Former judge calls
for Harris to
resign now

The mayor says politics are
behind Russell Blair's demand

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By Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com

Russell Blair, a former District Court judge and state legislator, contends that Mayor Jeremy Harris is required to resign now since he has declared his candidacy for governor.

Blair said yesterday that he is interested in the issue as a private citizen and is not supporting any candidate, but Harris labeled Blair's call a politically motivated "sneaky dodge."

Blair, who stepped down from the District Court Friday, said the state constitution requires all candidates for office to resign if they are already officeholders and if the term for the new office overlaps with the term of their present office.

The constitutional amendment reads: "Any elected public officer shall resign from that office before being eligible as a candidate for another public office, if the term of the office sought begins before the end of the term of the office held."

Harris rejected Blair's reasoning, saying past candidates have not been held to such a standard. He added that the attorney general had issued an opinion saying officeholders did not have to resign until they filed their papers to run for the new office.

Harris launched his campaign for governor in April but is not expected to resign his post as mayor until next June.

He accused Blair of working for Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono to discredit his campaign.

"The old-boy network will resort to virtually any skullduggery to stop my campaign," Harris said. "He (Blair) is an old Mazie Hirono buddy. I'm sure he is carrying Mazie's water."

Blair said his case is so compelling that it should be addressed by the state Supreme Court as an agreed-to-statement-of-fact, with both Harris and Blair submitting arguments to the court.

Harris' campaign attorney, Chris Parsons, said Blair's reasoning is faulty.

Parsons said Blair's argument hinges on when an officeholder becomes a candidate for another office. If a person is a candidate before formally filing for the new office, then there must be a specific definition or it would never be known when someone was a candidate.

Blair said the state Campaign Spending Commission definition of a candidate is when someone spends $100 for a campaign.

He said the 1978 Constitutional Convention did not give a specific definition.

"Allowing the mayor to spend a year and a half of a four-year term, running for governor is simply not consistent with the plain meaning of the words ... of the Hawaii State Constitution," Blair said.

Blair denied he was working for Hirono or any other candidate, saying he was just interested in the constitution and its implementation.

"I have known Mazie for many years," he said. "I am also an old buddy of Ed Case. I am somewhat an admirer of Linda Lingle, and although I could not go so far as saying I am an admirer of Andy Anderson, you have to admire anyone who runs for public office.

"And I am also an admirer of the mayor," Blair said.

Hirono noted: "Russ is his own man. He doesn't have to carry anyone's water."

Blair said if Harris does not agree to bring the matter before the state Supreme Court, he would file suit over Harris' candidacy.

Parsons called Blair's threat "obviously a political lawsuit to distract and create red herrings."

"This is just a heavy-handed attempt to reduce the competition, and it is pretty transparent," Parsons said.