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Council vacancies
may force election

If Kim and Hannemann
resign to run for other offices,
replacements must be elected,
not appointed

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

The City Council will operate with only seven members for more than 10 weeks later this year if members Mufi Hannemann and Donna Mercado Kim follow through with plans to resign to run for other offices.

Elected city officials are required by law to resign before running for office. And since Hannemann and Kim would have more than a year remaining in their Council terms, no temporary replacements would be selected before a special election is held to find their successors.

Under the City Charter, replacements can be picked by the remaining Council members only if a seat is vacant for less than a year. A longer vacancy requires a special election to be held within 60 days.

That means there would be no representation for two districts from late July to mid-October.

City Clerk Genny Wong said that assuming resignations are made around July 25 -- the last day candidates can file to run in this year's races -- the special election would be held on Sept. 23, primary election day.

However, the two new Council members couldn't be sworn in until Oct. 13 because the City Charter calls for a 20-day challenge period.

Hannemann represents the 8th Council District, from Halawa to Waipahu. He said this week he will resign to challenge Mayor Jeremy Harris' re-election bid.

Kim represents the 7th Council District, which runs from Kalihi to Halawa. She said last week she will resign to run for the seat now held by Senate President Norman Mizuguchi.

Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura said constituents of the two districts will be heard during that 10-week period because he has asked both Hannemann's and Kim's staffs to remain on salary, at least until the primary.

"We're just trying to make sure that every person on this island, no matter where they live, will be properly serviced," Yoshimura said.

There are two Council meetings scheduled for the period.

Hannemann and Kim endorsed Yoshimura's plan to keep their staffs on longer. They said they don't see their constituencies being shortchanged.

"Traditionally, it's a slow period," Hannemann said, noting that the budget is completed in June.

Kim said she's confident her constituents' concerns will be heard so long as her staff remains until her successor takes office.

Leaders of affected neighborhood boards gave mixed views about not having true representation on the Council for 10 weeks.

William Clark, chairman of the Aiea Neighborhood Board, said it's always better to have a Council member on board "because they can put the weight of their position behind their requests."

He and some other neighborhood board chairmen suggested the issue be looked at more closely, and possibly be the basis of a proposed Charter amendment put on the ballot.

Grant Tanimoto, chairman of the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village Neighborhood Board, said "ideally," the Council could pick a replacement.

Annette Yamaguchi, chairwoman of the Waipahu Neighborhood Board, blamed the situation on term limits and the need for elected officials to seek political office elsewhere. She wondered what would happen if even more Council members resigned in the future.

"If they all resign, then where would we all be?" she asked.

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http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us