Sam Slom

Samuel Morgan Slom (born April 13, 1942) is an American politician. Slom was the sole Republican member of the Hawaii Senate from 2010 until his defeat in 2016. Between 1996 and 2016, Slom represented the 9th District, which includes Hawaii Kai, Aina Haina, Kahala and Diamond Head on the island of Oahu. As the sole Republican senator, he was the senate minority leader and floor leader of the Hawaiian Senate. He also served on all 16 Senate committees and on every special committee and subcommittee. He is a native of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Sam Slom
Member of the Hawaii Senate
from the 9th district
In office
January 1997 – January 21, 2017
Preceded byDonna R. Ikeda
Succeeded byStanley Chang
Personal details
Born (1942-04-13) April 13, 1942
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Divorced
ProfessionAttorney

Career

Slom formerly served as chief economist for the Bank of Hawaii.[1] Slom is the president and executive director of Smart Business Hawaii, a chamber of commerce that says it is more small business-oriented than the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.[2]

In 1996, Slom challenged incumbent Democrat Donna R. Ikeda to represent the 8th district in the Senate of Hawaii.[3] Slom won the election, defeating Ikeda, 12,191 votes to 7,312.[3] The Honolulu Star-Bulletin called the election a "huge election night upset".[4]

Slom was the sole Republican in the 25-member Senate between 2010 and 2017. Slom technically served on all sixteen Senate committees but obviously he could not physically attend all of the meetings. He had to depend on a Democratic colleague to second every motion that he made on the Senate floor (otherwise, the motion dies for lack of a second). Lynn Finnegan, an outgoing Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives who ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, described Slom's challenge as communicating with Republican constituents across the state who will pressure Democratic lawmakers to consider alternative proposals on some issues.[5]

A second Republican senator, Fred Hemmings, did not seek reelection in 2010 and was replaced by a Democrat. No other U.S. state's legislative body has single-party representation, although the Council of the District of Columbia has only Democrats and independents.

Former Honolulu City Councilman Stanley Chang defeated Slom in the 2016 elections, making the Senate of Hawaii the only legislative chamber with a single party holding all seats.[6] Slom received 47% of the vote.[7]

Early life and education

Slom was raised in a Reform Jewish family[8] and received an LL.B from La Salle Law School in 1966 and a BA in Government/Economics from the University of Hawaii in 1963.[9]

Political experience and activities

Slom held the following positions in the Hawaii State Senate:

  • Senate Minority Leader, Hawaii State Senate, 2010–2017
  • Minority Floor Leader, Hawaii State Senate, 1996–2017
  • Senator, Hawaii State Senate, 1996–2017
  • Vice Chairman, Senate Committee for Economic Development and Technology

Former legislative committees and subcommittees

Slom was a member of the following committees:

  • Agriculture, Member
  • Commerce and Consumer Protection, Member
  • Economic Development and Technology, Vice Chair
  • Education, Member
  • Energy and Environment, Member
  • Hawaiian Affairs, Member
  • Health, Member
  • Higher Education, Member
  • Human Services, Member
  • Judiciary and Labor, Member
  • Public Safety and Military Affairs, Member
  • Technology and the Arts, Member
  • Tourism and Government Operations, Member
  • Transportation and International Affairs, Member
  • Water and Land, Member
  • Ways and Means, Member[9]

Slom was a member of the following subcommittee:

  • Joint House and Senate Committee for Hawaii Health Connector Oversight, Member
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References
  1. Yuen, Mike. "Three candidates challenging Ikeda They're branding the state senator as being out of touch with her constituents". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. May 21, 1996.
  2. Lynch, Russ. "It's time for Hawaii to become business friendly, says the new Chamber of Commerce chief Showing Aloha Spirit for Business. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. March 19, 1996.
  3. "Hawaii Results". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 6, 1996.
  4. Yuen, Mike. "Election Aftermath: Collaboration may replace confrontation - One of the results of the general election could be a state Legislature with a different style". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 7, 1996.
  5. "GOP has only one vote in Hawaii senate", Laredo Morning Times, Laredo, Texas, November 14, 2010, p. 13A
  6. http://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/11/09/hawaii-news/chang-ousts-slom-to-create-nations-only-all-blue-senate/
  7. https://ballotpedia.org/Samuel_Slom
  8. Klug, Lisa (20 July 2016). "A small island of Judaism in Hawaiian politics". Times of Israel.
  9. "Senator Samuel 'Sam' M. Slom's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
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