HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – University of Hawaii president Wendy Hensel announced her pick for the university’s next athletics director, appointing Matt Elliott on Thursday.

Community leaders praise Elliott for his short time he’s spent in the islands.

Elliott most recently moved to Oahu in 2022 and started working for the Hawaii Community Foundation, where their now-former CEO says UH is making the right move.

As CEO, Micah Kane worked closely with Elliott, who served as the nonprofit’s senior policy director.

“In my career, I would say he’s one of the top leaders that I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with,” Kane told reporters. “I think what you’re going to find when he goes into the the system is that he’s going to map out a strategy and he’s going to be very collaborative on how that strategy is built.”

Longtime banker Jack Tsui also likes the pick.

The search committee co-chair says his team looked at more than 100 candidates and came up with four finalists based largely on their Division I experience, recruiting skills, and Hawaii ties.

Elliott’s wife, a Punahou graduate, was born and raised in Hawaii. They’ve lived off and on in Hawaii since in 2005, but Elliott also spent 13 years at UCLA.

“He worked successfully with coaches and guided UCLA’s entrance into the Big Ten,” Tsui said. “I think his personal attributes would be integrity, intelligence, honesty.”

Elliott said in a statement that he’s grateful for the opportunity and plans to “chart an ambitious and unified path forward.”

Former UH regent Jeff Portnoy says Elliott will need to adapt to a changing college landscape.

“I know that Mr. Elliott has been involved in college sports while he was at UCLA, apparently had a lot to do with their moving to the Big Ten, but so much has happened in collegiate sports in the last 24 months that he’s got a big learning curve ahead of him,” Portnoy said.

Pending approval by the UH regents, Elliott’s base salary will start at $425,000 with additional performance-based incentives.

That’s a change from former AD Craig Angelos, who was never on contract.

Tsui saying it was important that the next AD would be under contract.

“It was the first conversation I had with the president and that was in January,” Tsui said.

“I haven’t seen the contract. Unfortunately, when I was a regent, I saw way too many athletic contracts and know how problems can arise,” Portnoy said.

Elliott’s most obvious tests include the Aloha Stadium project and name image and likeness compensation for athletes, as well as transitioning more teams to the Mountain West Conference next year.

A more nuanced test will be navigating the political and business communities in a state that loves UH sports.

“He could be the right choice,” Portnoy said. “Again, I don’t know him. I just know these other things. He’s got some strong positives, but he’s got some huge challenges.”

Elliott would need to be approved by the UH Board of Regents at a special meeting set for June 16.

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The chief of the Hawaii Police Department will not step down from his post ahead of a decision by the Honolulu Police Commission about who will serve as interim chief of the Honolulu Police Department.

Hawaii police Chief Ben Moszkowicz is one of two applicants for the interim position after Mayor Rick Blangiardi announced HPD Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan’s retirement on Monday and “strongly” recommended that Moszkowicz becomes the interim chief.

Moszkowicz and Thomas K. Aiu, a retired U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent with a law degree, have applied for the interim job with the Honolulu Police Commission

Blangiardi reached out to Moszkowicz on May 30 to ask if he would consider returning to HPD as its interim chief. Moszkowicz and Blangiardi spoke again Monday when Moszkowicz expressed interest in applying for the position.

Blangiardi told him that he would strongly recommend him for the post but the decision was the police commission’s to make.

Moszkowicz told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that there is an intergovernmental movement process that allows county and state employees to switch employers. “That is what I used to move to the Hawaii Police Department in January of 2023. Whether or not that option is available depends entirely on what the Hawaii Police Commission decides,” Moszkowicz said. “I understand and welcome the chance to compete for the position and sent them a letter of interest for the Interim Chief job in Honolulu.”

On Monday, Moszkowicz sent an internal memo, obtained by the Star-Advertiser, to Hawaii police officers and civilian employees announcing he would leave the department.

Moszkowicz then decided not to step down and will allow the police commission process to play out in Honolulu and on Hawaii island.

Blangiardi would like the office of the mayor to have authority over who hires and handles the personnel decisions for the HPD and the Honolulu Fire Department. HPD and HFD are the two city departments that rely on commissions to pick their leaders.

The Board of Water Supply and the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation are semiautonomous and handle their own hiring.

Blangiardi intends to introduce a charter amendment to transfer the authority from the police and fire commissions to the office of the mayor. Currently, the chief reports to the managing director, who reports to the mayor.

