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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, May 20, 2002

New district boundaries will test lawmakers, voters

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

A political game of musical chairs is under way at the Legislature, triggered in large part by the redrawing of district boundaries that has created new lands to conquer for some lawmakers while forcing others to go head-to-head in the same district.

Clean slate

In drawing new boundaries for legislative districts, the state Reapportionment Commission created the following districts in which no incumbents live:

• Senate Dist. 3: Kona, Kohala

• Senate Dist. 12: Iwilei, Kaka'ako, Waikiki

• Senate Dist. 20: 'Ewa, 'Ewa Beach

• House Dist. 5: S. Kona, Ka'u

• House Dist. 10: West Maui

• House Dist. 35: Waipahu

• House Dist. 43: 'Ewa Beach

(A handful of additional districts also will not have incumbents, as lawmakers leave to run for other offices or resign.)

At least a dozen legislators are considering running for other offices. One state senator's interest in the lieutenant governor's race is causing two representatives to weigh a run for his seat.

Another senator has decided to run for Honolulu City Council instead of going up against a fellow incumbent.

And two lawmakers are said to be thinking about moving to new districts for the 2002 elections.

The message to voters: Pay attention.

"Keeping track — it's hard," said Larry Meach-am, director of the government watchdog group Common Cause Hawai'i. "It's going to be a year where the voters have to make some extra effort to be informed. There will be some new names on there and you have to find out who they are. This is what they should do every year, but this year they have to.

"There's a lot of potential changes here on all levels so everyone really has to pay attention. Both parties are vigorously recruiting."

The state Reapportionment Commission this year changed the boundaries of Hawai'i's congressional, legislative and county offices.

It's a once-a-decade exercise in which political territory is redistributed to reflect population shifts. For example, as more people move to Kapolei and 'Ewa, political districts in that region of O'ahu have gotten smaller and more numerous.

The result is that many legislators awake one day to find themselves in radically reshaped districts — sometimes sharing them with lawmakers who once represented neighboring districts.

Conversely, some of the new districts have no incumbents. There are seven such "open seats" created by reapportionment this year, and other seats will be vacated as lawmakers jump to other races.

Most election years see just a handful of open races, but reapportionment usually swells that number: 24 open seats in 1982, 14 in 1992, for example.

Add to that the fact that six of the nine Honolulu City Council races have no incumbent because those council members are at the end of their two-term limits.

Together, those factors are expected to continue the turnover at the State Capitol — of the 76 people in the Senate and House 10 years ago, before the 1992 elections, only 18 are still in the Legislature.

The domino effect sometimes created by reapportionment may be seen in the new 17th Senate District. Democratic Sen. Ron Menor, who represents Mililani, Waipahu and Crestview, is seriously considering a run for lieutenant governor. His vacancy could trigger two more openings in the House, as Democratic Rep. Marilyn Lee and Republican Rep. Guy Ontai, who represent different parts of Mililani, have shown an interest in running for Menor's Senate seat.

New Senate districts created by the commission have lured Kona Republican Paul Whalen, 'Ewa Beach Democrat Willie Espero and Democrat-turned-Republican Lei Ahu Isa away from the House. Ahu Isa will have to move from her current Pu'unui-'Alewa Heights-Nu'uanu district to run for the Senate seat, which includes Iwilei, Kaka'ako and Waikiki.

Vacant seats on the City Council have also proved attractive to several lawmakers such as Rep. Nestor Garcia, who is leaving his Waipahu-Crestview post to pursue the elected city position.

The City Council races have also absorbed incumbents who otherwise would have faced running against colleagues.

Sen. Rod Tam, who was put in the same Nu'uanu-Punchbowl-Kalihi Kai district as fellow Democratic Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, has said he will run for the Honolulu City Council. Windward O'ahu Republican Rep. Charles Djou, who shares a new district with Republican David Pendleton, will also run for Honolulu City Council.

Democratic Manoa Rep. Ed Case and Mo'ili'ili-McCully Rep. Terry Nui Yoshinaga were also put in the same district, but Case had already begun planning his run for governor.

The new district, however, includes few of Yoshinaga's current constituents, so Yoshinaga would have to campaign in a largely new territory.

Some lawmakers who were placed in the same district with another incumbent, however, want to stay in the Legislature.

Rep. Ben Cabreros has shown an interest in moving to another area after his Kalihi Kai district was meshed with fellow Democratic incumbent Rep. Felipe "Jun" Abinsay's Kalihi-Palama district. Lawmakers say Cabreros will likely move to the 'Aiea-Salt Lake-Aliamanu district that will be vacated by Republican Rep. Bob McDermott, who is running for Congress.

Pearl City and North Hilo-Hamakua voters could see a race between two incumbents. Reapportionment put Big Island Sens. Lorraine Inouye and David Matsuura in the same district, and both say they will run for that office.

Pearl City Reps. Nobu Yonamine and Roy Takumi may also fight for the same House district, although Yonamine said he is also looking at running for the Senate seat that is already occupied by Sen. David Ige.

Voters and community leaders may be put in an uncomfortable position in such contested races when they know and have supported both incumbents, said Meacham.

"On a tactical level, you can vote in private in the booth, but what are you going to do during the campaign?" Meacham said. "Who are you going to wave signs for?"

Democratic Sens. Les Ihara and Matt Matsunaga were also put in the same district, but Matsunaga is strongly considering running for lieutenant governor rather than for re-election in the Senate.

Still, Ihara's public decision on whether to run for re-election is contingent on Matsunaga's political plans.

Ihara said the high number of openings in the Legislature bodes well for voters, many of whom would be given more choices among candidates who probably lack ties to existing factions.

"Because there's more choice amongst voters, you have a legislative body that feels that they can't go lockstep as much as they have in the past," he said. "It puts loyalty to constituency above loyalty to colleagues."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.


Correction: No incumbents live in state Senate District 12 (Iwilei, Kaka'ako, Waikiki). A list with a previous version of this story was incomplete.