Former prosecutor Kaneshiro enters mayoral race
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer
Former city prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro, who also served as the state public safety director, made it official yesterday that he will run for Honolulu mayor next year, joining an already crowded field while emphasizing his law-enforcement background.
Kaneshiro, 52, announced that he will run if Mayor Jeremy Harris makes good on his promise to step down next year to run for governor.
Kaneshiro said he believes his law-and-order background is what people are looking for now. "Virtually all of my professional career has been dedicated to serving the public and most of those years were focused on protection our community," he said.
Already in the race are Councilman Duke Bainum, former Mayor Frank Fasi and former Councilman Mufi Hannemann. Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono has steadfastly insisted that she will run for governor next year, but she recently has refused to confirm or deny that she's considering switching to run for mayor.
The special election to serve the two years left on Harris' four-year term is a winner-take-all contest held in conjunction with the September primary election. The candidate who gets the highest number of votes will be declared the winner. There is no run-off between the top two vote-getters at the general election.
Kaneshiro was twice elected Honolulu city prosecutor in islandwide contests and proved a good grassroots campaigner. He served in that office from 1989 to 1996.
Since then, he served nearly two years as head of the state Department of Public Safety, running the state's crowded corrections system, and has since run his own firm security/private investigation firm and remained an attorney in private practice.
Kaneshiro said fears about public safety and security have hurt the economy. "Thus government has a vital role in restoring assurance of a safe Hawai'i and in revitalizing our economy," he said.
Kaneshiro will need to begin his fund-raising for the race now because he emptied his campaign war chest when he left the prosecutor's office by returning money to the donors or turning it over to the state.
It's clear that both Kaneshiro and Hannemann, who have Democratic backgrounds, will share some supporters in the nonpartisan mayor's race. Both are Hawai'i-born, well-known officials with good name recognition among voters.
Hannemann said Kane-shiro's entry into the race "ultimately means that the voters of Honolulu are going to benefit" from having a broader choice.
But Hannemann said he believes his broader experience, with some time in Washington, D.C., and his work in the business community give him different strengths. "I feel that ultimately, voters (are) looking for someone to help with the economy," he said.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
