Posted on: Wednesday, September 8, 2004

VOLCANIC ASH
Be wary of the incumbents

By David Shapiro

Needed changes in public policy come slowly to Hawai'i because of an incestuous system of political rewards that strongly favor incumbent politicians who devote themselves to preserving the status quo.

Sitting lawmakers overwhelm challengers with huge political bankrolls and armies of campaign workers provided by private interests — public worker unions, regulated businesses, government contractors — who mostly like things the way they are and rely on politicians they support to hold the fort.

Lawmakers who can't see beyond the next election thwart real reform on pressing problems — public schools, civil service rules, workers' compensation, campaign financing — to protect themselves and their benefactors.

The only real power voters have to disrupt this vicious cycle is to make it a point to stop rewarding incumbency at the ballot box.

And the most effective way to achieve this is to simply stop giving incumbents the benefit of the doubt when we cast our votes.

Incumbents win easily not because of devoted constituents, but because the money, endorsements and manpower they get from special interests give them invaluable name recognition.

Voters who often have no strong feelings about the candidates go with the familiar name, giving the benefit of the doubt to the incumbent.

We'd be far better served if we took the opposite attitude into the voting booth and gave more benefit of the doubt to the challengers.

Why not make incumbent legislators, City Council members and school board members do more to earn our votes before they get them?

If we can think of positive things incumbents have done for the district and the state, then fine, they deserve continued support.

But when we draw a blank on the incumbent's achievements and have no strong feelings for the candidates, why not give the benefit of the doubt to the challenger and give someone new a chance to impress?

Bringing more turnover, fresh ideas and independent thinking into public office is the most likely way to get movement on tough problems by overriding the special interests that have incumbents so snugly in their pockets.

Most incumbent lawmakers won't face their challenges until the general election in November, but one Senate race in the Democratic primary illustrates the uphill battle faced by challengers running against entrenched incumbents.

In the 18th District (Waipahu-Crestview-lower Pearl City), first-time candidate Clarence Nishihara, a retired vice principal, is challenging 10-year incumbent Sen. Cal Kawamoto.

Kawamoto, a darling of special interests in the Senate, had $262,976 in his campaign account as of June 30, compared to $8,663 for Nishihara.

Kawamoto has fought fiercely to preserve the perverse system of campaign financing that gives him such an advantage.

He's been the chief roadblock to meaningful reform, to the point that House members hoping to tighten campaign financing laws in 2002 took the unprecedented step of asking that Kawamoto be removed from the negotiations.

He's been sanctioned by the Campaign Spending Commission for using campaign funds for personal expenses and has been accused of essentially buying votes by illicitly sprinkling cash donations from his bountiful war chest among numerous community groups in his district.

Kawamoto this year retaliated against the criticism by proposing that the independent Campaign Spending Commission be put under the control of the Legislature, including giving lawmakers the power to fire its executive director, Bob Watada.

Has Kawamoto earned the benefit of the doubt when primary voters cast their ballots on Sept. 18, or is it time to give someone else a chance?

How voters in the 18th District answer that question will set an important tone for the bigger races to come in November.

David Shapiro can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net.