Bainum continues
mayoral campaign

He will focus efforts on the 2004 election
after his Council term ends

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By Gordon Y.K. Pang
gpang@starbulletin.com

City Councilman Duke Bainum will be continuing his quest for the mayor's office through the 2004 election.

Bainum said he will maintain his headquarters on Kapiolani Boulevard and continue campaigning.

A physician, he also said that he will resume his work at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center at Kapiolani Medical Center and do charity work after his Council term expires in January. A limit of two consecutive terms makes him ineligible for re-election.

This year's expected mayor's race dissolved last month when Mayor Jeremy Harris said that he was not resigning to run for governor as he had earlier announced. Harris' term ends in January 2005.

"My plans do not change," Bainum said. "I was, and still am, committed to running for mayor of Honolulu."

Bainum said he was approached by supporters to run for other seats, from the state House of Representatives to Congress, but believes his destiny remains with the mayor's race.

Andrew Winer, Bainum's campaign coordinator, said about $500,000 had been spent so far on this year's race. The money was not wasted, he said, because it places Bainum in good position to make a run in 2004.

Bainum is the third of the five mayoral candidates to say he will wait for a vacancy in the mayor's office. Former city Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro and former Mayor Frank Fasi say they also still want to run for mayor.

Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono has switched back to the governor's race.

Former Councilman Mufi Hannemann said yesterday he is still weighing his options about whether to seek another office this year.

"I just want to take my time to see if something else makes sense for 2002 and whether it's something I want to do," he said, adding that he hopes to make a decision by the end of the month.

The deadline to file for elective office this year is July 23.