Harris' picks could further his ambitions
"A collection of 100 great brains makes one big fathead."
Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist.
ONCE again we have a top executive standing in awe of his freshly collected Cabinet, the assemblage of "best and brightest" ready to grace public service. This crew comes from Jeremy Harris, newly re-elected Honolulu mayor, and potential candidate for governor in two years.Who are these people and why should we care? Here's why.
For the next two years, Harris will have to serve with the dual title of "mayor and potential gubernatorial candidate" as the incumbent Gov. Ben Cayetano continues to struggle with a stagnant economy, a recalcitrant Legislature and an outright hostile core of public employees.
Even if he never looked toward higher office, Harris would enjoy speculation about his political ambition because of Cayetano's desperate condition.
The assembled Cabinet only adds to the conjecture because its members can easily play on a field larger than City Hall.
And because Harris chose them, the suspicion grows and flowers among political observers in the media, among the unions and lobbyists. It is particularly rampant at the state Capitol.
Every day, as Harris works to fit together his Cabinet, the chosen members resemble a team that can take Harris to Washington Place.
For instance, picking David Arakawa, a popular and politically well-connected attorney who ran unsuccessfully for prosecutor, as corporation counsel brings Harris increased good will. Also appointing someone backed by Cayetano during the prosecutor's race shows Harris as a man able to build bridges.
Another new hire is Pat McCain, who recently worked as U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's administrative assistant.
While much has been made of potential conflicts for Harris' pick for land utilization director, attorney Jan Sullivan, perhaps more media attention should be focused on the politically akamai trio of Cheryl Soon, Jonathan Shimada and Abelina Shaw.
They are all former state officials, Soon and Shimada with the Transportation Department and Shaw with Health. And all three burnish the political expertise of the Harris administration.
One way to run for governor is to shape your city administration like a mini-state government and start proposing and acting like you are already capable of handling the job.
With a planner's background, Soon is able to come up with big ideas to get city traffic moving. She was a key player in the unsuccessful rail transit program and knows her way around federal programs and funds.
SHAW is an attorney who has spent all of her time in government. She is an active campaigner and in state government has been a helpful liaison with the Filipino community.
Her deputy in the city's community and social resources agency is Georgina Yuen, who was deputy director of the state Tax Department.
Finally Shimada, who has been named public works director, is a longtime political operative who was a key fund-raiser, contributor and organizer for Dennis O'Connor's unsuccessful 1992 campaign for mayor.
Shimada is also president of a local engineering firm that has received millions in state funds for a long-stalled automated people mover at the airport.
All three can easily handle their assigned city duties, but the real value in Harris' Cabinet will be in their off-hour work.
