Sam Slom
Encyclopedia
Samuel Morgan Slom, known as Sam Slom (born April 13, 1942), is a Republican
member of the Hawaii Senate
who since 1996 represented the 8th District, which includes Hawaii Kai, Aina Haina, Kahala and Diamond Head
. A native of Allentown
, Pennsylvania
, Slom is also the president and executive director of Small Business Hawaii.
Slom is the sole Republican in the 25-member Senate since it reconvened after the 2010 elections and therefore minority leader. Slom technically serves on all fifteen Senate committees but cannot physically attend all of the meetings. He must depend on a Democratic
colleague to second a motion that he makes on the Senate floor or the motion will die 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
, describes Slom's challenge as communicating with Republican constituents across the state who will pressure Democratic lawmakers to consider alternative proposals on some issues.
A second Republican senator, Fred Hemmings
, did not seek reelection in 2010 and was replaced by a Democrat. No other legislative body in the nation has just one member of the minority party.
Slom has been vocal in conspiracy theories regarding President Obama's birth certificate
, claiming that Obama wanted to hide the identity or citizenship of his father. When interviewed by Byron York
, Slom said that he had worked with Madelyn Dunham
at the Bank of Hawaii
, and had met the then teen-aged Obama. He also said he had known Neil Abercrombie
when Abercrombie was demonstrating for the Students for a Democratic Society
and Slom was demonstrating for the Young Americans for Freedom
, during the Vietnam War
; Slom said he could not understand why Abercrombie was trying to release Obama's long-form birth certificate. Slom was proved wrong after Obama later released his long-form birth certificate, for which he had needed to obtain a state waiver.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Hawaii Senate
Hawaii Senate
The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently...
who since 1996 represented the 8th District, which includes Hawaii Kai, Aina Haina, Kahala and Diamond Head
Diamond Head, Hawaii
Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin...
. A native of Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Slom is also the president and executive director of Small Business Hawaii.
Slom is the sole Republican in the 25-member Senate since it reconvened after the 2010 elections and therefore minority leader. Slom technically serves on all fifteen Senate committees but cannot physically attend all of the meetings. He must depend on a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
colleague to second a motion that he makes on the Senate floor or the motion will die for lack of a second. Lynn Finnegan
Lynn Finnegan
Lynn G. Berbano Finnegan , was a Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, representing the state's 32nd district since her election in 2003 to 2011. The district includes the Lower Pearlridge, Aiea, Halawa, Hickam, Pearl Harbor and Moanalua Gardens on the island of Oahu...
, an outgoing Republican member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
Hawaii House of Representatives
The Hawaii House of Representatives is the lower house of the Hawaii State Legislature. Accord to Article III, Section 3 of the Hawaii Constitution, amended during the 1978 constitutional convention, the House of Representatives consists of 51 members representing an equal amount of districts...
who ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
The Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, concurrently the Secretary of State of Hawaii, is the assistant chief executive of that U.S. state and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 2 though 6. He or she is elected by popular suffrage of...
, describes Slom's challenge as communicating with Republican constituents across the state who will pressure Democratic lawmakers to consider alternative proposals on some issues.
A second Republican senator, Fred Hemmings
Fred Hemmings
Fred Hemmings is a world-known surfer who served as a Republican member of the Hawaii Senate from the 25th District. Elected in 2000, he served as Senate Minority Leader from 2002 to 2010. Previously he was a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1984 through 1990...
, did not seek reelection in 2010 and was replaced by a Democrat. No other legislative body in the nation has just one member of the minority party.
Slom has been vocal in conspiracy theories regarding President Obama's birth certificate
Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories about the citizenship of Barack Obama claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore not eligible to be President of the United States under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution. Some theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not...
, claiming that Obama wanted to hide the identity or citizenship of his father. When interviewed by Byron York
Byron York
Byron York is a conservative American columnist for the Washington Examiner, Fox News contributor, and author who lives in Washington, D.C.-Career:...
, Slom said that he had worked with Madelyn Dunham
Madelyn Dunham
Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham was the American maternal grandmother of Barack Obama, the 44th and current President of the United States of America...
at the Bank of Hawaii
Bank of Hawaii
The Bank of Hawaii Corporation is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is Hawaii's second oldest bank and its largest locally owned bank in that majority of the voting stockholders reside within the state...
, and had met the then teen-aged Obama. He also said he had known Neil Abercrombie
Neil Abercrombie
Neil Abercrombie is the 7th and current Governor of Hawaii. He was the Democratic U.S. Representative of the First Congressional District of Hawaii which comprises urban Honolulu. He served in Congress from 1986 to 1987 and from 1991 to 2010 when he resigned to successfully run for governor...
when Abercrombie was demonstrating for the Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
and Slom was demonstrating for the Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom
Young Americans for Freedom is a 501 non-profit organization and is now a project of Young America's Foundation. YAF is an ideologically conservative youth activism organization that was founded in 1960, as a coalition between traditional conservatives and libertarians...
, during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
; Slom said he could not understand why Abercrombie was trying to release Obama's long-form birth certificate. Slom was proved wrong after Obama later released his long-form birth certificate, for which he had needed to obtain a state waiver.
External links
- Sam Slom official website
- Hawaii State Legislature - Senator Sam Slom official government site
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Samuel M. 'Sam' Slom (HI) profile
- Follow the Money - Sam Slom