Posted on: Wednesday, January 23, 2002

EDITORIAL
Ann Kobayashi offers best choice for council

The voters of Manoa, Mo'ili'ili, McCully, Makiki, Pawa'a, Ala Moana and Kewalo should consider themselves fortunate to have 14 generally excellent candidates lining up for the opportunity to represent City Council District 5.

The occasion for this special election, of course, is the shipwreck of the former council member, Andy Mirikitani, now serving in federal prison in Nevada.

His replacement will be chosen in a special election this Saturday to serve out the remaining year of his term.

The unusual circumstances of this election argue for the choice of a candidate with the experience to hit the ground running, rather than some of the newer faces, however promising some of them clearly are.

The new council member, who would have a year to serve in completing Mirikitani's four-year term, thus would have little time for on-the-job training.

Moreover, the new council member must hasten to make up for the six months during which District 5 went virtually unrepresented, as Mirikitani, having been found guilty by a jury, insisted on his right to remain on the council nearly until his sentencing.

The district is fortunate in having an individual of great political experience in Ann Kobayashi, who represented much of the district for 14 years as a state senator. Her community-mindedness is obvious from the list of nonprofits on whose boards of directors she serves.

The Advertiser endorses Kobayashi for the vacant council District 5 seat — and urges the rest of this impressive field to try, try again.