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The state’s
Democrats
convening
in Waikiki
Mayor Harris and challenger
By Richard Borreca
Mufi Hannemann will address the
group at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel
Star-BulletinDemocrats from across the state convene this weekend, celebrating the political party's 100th anniversary in Hawaii and taking stock of its ties with the unions that helped bring it to power.
On the surface, the party is running smoothly. Walter Heen is expected to be re-elected without opposition as party chairman, and former Gov. John Waihee is expected to succeed former Gov. George Ariyoshi as national committeeman.
In the only competition, several candidates are running for national committeewoman, including Lorraine Akiba, state labor director, and Jeannie Withington and Dolly Strazar.
Under the surface, however, Democrats have plenty of competition.
Two major candidates for mayor, incumbent Jeremy Harris and Councilman Mufi Hannemann, will be working the convention, which runs today through Sunday at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel.
Both candidates are expected to address the convention tomorrow.
Harris will host a hospitality suite, while Hannemann supporters will have a campaign table and pass out buttons.
Hannemann comes into the convention with the endorsement of two of the state's largest and most influential unions, the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers.
While he actively sought support from city workers while serving as Council chairman, his endorsement is also a rebuff to Harris, who tangled with the HGEA over cutting the city work force.
Harris, however, has won the endorsement of several private employee unions.
As HGEA executive director, Russell Okata put it: "We will look at the total package -- the friends who will be helping us will get our strongest support."
At the convention, the public employee unions are expected to try to insert planks in the state party platform to firm up support between the Democrats and the unions.
Usually that wouldn't be much of a issue, but Gov. Ben Cayetano has spent two years pushing for civil service and public employee reforms to make government more efficient and less costly.
Unions, however, launched a massive and mostly successful campaign to block the reforms, which Cayetano said was short-sighted.
"I think the unions should take a look inward and ask themselves whether the position they're taking is the right one.
"Many of these Democrats that they are critical of, who had the temerity to do their jobs for all the people of this state, have been longtime supporters of labor," Cayetano said this week in an interview.
If the unions ask for Democratic approval of a plank supporting arbitrated wage increases, Cayetano says it will have broad support.
"Every one wants to give teachers ... university professors and all state workers a pay increase we can afford," Cayetano said.
"And if we take care of first things first, and I'm talking about the kinds of things which are geared toward the Democratic Party philosophy," we would do it, he said.
Chairman Heen declined to say what would happen to the union-supported resolution, but he expected that it would be part of several controversial proposals.
Other issues to be considered may include the environment, minimum wage support and sovereignty.
