Posted on: Friday, November 19, 2004
Say fights off challenge, but loses 3 House lieutenants
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
House Speaker Calvin Say is retaining the top post in the House, but his three top lieutenants will be changed under a leadership shake-up among the 41 majority Democrats.
As a result of the failed coup, the House will have a new vice speaker and majority leader. There also will be a new majority floor leader.
K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Pearl City, Newtown, Royal Summit), replaces Sylvia Luke, D-26th (Punchbowl, Pacific Hts., Nu'uanu Valley) as vice speaker. Takai, 37, is entering his sixth term in the House and most recently was chairman of the Higher Education Committee.
Marcus Oshiro, D-39th (Wahiawa), replaces Scott Saiki, D-22nd (McCully, Pawa'a) as majority leader. Oshiro, 45, served as majority leader until 2002 and most recently chaired the Labor Committee. He is also entering his sixth term.
Blake Oshiro, D-33rd (Halawa, 'Aiea, Pearlridge), replaces Marilyn Lee, D-38th (Mililani, Mililani Mauka) majority floor leader. Oshiro, 34, is entering his third term in the House. He formerly was vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Committee assignments are not expected to be finalized until next week, but Say, D-20th (St. Louis Hts., Palolo, Wilhemina Rise), said he wanted to see as much stability as possible among the chairpersons of the top posts.
One obvious key opening is that of chairman of the Judiciary Committee, since Eric Hamakawa, who chaired it the last several years, chose not to run for reelection.
Senate Democrats, who outnumber Republicans, 20-5, retained Robert Bunda, D-22nd (N. Shore, Wahiawa), as president and Donna Mercado Kim, D-14th (Halawa, Moanalua, Kamehameha Hts.) as vice president.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
A younger generation of Democrats, seeking to capitalize on an election that saw the party's dominance in the House over Republicans grow to 41-10 from 36-15 last session, attempted to remove Say from the speaker's post but failed to gain a majority of the Democratic caucus. Say, 52, was first elected to the House in 1976 and has been speaker since 1998.
Calvin Say
K. Mark Takai
