Speaker: house finance committee headed in ‘new direction’ after Yamashita replaced as chair

MAUI, Hawai’i (Island News) — After Rep. Kyle Yamashita was replaced by Rep. Chris Todd to lead the Committee on Finance, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura released a statement on Wednesday saying, “leadership transitions are a part of any organization’s growth.”

“The House has decided to move in a new direction and appreciates Representative Chris Todd’s readiness to lead the Committee on Finance.”

Nakamura also thanked Yamashita, who covers Upcountry Maui, for his “dedicated and trusted public service as Chair of the House Committee on Finance. We value his experience and contributions to the Legislature and are confident that he will continue to serve his Upcountry Maui community with the same thoughtfulness and commitment.”

The statement added, “the House remains focused on continuing its productive work throughout the interim.”

While there was no detailed explanation for the replacement, Camron Hurt of watchdog organization Common Cause Hawai’i, said there were reports of concerns over how accessible Yamashita was to colleagues and to the public.

“Whether or not it was even possible to start conversations with him, also the effectiveness of the finance committee itself,” Hurt said. 

Hurt also pointed to the record breaking tax cut from the legislature last year, but said there were reports it may be scaled back because it was too large.

“Rather than having anything to do with personnel, this really is a core job evaluation of the work that needs to be done in finance in upcoming years and months and I think that leadership thinks it’s important that we get on a different footing and we agree with that,” Hurt added. 

Political analyst Jennifer Walsh echoed Hurt’s comments, saying, “This is likely just a normal leadership structure to see if they have the right people in the right places.”

Walsh mentioned Yamashita was the only holdover from former Rep. Scott Saiki’s administration, with Rep. Nadine Nakamura taking over as house speaker after he lost his run for re-election.

“It gave her an opportunity to replace primary committee leadership roles with people she had a particular connection with, or had confidence in,” Walsh explained.

Todd represents district 3, which includes portions of Hilo, Keaukaha and Kea’au.