Case's first day low-key, but busy
By James Gonser
Advertiser Staff Writer
With all the excitement surrounding the inauguration of Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday, the first official day in office for Congressman Ed Case was relatively low-key.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Case said there was no big party or swearing-in ceremony, but his first day as a congressman was busy, productive and humbling as he met with John Mink, widower of the late Rep. Patsy Mink and the second-highest vote-getter in the special election Saturday.
"My No. 1 goal was to reach out to (John Mink) and ask for his guidance," said newly elected Congressman Ed Case.
"My No. 1 goal was to reach out to (John Mink) and ask for his guidance," Case said. "We had a breakfast meeting at 7 a.m. He always has been somebody I've admired, and I admire him even more now. He was very helpful to me in terms of guidance. It was just a great way to start the day."
Case also appeared on a morning news program, talked with some of Mink's former staff members and attended Lingle's inauguration at the State Capitol. He later planned to return phone calls, do some mahalo sign-waving and a radio interview before packing for an 8:30 p.m. flight to Washington, D.C.
"My goal is to try to have dinner with my wife," he said.
For Case, a 50-year-old Democrat from Manoa, victory came 2 1/2 months after his narrow loss to Mazie Hirono in the gubernatorial primary. Case will serve the final five weeks of Patsy Mink's term, and is one of 44 candidates in a Jan. 4 special election for the full two-year term.
Case garnered 51 percent of the vote, beating out John Mink and 36 other candidates. With only 13.3 percent of the 347,922 eligible voters making it to the polls, Case drew 23,576 votes compared with 16,624 (36 percent) for Mink.
Republican John Carroll finished third with 1,933 votes and fellow party member Whitney Anderson was fourth with 942 votes.
Case said his priorities on the trip to Washington are to meet with the House minority leadership, including California Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, and to take care of individual constituent needs. This is not a fund-raising trip, he said.
"My major focus is individual constituent services," Case said. "The time for voting on the floor of the House is passed unless we have unusual circumstances. The work of a member of Congress that always needs doing is helping out the constituents. I need to pick up and continue that work."
All of Mink's staff, who have been under the jurisdiction of the House clerk since Mink died of viral pneumonia Sept. 28, were terminated last Friday. Case has publically said he will retain all of her staff who want to work with him until the Jan. 4 special election.
At Mink's former office in the Prince Kuhio Federal Building yesterday, no one was there and bags of rubbish and shredded documents from an office cleaning were piled in the hallway.
Mink's name and the Congressional seal still hang on the door.
"First is just the logistics of making sure there is an office open both in D.C. and Hawai'i to service the 2nd Congressional District (rural O'ahu and Neighbor Islands)," Case said. "I need to go and open them up and fill them with staff for the remainder of the term."
Case expects to talk to all of Mink's former staff and have both offices open by the end of the week.
"I have both the ability and the means to hire back whoever wants to," he said. "I am going back out to them and saying, 'You're welcome to stay.' My challenge right now is to get to them because they have dispersed."
Case plans to return to Hawai'i Friday.
His opponents in the Jan. 4 election include former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, state Rep. Barbara Marumoto, former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga and former state Rep. Bob McDermott.
