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Tuesday, August 7, 2001




GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Frank Fasi waits for mayoral race election results in
this 1996 photo. Repubicans have recruited Fasi,
who served a total of 22 years as mayor, to run
again in the nonpartisan race.



Fasi gets support
from new group

The independent GOP committee
wants more Republicans in office


Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com

An independent Republican group is forming to support former Mayor Frank Fasi in a comeback bid for mayor in 2002.

Fasi, who served as mayor for a total of 22 years, longer than anyone else in Honolulu history, resigned as mayor to run for governor in 1994 and has not won a race since winning the mayorship in 1992.

Fasi has run as a Democrat, an Independent, a Republican and a Best party candidate.

He is running now as a Republican, even though the office is nonpartisan. Fasi, however, insists he is still a card-carrying Republican.

But in the 1998 campaign for governor, Fasi, who was crushed by former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle in the GOP primary, turned and backed Democratic incumbent Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Fasi insists he was betrayed in 1998 by the GOP hierarchy, who first promised to stay neutral in the primary but covertly worked for Lingle.

Last Saturday, Howard Chong, former GOP national committeeman who is forming the group to help Republicans win Oahu county offices, said he thinks Fasi has the best chance of winning in a crowded winner-take-all election.

Under the state Constitution, Mayor Jeremy Harris must resign next year to run for governor, as is expected. The vacant mayor's office would be then filled with a special election to be held during the primary election.

The winner would be the person who gets a simple majority, with no runoff election required.

Fasi yesterday said he thinks he can win by picking up 25 percent of the vote.

The field is expected to be crowded. Councilman Duke Bainum and former Councilman Mufi Hannemann are already running, and former city Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro is also planning a campaign.

Also, state Sen. Bob Hogue (R, Kaneohe) and Colleen Hanabusa (D, Waianae) are thinking about the race.

Hogue said yesterday he did not have any comment about fellow Republican Fasi getting an early boost from Chong's GOP committee.

Fasi said Chong is supporting his candidacy. Chong, however, said that while he is supporting Fasi now, he gave himself a little room to maneuver.

"It may be a long shot, but it is the best shot we've got," Chong said. "The group is not going to be the Frank Fasi campaign organization."

Lingle was not available for comment yesterday, but Micah Kane, state GOP executive director, said the more people working to elect Republicans, the better.

"If there is an organization that is set up to support county races, we would support it," Kane said. "Howard Chong is a smart guy; if a strong Republican comes along, he would support that person."



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