Straight schatz / One hundred grand in a fridge (Rep. William Jefferson). Bathroom lewdness (Sen. Larry Craig). Page solicitation (Rep. Mark Foley). A list of requested bribes (Rep. Duke Cunningham.) It’s enough to make you believe the worst cliches about politics and politicians. But instead of piling on, I want to focus on something that provides hope–a counterweight to the disappointments that we’ve seen over the last year.

Here is my short list of most promising young legislators. My criteria are simple: I need first-hand knowledge of their performance as a leader, they can’t be a close friend of mine, they have to be smart, honest, hard working and relatively young.

Rep. Karl Rhoads (D-Chinatown, Makiki)

This freshman surprised observers by beating attractive young Republican candidate Collin Wong in 2006, and was immediately thrust into one of the most difficult issues of the session–the preservation of Kukui Gardens as affordable housing. He did what many legislators are unable to do–retain his independence while remaining relevant with the insiders. Some believe that there is a fork in the road for politicians. You either choose to be an outcast rebel with no internal traction, or you have to sell your soul to the whims of party leaders. Rep. Rhoads reminds us that not all bargains are necessarily Faustian. He had the ability and the heart to walk the line between maverick and collaborator with integrity.

Rep. Lynn Finnegan (R-’Aiea)

The Minority Leader of the State House has had a difficult couple of years. Despite her talent for articulating the Republican philosophy and her ability to reach across the aisle, the number of her colleagues continues to dwindle. She’s a thoughtful, real conservative, and while I can’t think of a major issue on which we agree, she comes by her positions with integrity and clarity. Now if she can figure out a way to help her colleagues win a few elections, the GOP might be on its way back to relevance in the islands.

Sen. Jill Tokuda (D-Ka-ne’ohe)

This freshman Senator and former Mazie staffer is skilled, serious, gutsy and willing to take on unpopular issues. She helped to oust Peter Young at DLNR, and even though I didn’t agree with the result, there’s no doubt in my mind that she did so out of a sense of obligation to the department and her constituents. She’s now taken on the unenviable task of trying to help fix the Bureau of Conveyances. She doesn’t gravitate toward the easy issues–in fact, the thornier it is, the more she puts herself in the middle of the mix. This has earned the respect of her colleagues and will pay off in the long run, even though she’s taking some lumps now.

Rep. Ryan Yamane (D-Mililani)

Ryan is the son of former Rep. Brian Yamane, and is a social worker by inclination and profession. He doesn’t get caught up in internal politics, and is in political service, in my estimation, for the same reasons that he is a social worker–he wants to help people. He’s smart, but does not have the politician’s compulsion to prove he’s the smartest guy in the room. He’s ascended to the Chair of the Tourism and Culture Committee, which he’s taken very seriously, and he’s produced good results.

Brian Schatz was a state representative for eight years and ran for the U.S. House in 2006. He is currently CEO of Helping Hands Hawai’i.

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