Bill would keep track
of mayor’s travel
Mayor Jeremy Harris' out-of-state travel has prompted a City Council committee to approve a bill that would require the mayor to tell the Council when he travels off island.
The Executive Matters Committee approved the measure, which moves onto a Council public hearing, yesterday. The bill mandates that the mayor file a notice with the City Clerk's Office before leaving the city that he will be going out of town.
Councilman Charles Djou, who introduced the bill, said the mayor has been away from Hawaii for 100 days so far this year, and the concern centers on trips taken by the mayor and paid for by entities other than the city.
"If he's taking money from somebody else and going on somebody else's dime, I think the public does have a right to know," Djou said.
Some Council members also want to add a further requirement that the mayor should also say who will be substituting for him.
"I think in these days of homeland security that we ought to know who's in charge of the city instantly," said Councilwoman Barbara Marshall, who co-sponsored the bill. "We shouldn't have to go from office to office trying to figure out who's in charge."
Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi said other administration officials come before the Council for required approval when accepting official trips as gifts -- but not the mayor.
Kobayashi also said there was some doubt about whether Harris properly vetoed an agricultural tax bill this summer when it was transmitted to the Council while he was in Boston attending the Democratic National Convention.
City attorneys, however, said the mayor was in town when he signed the veto, but the veto message was transmitted to the Council later.
Djou said the governor and the president give their respective legislative bodies notice when they are unavailable.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said the mayor has traveled out of the state five times this fiscal year, in addition to a trip to Maui and Kona.
"The issue raised by the City Council is whether the mayoral trips paid by other than the city need to be officially accepted by the Council as gifts to the city. Never in the city's history has this been done for mayoral travel," said Costa, noting the administration is trying to save money by getting sponsors.
Mayoral candidate Duke Bainum supports the measure, which he said shows the relationship between the Council and mayor has deteriorated "to the point that we need to legislate this kind of communication. Our administration will work overtime to foster cordial and effective communication between the mayor and Council."
Candidate Mufi Hannemann's campaign did not respond to a call seeking comment.
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