Despite recent setbacks, the chairman of the Honolulu Police Commission says the new police chief will still be selected by the end of the month as expected.
Max Sword remains optimistic that the decision will be made in time. In fact, commissioners could vote in exactly one week.
Sword himself won’t be voting. He had to recuse himself, because his wife is related to one of the finalists.
So there will only be four commissioners, and their votes will have to be unanimous for one finalist to meet a quorum.
“I’m optimistic with four. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m optimistic,” Sword said.
“What happens if they’re not?” KHON2 asked.
“I’m not even looking past that. I’m confident that they’ll come up with the chosen one that will be the next chief of police,” Sword replied.
Sword says candidate interviews will be done Monday through Wednesday with deliberations to follow. They could vote as early as next Wednesday afternoon.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell nominated two people to fill the vacant seats on the commission.
But even if they are confirmed by the Honolulu City Council, Sword says they will not be sworn in until December.
One of the nominees is a top hotel executive. Gerard “Jerry” Gibson is area vice president for Hilton Hawaii, Oregon, Las Vegas, and Arizona.
If confirmed, he would take the place of former commissioner Marc Tilker and serve the remainder of Tilker’s term, which expires next June.
Caldwell also nominated Hawaii Pacific Health board chair and director Karen Chang. She previously served as a senior executive at two Fortune 500 companies, American Express and Charles Schwab.
If confirmed, her term on the commission would extend through June 30, 2021.
The Honolulu City Council will hold a public hearing, committee meeting, and a confirmation vote for both nominations.
