Hannemann’s odds worsen as bullying past resurfaces

The state Supreme Court has handed former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann the last thing he needs as he plots a political resurrection — a stinging reminder to voters of what they don’t like about him.

As reported by blogger Ian Lind, justices rebuked the Hannemann administration for a "particularly egregious" breach of due process for blacklisting two veteran stagehands from working at the Blaisdell Center or Waikiki Shell after they ran afoul of the mayor and his brother Nephi.

Eric Minton and Richard Stanley were working a 2007 Blaisdell benefit show where Mufi Hannemann sang when they drew Nephi Hannemann’s ire for being unable to accommodate his last-minute demands to upgrade the sound system and move an intricately tuned grand piano and a 2,000-pound lighting structure.

Mufi Hannemann was unhappy about minor sound glitches during the show — caused by his moving outside the range of his wireless microphone as he crooned and his last-minute decision to add a five-piece backup band to his act.

After the mayor voiced his complaints to aides, city employees informed the stagehands’ union that Minton and Stanley were barred from working at the city’s major venues, a ban that still stands.

The two had no chance to answer the charges before the blacklisting was imposed, and nobody else associated with the show blamed them for the glitches.

In a Dec. 13 opinion, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned lower-court decisions in favor of the city and ruled that the unconstitutional denial of due process squashed the stagehands’ ability to earn a living.

The justices returned the case to Circuit Court to determine damages, which could get expensive for the city; the plaintiffs are claiming about $730,000 in lost income, six years of legal fees and possible punitive damages.

It was typical of the bullying behavior that marked Hannemann’s six years as mayor and wore out his welcome with voters, who smacked him with lopsided defeats in his 2010 run for governor and 2012 bid for Congress.

He’s now considering a try for the 1st Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

Few believe Hannemann could win a head-to-head race against a credible opponent, but in a crowded Democratic primary that’s already drawn a half-dozen candidates, Hannemann’s camp thinks he may have enough of a base left to sneak in with as little as 20 percent of the vote.

His problem is that reminders such as the Supreme Court ruling will make voters even more suspicious that Hannemann’s efforts to soften his image are more PR than real change of character.

And the recent entry into the race of formidable state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim gives Hannemann serious competition for his shrinking base among conservative Democrats and local working people.

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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.