Question: I understand that there are two-term limits for the City Council. Ann Kobayashi has served on the Council (I don't remember how many terms she previously served). How do the term-limit restrictions apply to her at this time?

Answer: The term limit doesn't really apply to her at all, according to Glen Takahashi, the city's elections administrator.

Here's why: The City Charter says a person cannot be elected to more than two CONSECUTIVE regular four-year terms.

Kobayashi was first elected in 2002, in a special election to fill a vacancy created when Councilman Andy Mirikitani was sent to prison after being convicted of extortion. The two years she served at that time do not count toward the term limit, Takahashi said.

She was then elected in 2004, but in 2008 chose not to run for reelection, instead running unsuccessfully for mayor.

“;The term limits don't really apply to her because she wasn't elected to two consecutive terms,”; Takahashi said. “;No way in (her political history) has she been elected to two consecutive terms.”;

If she does run in a special election to fill a vacancy created by the June 9 death of Councilman Duke Bainum and wins, the years she serves again would not count toward her term limit.

“;It's just how the law reads,”; Takahashi said.

So, conceivably, Kobayashi could serve on the Council for almost 12 years: filling out the remainder of Bainum's term to 2012, then for eight more years if she wins two consecutive terms.

Write to Akaka HERE

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka's staff is encouraging people to send mail to him in Honolulu instead of to his office in Washington, D.C. (see Kokua Line, June 17), because of security procedures put in place after the anthrax attacks in 2001.

Akaka's office said incoming mail to the nation's Capitol may be delayed by up to a month because of the more stringent security measures.

Akaka's Honolulu address is: P.O. Box 50114, Honolulu, HI 96850. You can contact the senator even faster by going to his Web page and filling out a contact form—akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home—or by faxing him at 808-545-4683 or calling 808-522-8970 or 202-224-6361 during business hours.

While we're at it, you can also contact U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye via his Web page contact form—inouye.senate.gov/abtform.html; by mailing him locally at 300 Ala Moana, room 7-212, Honolulu HI 96850-4975; or by faxing to (202) 224-6747 or (808) 541-2549.

Auwe

To drivers who don't signal. There have been times when I was standing at a crosswalk at the intersection of Kaonohi Street and Kamehameha Highway in Pearlridge, patiently waiting to cross. Most of the drivers who turn up the street past Anna Miller's either turn without signaling and/or are on the cell phone talking while turning. The only drivers who seem very responsible to the crosswalk law are our great bus drivers. There were a few drivers who were courteous enough to let me pass. Too bad the rental car industry apparently doesn't have time to explain the crosswalk law to their customers, as well.—No Name

Write to “;Kokua Line”; at Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).