[ OUR OPINION ]
MAYOR Jeremy Harris may be peeved by the City Council's efforts to rein in spending for his Sunset on the Beach program, but his attempt to side step the Council's proviso that limits the event to once a month is not the best way to work with the legislative body. Let the sun set
on Council-Harris
acrimony
THE ISSUE The city's weekly Sunset on the Beach schedule runs counter to the Council's restriction of the program to once a month.
If Harris believes the Council's directive is unclear, as his spokeswoman has declared, he should have sought clarification. Instead, it appears he is splitting semantic hairs so as to do what he wants.
When Harris abandoned his campaign for governor last May, he proclaimed he would refocus his attention on leading the city toward an "unassailable" financial condition. The administration has had contentious battles with the Council over budgetary matters, and Harris had been sharply criticized for spending habits that threatened to push the city into shortfalls after he had left Honolulu Hale.
With money tight, the Council wanted to eliminated the popular Sunset on the Beach and Brunch on the Beach programs. However, as a compromise, funds were appropriated for the Sunset event with a proviso that it be held on a "monthly basis." The administration, contending that the proviso is unclear, has scheduled the program for every weekend in July, clearly in violation of the spirit of the law.
The mayor's action widens the rift between the administration and the Council. Duke Bainum, who supports the program and who fought to keep money in the budget for it, is considering a lawsuit to compel the administration to comply with the ordinance.
"I guess you've got to go to court to get the Harris administration's attention," Bainum said, alluding to Harris' recent legal battles over campaign-spending allegations.
As Bainum correctly notes, however, filing suit would be "a waste of taxpayers' money." Moreover, it would be a distraction at a time when both the Council and the administration should be devoted to running the city.
The administration has yet to provide the Council with a full accounting of the cost of beach programs from the last fiscal year. That was one reason the programs were targeted for cuts. The mayor should recognize that the public is owed that information.
Harris has put forth ambitious and creative projects during his tenure. His sustainable tourism and community development conferences and the city's new economic development Web site that he hopes will attract more businesses to Honolulu are worthwhile efforts. However, Harris should remember that he doesn't steer the city solo; he must engage and work cooperatively with the Council, and he must answer to the taxpayer. He also should obey the law.
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