His campaign for mayor is built around a "prescription for honest change" that he says will eliminate the influence special interests have on public contracting and other City Hall decision-making.

But his critics question whether Bainum has enough experience as a leader, and whether he'll be able to cure the hostility that has infected much of the City Council's dealings with the mayor's office.

Humble start

He declined to estimate his personal wealth, but said his early years were "dirt poor." He said his father, Irvin, and mother, Evea, instilled in him strong values that include giving back to the community.

Bainum has injected more than $1 million of his own money into his campaign, and major donors include several relatives. He brushes off lead opponent Mufi Hannemann's criticism that he is "trying to buy the election," and says his money provides more independence from vested interests who typically bankroll political races.

Bainum faced similar criticism during earlier campaigns for other offices, in which he used personal money to heavily outspend opponents. But he stresses humble roots that included living on his maternal grandparents' farm with an extended family.

"This was real rural America," he said. "My brother and I slept upstairs in the attic with no heat. We had running water, but we did our wash in a washhouse in the back, and our farm was plowed by a mule."

His early education was in a two-room Seventh-day Adventist school, he said. He later attended a high school that the denomination ran in Chattanooga, Tenn., and served as president of the student council and senior class. He graduated in 1974 from Southern Missionary College in Collegedale, Tenn., now known as Southern Adventist University.

Meanwhile, his family built a small seaside motel in Maryland. Bainum recalled doing jobs there ranging from parking lot custodian to lifeguard.

"There's something profoundly important about family business and small business," he said. "You learn the value of hard work. You learn the value of money and how hard it is to make."

The family's fortune began to grow, and Bainum attended the University of Maryland Medical School. He moved to Honolulu in 1980 to participate in the University of Hawai'i's surgical residency program. He worked at Queen's, Kuakini, Kaiser and St. Francis hospitals.

Moniker stuck

Fellow medical residents at Kuakini said Mark Bainum's drawl made him sound like John Wayne, and gave him the actor's nickname, "Duke." Bainum liked the tag, and later had his name officially changed to include it. He now goes by Duke almost exclusively, and said his mother is the only one who still calls him Mark.

Dr. Livingston Wong, a respected transplant surgeon who was one of Bainum's instructors, said the aspiring doctor impressed him. "I remember that he was a very hard-working fellow who was very humble," Wong said. "He'd come up and say, 'What can I do to learn more?' He was very dedicated to doing more and learning more. I've seen residents come and go, and there are a few who stick with you. He was one."

Bainum said he developed an interest in politics early in his medical career. The spark came, he said, during the four months he worked at a poorly equipped hospital in rural Nepal, where basic necessities such as electricity were unreliable and the facility couldn't always meet patients' needs.

"I was really helping people.

I was literally saving lives, which was a great feeling," he said.

The experience made him realize the limits of being able to help others directly, and that leaders who set policy often can do greater good.

"I realized that unless you're treating underlying problems, then you're not going to be able to change the major force," he said.

Bankrolled campaign

His political career began modestly in 1987 as an intern working with then-state Sen. Bertrand Kobayashi, who became his political mentor and is co-chairing his campaign committee.

Bainum served on the McCully/Mo'ili'ili Neighborhood Board in 1989, and won a seat in the state House as a Democrat the next year. His campaign stressed his role as a doctor and included signs featuring a logo similar to a red medical cross.

Bainum spent far more to campaign for the seat than his Republican opponent, retired healthcare executive Stan Snodgrass, who complained that Bainum was "a rich man's son with virtually unlimited money available."

Bainum proved more popular with voters, and was re-elected in 1992. He was an idealistic lawmaker, but had limited success at the Capitol. For instance, his call for stricter regulation and a "sin tax" on violent videotapes was rejected by colleagues. Bainum wanted 20 percent of a tape's cost or rental fee to go to the state Health Department for programs to stop and prevent youth and family violence.

"Violence is a sin in all the world's religions," he said at the time. "We tax other vices such as tobacco and alcohol; certainly we should be taxing a societal cancer that is corrupting our children and community."

