Campaigns sure to be entertaining
By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor
There is something perverse about the way we build political systems and then immediately create ways to get around, or thwart those systems.
Classic examples are laws forcing term limits, initiative or resign-to-run requirements.
These ideas are designed to fix weaknesses in the political process itself. The irony is that if voters used the process properly, they wouldn't need such work-arounds.
Term limits are built around the idea that unless forced out, elected officials would stay there forever. That's rather silly when the voters have a chance to change elected leaders every even-numbered year.
Resign-to-run laws are, quite contrarily, designed to keep elected leaders in office by imposing a penalty on those who take a stab at another position from a position of incumbency.
An initiative is designed to give citizens a chance to propose laws. Sensible enough, except isn't that why they elected legislators in the first place?
In short, most of these "reforms" are an attempt to deal with issues that should be settled by the voters at the ballot box.
Term-limit laws are a particularly interesting study in Hawai'i. We presumably put these laws in place because we don't want incumbents hanging around long after they have worn out their welcome. But do we?
Based on the record, Hawai'i has an overwhelming fondness for incumbents. We have never unseated a sitting member of Congress. We return an overwhelming number of incumbents to the state Legislature year after year. When Honolulu gets a mayor it likes, it tends to send him back term after term after term. The service of Johnny Wilson and Frank Fasi spans the bulk of the 20th century.
Yes, we did send Fasi home for one term, when he wasn't paying attention and Eileen Anderson sneaked up on him. But he — and the voters — woke up and put him back in office.
Term limits are the only thing that ever sent a sitting governor into retirement since 1962, when incumbent Bill Quinn lost to Jack Burns. Since then, our affection for continuity shows in the fact that we replaced those governors with the closest thing: their sitting lieutenant governor. Thus, Burns to Ariyoshi, Ariyoshi to Waihe'e and Waihe'e to Cayetano.
So term limits and resign-to-run laws seem to run against the wishes of the voting public, if their behavior over the years is any guide.
In that case, what good are they?
In a word, entertainment.
In large measure because of term-limit laws and a resign-to-run statute, Hawai'i is about to see one of its most wide-open elections in decades.
A new term-limit law for the Honolulu City Council blows open seven desirable slots on that board and sends seven experienced politicians off in search of other opportunities.
A resign-to-run law (written largely to stop Frank Fasi from running for governor as an incumbent mayor) opens up the Honolulu mayorship half-way through the current term. And of course, the governorship is up for grabs, courtesy of term limits.
Voters, you don't get opportunities like this very often. Make the most of it.
Jerry Burris is editor of the editorial pages of The Advertiser. You can reach him at letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.
