Community retakes Akaku

The Maui News mixed up stories on their website and this one didn't get posted Saturday, but Sean Lester scanned it, and I have posted it here the extended entry. (Update: They finally posted it at their website.)

Producers with Akaku: Maui Community Television and their supporters took back power on the agency’s hoard of directors Friday. Myles Inokuma was ousted as chairman, and President/CEO Shawn McLaughlin was reinstated.

Ian Lind also comments and has posted McLaughlin's testimony at the meeting.

Earlier I posted Jay April's call for Inokuma's resignation. April led the parliamentary maneuvers that ousted him.

The good guys in this one have prevailed in this skirmish, but the struggle certainly isn't over as the development interests trying to pull the plug on Akaku or neuter it will be back. Akaku hosts a lot of good kingdom shows and is an important means of communication and education. Go to SaveAkaku.org and contribute to their legal fund if you can. Mahalo.

The Maui News
Saturday, August 27, 2005

Community TV producers, supporters take back the power

Akaku board reverses field

Inokuma ousted as chairman; McLaughlin is reinstated

By ILIMA LOOMIS
Staff Writer

KAHULUI — Producers with Akaku: Maui Community Television and their supporters took back power on the agency’s hoard of directors Friday.

Saying his role in a fistfight with another board member was inappropriate, board members representing Akaku producers voted to remove Myles Inokuma as board chairman. They called for an investigation into the fight and into his actions as chairman.

The group drew on parilamentaly procedure to invalidate the vote of one of Inokuma’s supporters, as well as Inokuma’s own vote.

The move drew triumphant cheers from a crowd of producers and supporters watching the action on TV monitors outside the station.

“Finally, justice for all!” said Monty Dehnert, an Akaku producer. He and others in the crowd said Inokuma’s group on the board represented political and business interests to the detriment of Akaku’s producers and audience.

Inokuma and his supporters walked out during discussions that led to the board dismissing Inokuma as chariman, and were greeted by boos as they left the station.

The remaining board members then announced that last month’s firing of station President and Chief Executive Officer Sean LcLaughlin was invalid, because two people who voted to fire him were not eligible to vote.

They contended that Sadao Yanagti, a Department of Education representative and an Inokuma supporter, was not a board member at the time because his term had expired in June.

They followed up by citing parliamentary rules that said a board chairman could not cast a vote except to break a tie.

The vote to oust Inokuma was 7-1, with Vice Chairman Jay April and members Benita Brazier, Nancy Lee Potter, Nikhilananda, Danny Agsalog, DeGray Vanderbuilt and Tess Cartwright voting “yes” and board member Keff Knight in opposition.

With the eight members stil present, the board had a quorum for the vote.

The rest of Inokuma’s supporters, Sharon Courter, Safajean Tokunaga, Flo Wiger, Charles Jencks and Sadao Yanagi, had joined him in the walkout. Board member Lynne Woods was absent.

Remaining board members went on to remove the absent members from their seats of’ leadership on the board’s committees. They also hired attorney and activist Lance Collins as a parliamentarin.

Knight, who left shortly after the vote against Inokuma, said his colleagues were “disgusted” with the proceedings, but he stayed to see what would happen.

“It was manipulated behind the scenes and all imbalanced,” he said.

Knight, who represents Oceanic Time Warner on the board, thought Inokuniis faction represented “the best interest of Akaku fmancially and operationally.” He didn’t think the altercation between Inokuma and Vanderbilt was reason to dismiss the chairman.

“They instantly made up and forgave each other,” he said. “If they can do it, why are people fanning the flames?”

The day’s actions came after a ceremony blessing Akaku’s newly acquired offices; the agency recently closed a deal to buy the shopping center on Dairy Road where the studio is located.

Before the walkout, Inokuma spoke quietly and downplayed last week’s fight with Vanderbilt, saying. “There was an incident that took place between a board member and myself. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over and done with.”

His supporters resisted the action against him, saying that no action should be taken until the board had consulted with its attorney and clarified what would be involved in an investigation and how much it would cost.

But the opposing faction led by April stuck to a prepared script, citing the board’s rules and bylaws chapter and verse, and using strict procedure to prevail.

A “flabbergasted” McLaughlin said he was completely surprised. He called on the board to insist on openness and transparency and resist pressure from powerful outside interests.

“If Akaku is allowed to be run in a closed, private and exclusive manner... then the potential for favoritism and corruption will be unchecked,” he said.

He thanked supporters but said attention should be focused on the station’s mission, not his role as an individual. “It’s not about me. It’s about the organization having integrity,” he said.

“I felt Sean McLaughlin was railroaded,” she said. “I felt people were sneaky and underhanded in voting for his dismissal and taking control of this station.”

Yoni Silberman said she counted on Akaku to broadcast ideas ignored by the mainstream media.

“All I know is I’m very concerned that issues important to me will no longer be able to be voiced through this outlet,” she said.

THE AKAKU CONTROVERSY:

The divisions on Akaku’s board centered on a proposal to redistribute station funds to public schools. Supporters argued the move would fulfill guidelines that cable-access funds be split between public access, education and government. Opponents said Akaku already was fulfilling that role, and that the plan was an attempt to gut the station.

• January: Bills that would give a third of Akaku’s funding to Maui Community College and the Department of Education, and another third to county government, are introduced in the state Legislature.

• April: The board appears to reach an agreement giving 25 percent of funding to Maui Community College and the state Department of Education.

• May: Some board members object when Qhairrnan Myles Inokuma approves changes to the agreement and signs it without their final approval.

• May and June: Opponents try to meet on the agreement but fail as Inokuma cancels meetings or his supporters boycott meetings.

• June: At a board meeting, opponents don’t have enough votes to open debate on the agreement.

• July: Voting 8-7, the board fires Akaku CEO Sean McLaughlin.

• Aug.18: A meeting of the board’s finance committee ends in a fistfight between Inokuma and board member DeGray Vanderbilt.

• Friday: Using parliamentary procedure, the board’s smaller faction removes Inokuma as chairman and invalidates firing of McLaughlin.

Posted: Sun - August 28, 2005 at 08:16 PM

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Community retakes Akaku

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