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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, July 11, 2001

Editorial
Mirikitani's disservice to his district ...

It was Benjamin Franklin who remarked that both "fish and visitors smell after three days" and presumably should be thrown out.

Might the same thinking apply to incumbent politicians who have been found guilty of a batch of felonies?

Honolulu Councilman Andy Mirikitani has concluded that he will hold on to his seat, representing Manoa, until and if he is actually sentenced on federal theft, bribery and corruption charges.

That's his legal right. And to the degree Mirikitani sincerely believes he is innocent, it is a logical thing to do.

But the logic applies purely to Mirikitani, not to the district and voters he is supposed to represent. It is clear that if he stays on the council, his effectiveness will be next to nil.

Furthermore, by hanging on, Mirikitani delays — and possibly damages — Manoa's opportunity to choose his successor. No special election to fill a vacancy left by a Mirikitani resignation can occur until after he has departed.

Right now, that process cannot begin until Dec. 4, the date of his scheduled sentencing and the date under law by which he will be officially a convicted felon and required to step down.

That's nearly five months during which Manoa will have wounded representation, at best.

If, for some reason, sentencing is delayed until early January, then Manoa voters will not have a voice at all. That's because there will be less than a year left in Mirikitani's term and the remaining eight council members will choose his replacement.

In short, it appears that Mirikitani is thinking of himself rather than the district he has long represented. That's a poor way to honor more than a decade of elected service.