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The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers union Tuesday announced its endorsement of former city Managing Director Kirk Caldwell in the race for Honolulu mayor.
Tenari Maafala, SHOPO president, said the decision came down to Caldwell and former Gov. Ben Cayetano, noting that Mayor Peter Carlisle did not seek an interview with the 1,900-member union.
"Carlisle, thus far, since he made it known publicly that he’s running for mayor again, he has not come and knocked on our door," Maafala said at a news conference. "SHOPO has always been an open-door policy. If you want our endorsement, you come and knock on our door and then we’ll set up an interview."
He said the union decided against Cayetano because of what it views as his overemphasis on stopping the city’s rail transit project.
"That appears to be the primary focus," Maafala said. "We want somebody that’s going to focus on the needs of the people of Honolulu, and that’s what Mr. Caldwell is all about. Mr. Caldwell recognizes that police — public safety — is of utmost importance."
The union also endorsed Caldwell in 2010, when Carlisle won a special election for the final two years of the term vacated by Mufi Hannemann. Carlisle won with a plurality of 39 percent among four major candidates. Caldwell finished second with 35 percent, despite outspending Carlisle 2-to-1.
Because 2012 is a regular election, one candidate can win in the Aug. 11 primary with a majority of the vote. If not, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff in the November general election.
Caldwell has significant ground to make up and plans to court many of the unions that supported him two years ago, which also included the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142.
"I’ve approached almost every union that endorsed me last time, and I will continue to work with them," Caldwell said.
A poll released this week by the Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now shows Cayetano in the lead with 44 percent, followed by Carlisle at 35 percent and Caldwell at 16 percent.
Caldwell also trails Carlisle in money, entering 2012 with about $73,000 in cash on hand. Carlisle entered 2012 with about $297,000 in cash on hand, roughly half the amount he raised for the 2010 race. Cayetano entered the race in late January and had not previously been raising money.
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