98 days was a bit soon, no?

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Jeremy Harris announced Tuesday that he would suspend his campaign for governor while he appeals the court ruling that said he should have resigned as mayor when he made clear his intention to run for governor.

At the same press conference, Harris said resigning now would be "irresponsible" since there's much work left to do as mayor.

Yeah, like run for governor.

Although Harris will argue semantics, it is clear he has frequently blurred the line between serving as mayor and campaigning for governor. He has made sure to put a face — his face — on every proclamation, PSA and maile-untying, plus every tidbit of good news (or news that could be spun up to sound good) that has come out of City Hall.

That's not to say he's done a bad job as mayor or has been derelict in his duties. Not at all. It's more a matter of motivation and intention. He leads with self-promotion in mind, and that makes it less likely for him to make the unpopular but necessary decisions required of good leadership.

In talking about the lawsuit that brought on this court ruling, Harris said, "We recognized early on that this was an effort to divert our attention and divert our resources to an extraneous issue, and to try to slow down the momentum of the campaign."

Extraneous issue? Where? Isn't this the heart of the issue? Doesn't it make sense to insist that a politician focus 100 percent on the job he's elected to do?

Instead of saying, "OK. My bad!" and moving on, Harris is again singing the Conspiracy Blues: "I think, obviously, there's been a concerted effort to throw as many tacks in our paths, as many stumbling blocks in the way of this campaign as possible. This is one more stumbling block," Harris said in his Monday press conference.

But the most damaging thing to Harris' campaign for governor, the biggest tack sitting there on the road, is not this latest court ruling nor anything a sniping columnist could write.

It's what Harris did, what Mufi Hannemann told us he'd do, and what Russell Blair pointed out:

Ninety-eight days. Harris was in office just 98 days before he announced his plans to run for governor. He was as cagey as cagey can be during his campaign for mayor, but as soon as he was in, he was announcing his intention to get out. The ballots weren't even cold. How are we supposed to believe his commitment to the office he was elected to serve? Will he spend his time as governor angling to get to Congress?

Harris is right, though, in saying that he should not be singled out. The most sensible interpretation of the resign-to-run law should be enforced across the board. Starting now. There are too many opportunists in office who may have had the restraint to wait longer than 98 days but are doing us the same disservice.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.