[ OUR OPINION ]
The long-distance political race for most state offices has begun, but the promise of a lively, informative and stimulating political season appears to be well over the horizon. The Republicans seem to lack verve, the Democrats are divided and the electorate is apathetic. 2002 election season
gets off to lackluster start
THE ISSUE With yesterday the deadline for candidates to declare for public office, the political season has officially opened.
Linda Lingle, one-time mayor of Maui, until recently the chairwoman of the Republican Party and now a candidate for her party's gubernatorial nomination, sought to sprint out of the starting blocks on Monday with the release of a 25-page booklet of campaign pledges. Lingle has, in effect, been running since she narrowly lost to Gov. Benjamin Cayetano four years ago but has lit no detectable fires among the voters.
Her opponent for the GOP nomination, former state Sen. John Carroll, has an attractive Web site with a set of forthright positions but has otherwise been all but invisible so far.
The Democrats have a three-way race for governor among Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, state Rep. Ed Case and former Republican lawmaker and businessman Andy Anderson. Hirono has bought time on television for political ads, Case has been working in the hustings as he tries to become better known and Anderson has taken a controversial position on one issue, a lottery to help finance public education.
In the Democratic background lurks Mayor Jeremy Harris, who has pulled out of the race but whose shadow hovers over the Democratic Party. A longtime party worker and Harris campaign supporter, Mike Amii, now the director of community services, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of having done campaign work for the mayor on city time. It was the first arrest in a six-month criminal investigation into alleged campaign finance irregularities in Harris' 2000 re-election campaign. How much Harris' troubles will affect the party's chances is unpredictable.
None of this seems likely to inspire voters to overcome their disinterest. The voter turnout in Hawaii in the last election was proportionately the lowest in the nation. Election officials, moreover, have disclosed that the redistricting after the 2000 census may have caused foul-ups in voter registration that, in turn, may delay voting in the elections. That news is not likely to entice voters to the polls.
Then there's the issue of campaign finance reform that was vetoed by the governor this year. That can only add to the voters' disenchantment with the politics of Hawaii as they watch scads of money from out of state pour into the coffers of both parties, there to meld with the funds from special interests here at home.
Taking a page from Lingle's book, here's a suggestion that might help jump-start the races: Let the other candidates fill out this declaration: "If I am elected governor, I promise to ..." in 25 pages or less.
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