Rod Tam

{{Short description|American businessman and politician (1953–2019)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| office = Member of the Honolulu City Council

from the 6th district

| image = Rod Tam.jpg

| successor = Tulsi Gabbard

| birth_date = October 3, 1953

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|05|15|1953|10|03}}

| birth_name = Rodney H. C. G. Tam

| alma_mater = University of Hawaii at Manoa

| office2 = Member of the Hawaii Senate

| termstart2 = 1992

| termend2 = 2002

| termstart = 2002

| termend = 2010

| office1 = Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives

| termstart1 = 1982

| termend1 = 1994

| birth_place = Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii

| death_place = Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

}}

Rodney H. C. G. Tam{{Cite web|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/07/27/election/rod-tam-2016/|title=District 13 – Rod Tam (R)|newspaper=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|date=July 27, 2016|accessdate=May 16, 2019}} (October 3, 1953 – May 15, 2019) was an American businessman and politician from the state of Hawaii.

Biography

Born in Honolulu, Tam attended California State University and Kapiʻolani Community College. He received his bachelor's degree from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Career

Tam began his career as a budget and research analyst, and was also involved with the life insurance business. Tam became a Democratic representative of the Hawaii House of Representatives in 1982. Following a twelve-year term, he was appointed as a member of the state's Senate in 1992, serving until 2002.[https://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/3414/rod-tam# Votesmart.org.-Rod Tam] He was elected to the Honolulu city council before leaving office in 2010 in an unsuccessful bid to become the city's mayor.{{Cite news|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/06/07/breaking-news/rod-tam-running-for-state-senate-as-republlican/|title=Rod Tam running for state Senate as Republican|newspaper=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|date=June 7, 2016|author=Dayton, Kevin|accessdate=May 16, 2019}}

In 2016, Tam made a return to politics as a Republican, running for the office of the Hawaii Senate representing District 13. He lost the election to Democrat Karl Rhoads, receiving a total of 3,824 (25.1%) votes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/hawaii-state-senate-district-13|title=Hawaii 13th District State Senate Results: Karl Rhoads Wins|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 2017 |accessdate=May 16, 2019}}

= Controversy =

In November 2011, Tam pleaded guilty to stealing money from the city and violating campaign spending laws, and sentenced to two days in jail and 338 hours of community service.{{Cite news|url=https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/05/15/breaking-news/hawaii-political-figure-rod-tam-dies-due-to-complications-from-leukemia/|title=Hawaii politician Rod Tam dies due to complications from leukemia|author=Pang, Gordon Y. K.|date=May 15, 2019|newspaper=Honolulu Star-Advertiser|accessdate=May 16, 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/15924496/sentencing-for-former-councilmember-rod-tam-set-for-tuesday/|title=Former councilmember Rod Tam heading to jail|date=November 1, 2011|accessdate=May 16, 2019|website=Hawaii News Now}}

Death

In January 2019, Tam was diagnosed with leukemia, and died of complications of the disease on May 15, 2019, at the age of 65. He was survived by his wife, Lynette, and their two children.[https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/05/16/former-hawaii-lawmaker-rod-tam-dies/ Former Hawaii lawmaker Rod Tam dies]{{Cite web|url=https://obits.staradvertiser.com/2019/06/09/rodney-h-c-g-tam-rod/|title=Rodney H.C.G. Tam, "Rod" Obituary {{!}} Honolulu Star-Advertiser|website=obits.staradvertiser.com|access-date=2020-01-22}}