If the democratic race for governor between Mufi Hannemann and Neil Abercrombie weren’t reason enough, Oahu voters have even more motivation to turnout for the primary election on September 18.
On Thursday the Honolulu City Council voted to hold special elections for mayor and city prosecutor on the same day as September’s primary, ensuring taxpayers will not incur any additional expenses.
The special elections are required under the City Charter after former Mayor Mufi Hannemann resigned his post on July 20 to run for governor and City Prosecutor gave up his elected position a day later to run for mayor.
During Thursday’s hearing Carlisle said it would be inappropriate to have councilmen Donovan Dela Cruz and Rod Tam vote on the date for the mayoral special election since both are also candidates for the position.
"It doesn't really pass the stink test,” said Carlisle. “These people should not be voting on it when there is an obvious conflict of interest.”
Both Corporation Counsel and the Honolulu Ethics Commission issued opinions this week that no conflict of interest exists in allowing Dela Cruz and Tam to take part in the vote. However both councilmen eventually recused themselves from the vote.
“Because of political, yes political perceptions that I may have a conflict I have decided to excuse myself from voting for the specific date of the election for mayor,” Tam said during the debate.
Dela Cruz was absent for a vote on a resolution to hold the mayoral election during November’s general election, standing in the back of the Council chamber while the vote took place. He later explained why he walked away.
“I walked out of the vote so I wouldn't have to vote for it,” he said. “Normally in the past in order to recuse yourself you just walked away; that was historical precedent.”
Dela Cruz then recused himself from the vote to hold the mayoral election during the September primary.
Much of the debate on when to hold the special election for mayor was focused on voter turnout.
Councilmen Ikaika Anderson and Lee Donohue said more voters were apt to go to the polls in November, which historically has been the case in Hawaii and across the country.
Both men argued voters could use the extra time to get to know candidates better and how they stand on various issues.
“I am more comfortable with going with the November election just for the sake of giving all of the candidates a fair opportunity to get their message out,” said Anderson.
Anderson and Donohue were the only no votes on the resolution to hold the Mayoral election in September.
The deadline to file for both the mayor’s race and city prosecutor is July 30.
REFERENDUM ON RAIL
September’s mayoral election will also be a second referendum on the city’s $5.3 billion rail transit project.
Of the five declared candidates only one, UH Professor Panos Prevedouros, has said he would try to stop the project from moving forward.
"My intention is to stop it and replace it with actual traffic congestion solutions,” Prevedouros told Khon2.
Tam, who has previously supported the rail project, says he would now vote against it based on his concerns as a former budget analyst about the project’s financial planning.
“I got to look at it realistically now,” said Tam. Can we afford it? We need to have future projections on expenses versus that of revenue coming in.”
City Managing Director Kirk Caldwell, who is the acting mayor of Honolulu and also a candidate, said the fact that a majority of the mayoral candidates now support the rail project is a sign of progress.
“I think the referendum (on rail) was held two years ago,” he said, a reference to the 2008 ballot question when a majority of Oahu voters approved the project.
“My hope in the end of the day is people need to look holistically at how we solve the traffic problem even if it's not solving it their neighborhood.”
Earlier this month during a public forum Carlisle said it was his hope that the elevated train would one day cross the Koolau Mountains.
He said Thursday the project is desperately needed to kick start the struggling construction industry.
“Now is the right time to do it and to do it right now is going to give us the opportunity to give us government money and put it into the private sector and that's critical.”
Dela Cruz meanwhile says the city can use the rail project to keep urban sprawl centered near the rail line while keeping it away from Oahu’s pristine North Shore.
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