State House Minority Floor Leader Rep. Charles Djou announced yesterday his candidacy for a seat on the Honolulu City Council in the fall. Djou announces Council run
He will vie for the district represented
by John Henry FelixStar-Bulletin staff
Djou, 31, said he will be running for the District IV seat currently held by Councilman John Henry Felix, which covers Hawaii Kai to Waikiki. He is the first candidate to declare candidacy for that seat.
Djou (R, Kahaluu-Heeia-Kaneohe) said he began contemplating his political future after his House seat was eliminated in the new redistricting plan. His residence now falls in fellow Republican Rep. David Pendleton's district. Djou said he will move to Hawaii Kai soon after the close of the legislative session to be closer to his wife's family.
Djou, who had also seriously considered a bid for lieutenant governor, said that he decided to run for a City Council seat because "I think that given my background, I can make a bigger impact in public policy and city politics than I can as lieutenant governor. And I think I can go farther, actually, then I could as lieutenant governor."
Djou, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and the University of Southern California law school, practices business law outside of the Legislature. As a lawmaker he has advocated for privatization, opening the state's budget worksheets and reducing the size of government.
"I believe I've developed a reputation for fiscal responsibility and conservative economics. I think it's going to be needed in the City Council given the recent problems we've had with the city, due to property tax increases, as well as the city dramatically increasing its debt load over the past couple of years."
City & County of Honolulu
