Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee John D. Waihe'e IV stepped down as vice chairman of the body yesterday as expected, saying that it was "in the best interests of OHA and its beneficiaries" for him to do so until "pending legal matters are resolved."

Six of Waihe'e's nine colleagues then voted 6-0 to elect trustee Walter Heen as their new vice chairman. Heen abstained from the vote, while trustee Donald Cataluna was absent.

Waihe'e, who will remain on the board, pleaded not guilty last month to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol following a traffic accident near Punchbowl in May.

The trustee, the son of former Gov. John Waihee III, did not attend yesterday's regularly scheduled board meeting. Board Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona said Waihe'e had asked to be excused. Apoliona said she was told he was on the Mainland.

Waihe'e's five-paragraph letter to his colleagues said he decided to step down as vice chairman "due to recent events and after much deliberation."

The 37-year-old Waihe'e also wrote that he remains "steadfastly committed to the mission and leadership of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs." He added: "I look forward to exoneration so the work put before us can move forward and reap further success."

He was first elected to the OHA board in 2000, and voters gave him a new four-year term in 2006.

Also yesterday, the board voted 6-0 to make trustee Robert Lindsey Jr. the new vice chairman of its Assets and Resource Management Committee. ARM Chairman Oswald Stender and four other trustees had asked Rowena Akana to resign from that spot and she obliged. Stender and Akana, who has long been at odds with recent OHA leadership, both said they disagreed on OHA's financial policy directions.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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