At the state elections Web site there is a forlorn remembrance of one of Hawaii's great populists, Frank Fasi. The elections office reports that Fasi has set up a campaign committee to run for mayor, although there are no details except that the initial paperwork was filed by Fasi's son, David.

Honolulu's 89-year old former mayor has been in poor health for several years, but when he was at the top of his game, there was no one better to bat it out of the park “;for the little guy.”;

The populist sentiment of Fasi is missing in today's political class. With Fasi there was someone who not only could create needed city services but understood why they were needed. Satellite city hall, free summer fun programs, free buses for seniors, community gardens and open markets all came about because Fasi understood “;the little guy.”;

Larry Sabato, the ubiquitous director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, wrote recently about his own self-confessed love for populism. Noting that he has been predicting 2010 to be the year of the populist, Sabato figures “;populism is the only approach that makes sense in this angry, miserable time full of resentful voters.”;

Thanks to the Internet ,you can find many of those “;resentful voters”; here in Hawaii. There's a Facebook page dedicated to removing Rep. Calvin Say as speaker of the House because he engineered the vote to spike HB 444, the civil unions bill, on an identity-hiding voice vote. There is also a rash of Web sites dedicated to why former federal prosecutor Ed Kubo should be a state judge.

So where are the big ideas for the little guy?

There is much “;tsk, tsking”; about Furlough Fridays, but where are the pitchforks and torches to toss out the Board of Education, Department of Education and Hawaii State Teachers Association leaders who agreed with sacrificing students? I think Fasi would have had some plan for the little guy's school kids.

The state budget shortfall is our biggest cry for populism. This crisis is not about a $1.2 billion deficit; it is about hurt and helpless people not getting rent payments, welfare checks and doctor visits.

While Fasi was a master of the political gesture, once sending buckets and raincoats to the university when officials complained of leaky ceilings, he also knew to install programs to help the middle-class and the “;little guys”; living paycheck to paycheck.

I'm hoping this election session gives rise to politicians who know as much.

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Richard Borreca writes on politics every Wednesday. You can reach him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).