Ron Mizutani Quits Hawaiian Telcom

Ron Mizutani has resigned as spokesman for Hawaiian Telcom, less than a week after the company laid off about 60 managers and only six months after taking the job. He joined Hawaiian Telcom in August, giving up his high-profile role as a news anchor for KHON and halting a 20-year career in journalism.

Only a few days ago, Mizutani was the public face of the beleaguered company, which handed out a pile of pink slips as a drastic cost-cutting move. Local tech guru and "digital wonderer" Burt Lum was among those shown the door. Apparently, the firings were so badly handled (with the axe looming over employees as far back as November), several other managers voluntarily resigned as well.

It's unknown why Mizutani left Hawaiian Telcom, the news quietly broken on Lum's Twitter feed. At the very least, the move saves Hawaiian Telcom a few more bucks, and hopefully means Mizutani's return to the local media space.