Ben Cayetano
Ben Cayetano | |
---|---|
5th Governor of Hawaii | |
In office December 2, 1994 – December 2, 2002 | |
Lieutenant | Mazie Hirono |
Preceded by | John Waiheʻe |
Succeeded by | Linda Lingle |
9th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii | |
In office December 2, 1986 – December 2, 1994 | |
Governor | John Waiheʻe |
Preceded by | John Waiheʻe |
Succeeded by | Mazie Hirono |
Personal details | |
Born | Benjamin Jerome Cayetano November 14, 1939 Honolulu, Hawaii |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | |
Children | 5 |
Education | Los Angeles Harbor College University of California, Los Angeles (BA) Loyola Marymount University (JD) |
Signature | |
Benjamin Jerome Cayetano (born November 14, 1939) is an American politician and author who served as the
Early years
Born in
Upon graduation Cayetano married Lorraine Gueco, his high school sweetheart. After the birth of his son Brandon in 1959, he worked a variety of entry-level jobs, such as a metal-packer in a
Cayetano attended
In 1972, Cayetano was appointed to the Hawaii Housing Authority by Governor
Lieutenant governor
Cayetano joined the
Cayetano administration
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Ben Cayetano" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2012) |
Term limits forced Waihe'e into retirement and the Democratic Party nominated Cayetano to run for Governor of Hawaiʻi in
In
Throughout his tenure in office, Cayetano had to contend with economic uncertainty and serious fiscal problems. Declining tax revenues led to budget shortfalls, and the governor often found himself at odds with his fellow Democrats in the state legislature as he attempted to implement budget cuts to balance the state budget.
On education, the Cayetano administration built thirteen new schools, and he was able to persuade the teachers' union to extend the school year by seven days. Also under his administration, the
Cayetano left office in December 2002. He was succeeded by former Republican challenger Lingle.
Mayoral race and rail issues
On January 19, 2012, Cayetano came out of retirement to run for the office of Honolulu Mayor.[3] Cayetano's stated focus in his mayoral campaign was greater transparency in local government, but its core was ending the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, a plan to build a 20-mile elevated steel on steel rail system in the city. In the primary election on August 11, 2012, he received more votes than either of his pro-rail primary opponents, Kirk Caldwell and Peter Carlisle. He did not achieve the majority required to win the election outright, and faced Caldwell in the general election on November 6.[4] Cayetano subsequently lost the mayoral election to Kirk Caldwell, in a vote that was widely viewed as a referendum on the rail project. He continued his opposition to the rail, in 2017 urging the Federal Transit Authority to terminate further funding for it. In an ad paid for by the Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa Foundation, Cayetano asked President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to withhold $800 million for the project.[5]
Personal life
Cayetano and his first wife, Lorraine Cayetano (née Gueco), divorced in 1996, ending their 37-year marriage.[6] He became the first sitting governor of Hawaii to divorce while in office.[6]
Cayetano is married to his second wife, Vicky Cayetano (née Tiu), whom he married on May 5, 1997. Vicky was president of United Laundry Services at the time of their wedding.[6] She played a major supporting role opposite Elvis Presley in the musical film, It Happened at the World's Fair.
Ben Cayetano has five children. He has three children from his first marriage to Lorraine Cayetano: Brandon, Janeen, and Samantha. Vicky Cayetano also has two children, Marissa and William, from a previous marriage.
He appeared as himself in an episode of Baywatch Hawaii in 1999.
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
|
Ben Cayetano | 134,978 | 36.58 | ||
Independent
|
Frank Fasi | 113,158 | 30.67 | ||
Republican
|
Pat Saiki | 107,908 | 29.24 | ||
Green
|
Kioni Dudley | 12,969 | 3.51 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
|
Ben Cayetano (inc.) | 204,206 | 50.11 | ||
Republican
|
Linda Lingle | 198,952 | 48.82 | ||
Libertarian
|
George Peabody | 4,398 | 1.08 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan | Ben Cayetano | 90,956 | 44.1 | |
Nonpartisan | Kirk Caldwell | 59,963 | 29.1 | |
Nonpartisan | Peter Carlisle (inc.) | 51,101 | 24.8 | |
Blank Votes | 2,678 | 1.3 | ||
Nonpartisan | Khistina Caldwell Dejean | 1,289 | 0.6 | |
Over Votes | 47 | 0.0 | ||
Total votes | 206,034 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nonpartisan | Ben Cayetano | 133,154 | 46.1% | ||
Nonpartisan | Kirk Caldwell | 155,664 | 53.9% |
See also
References
- ^ "Benjamin Cayetano, Governor of Hawaii". UCLA Spotlight. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
- ^ "Benjamin Cayetano - Hawaii History - Governors". www.hawaiihistory.org. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Cayetano will run for mayor as anti-rail candidate". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. January 19, 2012.
- ^ "Primary Election 2012 - State of Hawaii - Final Summary Report" (PDF). State of Hawaii, Office of Elections. August 12, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ Cayetano To Trump: Cut Honolulu Rail Funds, Honolulu Civil Beat, Stewart Yerton, April 21, 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ a b c Borreca, Richard (October 23, 1998). "Rallying The Faithful: Defending the Democratic Party and mustering the troops, Cayetano pushes for another term". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ "PRIMARY ELECTION 2012 - State of Hawaii - Statewide" (PDF). State Of Hawaii Office of Elections. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
Further reading
- Cayetano, Benjamin J. (2009). Ben: A Memoir, from Street Kid to Governor. Watermark Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9790647-0-8.