“The Mayor is asking for the Office of the Mayor to be involved in the process — not necessarily himself, but the office as a whole,” Scott Humber, Blangiardi’s communications director, told the Star-Advertiser. “We’re currently reviewing various models used across the country. For example, in some cities, the commission submits a list of finalists — typically three names — for the mayor’s consideration. However, no decision has been made yet on which model we’ll adopt. Ultimately, we want a process that works best for all three departments: Police, Fire, and Ocean Safety. We’re still working through what that will look like.”

Critics of the mayor’s moves have raised ethical concerns that Blangiardi is bypassing the Police Commission and the city charter, leading to questions about transparency and accountability.

Humber said Blangiardi is not worried about circumventing the city charter and the commission processes on Oahu and Hawaii island, because the charter amendment process will take at least 18 months and the “13th police chief will be hired by HPC.”

Police Commission

At the Honolulu Police Commission’s first meeting since Logan’s ouster, commissioners were barred by from discussing the police personnel drama playing out publicly.

The state Office of Information Practices advised the police commission that the Sunshine Law “precludes the commission from discussing any matter that is not specifically on its agenda.”

“The retirement of Chief Logan is not on the agenda,” said HPC Chair Kenneth Silva, a former chief of the Honolulu Fire Department. “The police commissions process to select a interim or permanent chief is not on the agenda. These matters cannot be discussed …”

The process will be in the commission’s June 18 agenda. Silva urged interested applicants to submit a confidential cover letter and resume to the commission at 1060 Richards St., Unit 170, by close of business June 13.

“All qualified nominees whose materials are received by the deadline will be considered,” Silva said. “Serving as an interim chief will not disqualify anyone from applying for the permanent position.”

Logan attended Wednesday’s police commission meeting with members of his uniformed command staff.

Retired HPD Lt. Alexander Garcia testified before the commission Wednesday, thanked Logan for his serv­ice, and wished him the “very best.”

“I’m a big fan of the mayor’s. I think he’s a great mayor … He’s kind of like Frank Fasi 2.0, he gets things done. He’s a great leader. But I think in this case he’s overstepped his authority … He’s done a disservice to this department,” Garcia said.

Blangiardi was “out of order” in talking Logan into retiring but it “is what it is,” Garcia said.

“By bringing in that letter and going out and saying Ben is going to be the next interim chief, it’s mind blowing. It’s just wrong,” Garcia said. “I know he’s well intended … but as they say the road to hell is paved with … good intentions. And he’s doing a disservice to Ben. I know Ben, I’ve known him for 30 years, he’s a good guy, I think he would do a good job but he’s not here. You got this whole row of people here (gesturing to Logan’s leadership team) who are good candidates for the next interim or permanent chief. All in this room right here and he’s (Blangiardi) bypassed them … That’s the perception that we get.”

Logan presented his chief’s report to the commission Wednesday but did not address his retirement.

Kathleen Alina Lee, HPD’s public information officer, told the Star-Advertiser that Logan would be at the meeting “but he will not be answering any questions regarding his upcoming retirement at this time.”

Commissioner Doug Chin, a former state attorney general, lieutenant governor and city managing director, told Logan there is a lot of “drama that has happened in the last five days.”

“But I think this sends a really strong message to the department that you are still here, still briefing the commission, and talking to us about the day to day activities … that are happening in the department. Your deputy chiefs are here as well, your assistant chiefs are here,” said Chin, noting that Logan’s predecessor Susan Ballard stopped attending commission meetings after announcing her retirement. “… Despite whats going on outside we’re still functioning. … I very much appreciate that.”

Logan responded by saying he’s the “chief until the day I’m not the chief.”

“That shows my love for this department,” said Logan.

A legendary Gulf Coast watering hole held its own with Hawaii’s best in a new USA Today ranking of the 10 best beach bars in the country.

For this USA Today 10Best list, “An expert panel nominated their top beach bars across the country — places in postcard-perfect locations with diverse drink menus and great atmospheres to boot. Then, readers voted to decide which bars are most exceptional.”

Hawaii claimed the No. 10, 9, 6 and 5 spots. But as nice as it would be to sip a Mauna Kea Mule at the Copper Bar, it’s a little easier to get to Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar for a more familiar frozen concoction. The famed roadhouse on the Alabama-Florida line landed at No. 2. (Florida only claimed three spots, but the Ocean Deck in Daytona Beach topped the list.)

10 things you might not know about the Flora-Bama

USA Today said the Flora-Bama earned its place with its location, its multiple stages for live music, bushwackers and oyster bar.

Two venues in California and one in Hilton Head, S.C., rounded out the list.