More than 400 campaign signs worth more than $4,500 belonging to Honolulu City Council member Ann H. Kobayashi have been reported stolen from neighborhoods on O'ahu.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's campaign also has been hit, losing more than 200 signs and banners worth between $4,000 and $5,000 from all over the island, according to the campaign.

Kobayashi's campaign lost about 160 signs and banners from yards in Waimanalo last week, and another 250 signs were stolen from homes in 'Aiea, 'Ewa Beach and Pearl City.

"If they feel that's how they can win, I don't know. We don't feel that's the way to win a campaign," said Kobayashi. "We have better ways of winning a campaign than stealing campaign signs."

Police have opened two felony theft investigations and two misdemeanor theft investigations in connection with the signs.

Each yard sign costs $10 to produce and each banner costs $100.

On Monday, a woman in 'Aiea came out of her home and saw three men pulling Kobayashi signs from a lawn and loading them into the back of a pickup truck.

Kobayashi accused Hannemann's campaign of orchestrating the thefts, an accusation the Hannemann campaign vehemently denies.

"We have had about 200 yard signs and large banners defaced, destroyed, torn down or stolen from areas throughout the island," said A.J. Halagao, Hannemann's campaign co-chair. "This started happening from Day 1, and we continue to get calls every week about people out there vandalizing and stealing our signs and banners. We have no idea who is behind all this. It's unfortunate and very disconcerting to our volunteers."

The tactic is an old one, and was used during the 2004 mayoral race between Hannemann and Duke Bainum.

In 2004, Bainum and Hannemann both said their campaign signs were stolen or vandalized, but neither accused the other of orchestrating the thefts.

The Bainum camp hired a private investigator to document specific incidents, and videotapes from late-night stakeouts appear to show one man removing Bainum signs at two locations on subsequent nights and being picked up by drivers using the same vehicle.