Maui councilman caught in drunken-driving case
MAUI COUNTY COUNCIL member Dain Kane was arrested early Tuesday morning on Kauai for drunken driving, Kauai police said yesterday.
Kane, a former Council chairman who has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate, was stopped for speeding in Koloa at 12:48 a.m., while visiting friends on Kauai's South Shore, police said. He will be arraigned Dec. 27.
A breathalyzer was issued, and his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit but police would not say exactly what it was.
He was released on $250 bail, and he returned to Maui.
"I'm going to take personal responsibility and accept it. ... It was an error in judgment, and I'm going to make sure I don't do it again," Kane, 43, said yesterday.
Kane, who was raised on Kauai, said he was visiting friends and was on his way to a relative's home nearby when he was stopped by police.
Kane, who served as Council chairman for two years and is now Budget and Finance chairman, has been mentioned by political observers as a possible candidate to challenge incumbent Mayor Alan Arakawa in 2006.
Council Cice Chairman Robert Carroll said he has never known Kane to avoid taking responsibility for his actions and would expect Kane to handle his personal life in that way.
"I would imagine he'll just bite the bullet," Carroll said. "Knowing Dain, I think he has the ability and he has the moral fiber to take responsibility for his actions and let the chips fall as they may."
Carroll said he hopes the drunken-driving incident does not affect Kane's political future. "People do make mistakes," Carroll said.
He said what he looks for in a candidate is not someone who does not make mistakes, but someone honest who admits his mistake and commits to not doing it again.
"I think he's honest," Carroll said.
Maui voters are forgiving of drunken-driving convictions. Former Councilman Wayne Nishiki won re-election handily in 2002 despite two drunken-driving convictions in about four years.
Nishiki said he was embarrassed and apologized to the community.