that is supposed to make those decisions).

Ordinarily, this type of personality gets weeded out of government by either highly competitive challengers or restless voters, but we lack both in many political contests here in Hawaii.

People Who Crave Fame, Attention And Wealth

This is a difficult one. Politics, by its very nature, has a tendency to attract people who gravitate to — or need affirmation through — fame, attention and/or wealth. While this is unavoidable, the danger is when one craves these things to such an excess that it becomes the actual driver behind everything one does.

This can result in such persons having diminished empathy for others, while simultaneously believing that they themselves are superior or “special” in a way that affords them the right to lie or do anything they want without consequence. In many cases, this type sees people as disposable assets rather than individuals.

One of the red flags for this type for me is a high turnover rate in their office or in the government bodies they control. Often, this is because they triangulate people against each other as a means of controlling loyalties or displacing blame from themselves to others.

Personalities matter. Choose the best people for office, and we’ll get the best government for the people.

One thing this type of person can never do is acknowledge they made a mistake, because they see themselves as both messiahs to be adored and victims to sympathize with.

This person may start off with a star-studded team, because the fame or popularity of others propels them to prominence, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t last. These types are extremely difficult to work with and work for, and often are responsible for burning out or driving out experts, academics and career public servants.

If you see this type of person running for office, or seeking higher office, stop them at the next election, even if they’re a member of the same party as you. This is the most dangerous type of person to have in Hawaii government.

Putting It All Together

This may seem like a lot of insider baseball, but the truth is, many of our problems in Hawaii aren’t a matter of conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, but a matter of personality. It’s considered impolite to say that someone doesn’t have the right personality for office, but as we see so many crises and problems facing our state, we really do need to broach this topic and act like good hiring managers when we vote for or support candidates.

If we are going to reform government, we need to have these difficult conversations and deeper analysis of the problems affecting our system. Personalities matter. Choose the best people for office, and we’ll get the best government for the people.