Editorials
Thursday, June 6, 1996
Mediation is better
for city councilmen
WE'RE glad to see that City Council Chairman John DeSoto and Councilman Andy Mirikitani have agreed to mediation to resolve their differences. In the meantime, Mirikitani's banishment to the tower atop Honolulu Hale has been put on hold. DeSoto had ordered the move after his executive assistant, Colleen Sakai, filed a police complaint charging that she had been verbally harassed by Mirikitani.
DeSoto justified the order as a way to ensure the safety of women working in Council offices. Mirikitani called it retaliation for his opposition to DeSoto on other issues.
Although we would not want to deprive Colleen Sakai of her right to make a complaint against the councilman, mediation probably is a better way to go than the courts. Mirikitani is in Europe, but his attorney, John Edmunds, agreed to mediation on his behalf. If going to court is the civilized way to handle such problems, as Edmunds observed in threatening to sue, mediation is even more civilized - and much less expensive.
DeSoto and Mirikitani have been on opposite sides on several issues, which is not unusual, but their differences have degenerated into a very personal conflict, which is unfortunate but also has its humorous aspects. Consigning Mirikitani to the tower was an inspired idea as an attention-getter, regardless of the rights or wrongs of this controversy.
Still, it would be better if the elected representatives of the people of the city and county of Honolulu behaved themselves and got on with the people's business instead of making themselves look ridiculous.
Other editorials in brief:
Missile defense
SEARCHING for issues to distinguish himself from Bill Clinton - not an easy task given the president's penchant for appropriating issues - Bob Dole embraced the idea of early deployment of a national missile defense system.
Dole has just lost a vote on the question but may have gained a campaign issue. Unfortunately for him, it's a bad idea.
Eventually a missile defense system should be deployed, but it isn't really needed yet.
Yeltsin's surge
CONFIDENT only a few weeks ago of turning back Russia's clock to the Soviet era, Communist presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov now is scrambling to keep his prospects afloat. Other candidates who were approached by incumbent Boris Yeltsin, and rejected him, are being courted by Zyuganov, but are remaining aloof.
Yeltsin now appears to be the clear favorite to retain the presidency. However, supporters of liberty and economic reform will not be able to breathe easier until after votes are cast in July in topsy-turvy Russia.
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