Heat is on in race for Honolulu mayor
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The race for Honolulu mayor is off to an early start, with the two major candidates striving for visibility months before campaigns usually heat up in May and June.
Duke Bainum yesterday pledged to strengthen city ethics standards if elected and to eliminate the perception that city contracting is linked to campaign contributions.
Mufi Hannemann, meanwhile, unveiled new endorsements and called for at least four town-hall meetings and debates to be held around the island.
Bainum, who has launched an aggressive advertising campaign, said he will refuse donations from anyone convicted of a campaign violation and would remove any appointee from his administration who violates ethics codes.
"People have been asking me, why have we started the campaign so early?" Bainum said at a news conference at his Kapi'olani Boulevard headquarters, where the latest ad was screened. "Quite frankly, it's because we have a very important message, and that message is the need for honest change."
The ads have followed a general reform theme but have not addressed differences between Bainum and Hannemann, who yesterday announced endorsements by the United Public Workers union and the environmental group Protect the Planet.
Both candidates have served on the City Council — Hannemann as chairman and Bainum as a committee chairman.
The primary election is set for Sept. 18. A mayoral run-off could be included with the Nov. 2 general election if the balloting is split by other candidates and no one receives more than 50 percent of votes cast. The candidate registration deadline is July 20.
Bainum said he wants to focus on his ideas and record for now but would debate Hannemann later in the race. Bainum announced a four-step platform of specific changes he said would strengthen accountability, such as setting up a contract review board and a whistle-blower hotline.
Mayor Jeremy Harris' administration has been dogged for two years by questions about favoritism as dozens of city contractors who supported him were fined for making illegal donations stretching back to 1996. Some donors also face criminal charges.
No direct link between the money and any city contracts has been alleged in open court, much less proven. But Bainum said his beliefs are in concert with those of many others: that Hawai'i has a long history of corruption linked to campaign financing.
Hannemann said Bainum had been closer to Harris than he during their time at City Hall, and that he finds it ironic Bainum is trying to distance himself from the mayor.
Harris insisted campaign contributions have no influence on city decisions, and defended his administration and the city's workforce.
"They are committed to this community and they do a great job, and they get smeared unfairly with innuendo," Harris said. "To continue to do that for political purposes is a sad tack to take."
Bainum raised and spent far more than Hannemann during the six months that ended in January. He reported raising $586,314 and spending $174,278, with $824,366 left as of Jan. 30, and has lent his campaign more than $1 million since 1998.
Hannemann reported raising $176,212 and spending $38,695, with $664,344 left in his campaign coffers.
Former Mayor Frank Fasi has said he is also running but reported raising no money during the six-month period. A few other candidates are also expected to run shoestring campaigns.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