Third marriage

Bainum has no children, and has been divorced twice. In February, he wed Jennifer Ann Harumi Toma, who is also twice divorced and has two children. She is a 1986 graduate of Hilo High School.

The couple lives in Waikiki, enjoys films and has a pet dog, a Maltese male named Tiny Toma. Bainum drives a Lexus SUV, but says the luxury vehicle doesn't insulate him from the jarring potholes on many streets.

Since he launched his political career, Bainum has continued to do his medical work part-time, and has volunteered his skills during crises. He flew to Florida in 1992 to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, and to Kaua'i just months later, after Hurricane Iniki devastated the Garden Isle. He recently joined a medical mission to the Philippines.

By 1994, Bainum had grown disenchanted with state politics, and complained publicly that the Capitol was "dominated by special interests."

He ran for City Council after Leigh-Wai Doo announced he would not seek re-election. Bainum spent more than $250,000 on the campaign — a hefty sum for a council race. The total included $194,700 of his own money and $52,000 loaned by his parents. He soundly beat opponent Karen Iwamoto, who raised and spent less than $70,000.

He loaned himself another $133,000 for his 1998 re-election campaign, and spent more than $265,000. His opponent, Waikiki Neighborhood Board member Sam Bren, spent less than $2,000.

Power shifts

While on the City Council, Bainum headed the powerful Budget Committee for more than two years. He was considered a diligent watchdog of taxpayer money, but wasn't liked by all.

"I found that he was fair," said former city managing director Bob Fishman. "There were some people in the administration who felt he was overly critical. But that's the job of the council, to find where the weak spots are."

Bainum lost control of the Budget Committee in a 1997 council reorganization engineered partly by Hannemann, who became council chairman after another shake-up eight months later. Hannemann lost the post in a 1999 coup that aligned Bainum with the new power bloc.

Bainum raised questions about the city's controversial 'Ewa Villages project, and pushed for an investigation into why the program to revitalize the old plantation community had become a serious financial burden. In a scandal that rocked City Hall, a city housing official was later convicted of stealing nearly $6 million from the program. Others also were implicated.

Before the extent of the scam became known, Bainum sought support from council colleagues to subpoena financial records from the city administration. He says too much information had been withheld from the council and the public.

Others felt such direct involvement by the council was unnecessary and could hamper the ongoing criminal investigation. "Those kinds of investigations are best left to the police and prosecutors, and I think we would have been getting in their way," said former councilman Jon Yoshimura.

Yoshimura said he admired Bainum for the effort he put into his job, but that he could sometimes be stubborn. "I think it's very important to keep your principles and to be idealistic," Yoshimura said. "At the same time, one of the biggest criticisms of government is that it's not able to get things done."

Supported transit

As chairman of the council's Transportation Committee, Bainum was a strong supporter of Mayor Jeremy Harris' Bus Rapid Transit plan, but disagrees with the way the city is implementing it. Bainum chaired the O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, which also endorsed the BRT plan.

Bainum said he backed the idea of dedicating traffic lanes to special buses because it was the only option being proposed, but he now believes an elevated monorail train would be better.

In 2000, Bainum co-sponsored a bill that banned neighborhood markets and gas stations from posting liquor advertisements within 500 feet of schools.

He also staunchly supported a push to ban smoking in restaurants and most other businesses. Disputes over various forms of the proposal dragged on for years, but the ban was approved in 2001.

"We persisted and it passed, and it saved lives," he said. "That's political courage and political leadership."

In 2002, Councilwoman Rene Mansho was sent to prison on theft charges, Councilman Andy Mirikitani was imprisoned for bribery, and other members were criticized for lesser ethical lapses. Bainum, who remained untainted by the scandals, labeled the council "ethically challenged" and sponsored legislation that restricted the value of gifts council members could accept.

If elected mayor, Bainum will have to deal with a council that has warred bitterly with Harris and tied some of his plans in knots, and which includes members who support Hannemann.

"I'm optimistic that we'll start off with a clean slate," Bainum said. "I'm a consensus-builder who's not worried about ego. I can work with anybody."

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.

Correction: Jennifer Bainum, wife of mayoral candidate Duke Bainum, received her high school diploma in 1986. A previous version of this story contained incorrect information.