Hawaii Gov. Ige looks back on coronavirus, tourism shutdown

HONOLULU (AP) — As Hawaii's governor, David Ige faced a volcanic eruption that destroyed 700 homes, protests blocking construction of a cutting-edge multibillion-dollar telescope and a false alert about an incoming ballistic missile. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism shut down and Hawaii's unemployment rate soared to 22.4%.

Crisis response is one way to sum up the Democrat's eight years leading Hawaii, which are due to wrap up when his successor, Lt. Gov. Josh Green, is inaugurated on Dec. 5.

“It’s stressful, especially during public health emergencies," Ige said during a recent interview reflecting on his two terms in office. “There are people who don’t like what you do and they don’t like decisions made. And today, they can let you know that.”

Yet the 65-year-old former electrical engineer said that he agrees with other governors who told him shortly after his 2014 election that he was about to get the best job he could ever have.

“You have direct impact on the quality of people’s lives. What we do matters to people every single day,” Ige said.

Ige cited progress he made on affordable housing and homelessness. But he's most proud of how he responded to the pandemic, and it's what he'd like to be remembered for after he leaves.

A report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based nonprofit foundation, found Hawaii had the lowest “excess mortality” rate among the 50 states, a statistic measuring deaths that exceed historical norms for a given time and place. Ige said that Hawaii's health care system was always able to care for both COVID-19 patients and others throughout the pandemic.

Ige said that he wanted to protect Hawaii's older people and the health and safety of residents. He didn’t want Hawaii’s hospitals to be overwhelmed, since people would have...