Sen. Donna Mercado Kim says she never wanted to be Senate president because she knew that someday someone would seek to unseat her.
That day arrived Tuesday as state Sen. Ron Kouchi was voted in by his colleagues as the new Senate president, marking the first time since 1994 that a sitting president was replaced in midsession.
The Senate voted 19-6 to oust Kim and elevate Kouchi.
While the reorganization was abrupt, Kouchi has been an ambitious contender for Senate leadership in past years. He sought control of the chamber in 2014 but was unable to secure the votes he needed at that time.
In this case, Kouchi said he was asked to serve as president.
"Time will be the test," Kouchi said of Tuesday’s leadership shift. "I’m not here to say I’m better (or) I’m worse; I’ve been asked to lead in a different way, and we’ll see if that works better."
Kouchi’s rise to the top of the Senate power structure represents only the second time in the past 37 years that a neighbor island lawmaker has emerged as president.
Neither Kouchi (D, Kauai-Niihau) nor his colleagues wanted to speak publicly about the reasons for Kim’s ouster, which Sen. Sam Slom (Diamond Head-Kahala-Hawaii Kai), the chamber’s lone Republican, jokingly described as a "bloodless coup."
Moments after the vote, Slom alluded to his colleagues getting their "feathers ruffled" under Kim’s leadership for her "dogged determination to ask questions in committee."
Some lawmakers said privately there were bitter feelings about Kim’s supposed penchant for micromanaging the affairs of Senate committees.
"What president goes into committees and starts chastising committee chairs?" asked one lawmaker.
Committee chairmen and chairwomen in the Senate are accustomed to wielding power independently, and senators contended Kim interfered in matters that committee heads felt were issues for them to decide.
Kim defended her tenure as Senate president, citing accomplishments by the Senate under her leadership including the purchase of land at Turtle Bay for preservation purposes, and a bill to establish medical marijuana dispensaries.
"So, we had some major, major successes, and I felt that we facilitated that smoothly and calmly," she said. "I think I’ve done a good job over the last three years in shepherding the Senate, and you have to know sometimes when it’s time to step down and let other people take over."
Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Moanalua-Halawa) became Senate president in 2012 and presided over the body until being removed in the last week of this year’s 60-day session.
"Certainly, we’re all still part of this organization, and I will continue to speak up and ask questions and represent my constituents," she said. "I never really wanted to be Senate president."
Kouchi was appointed to the Senate in 2010 by former Gov. Linda Lingle and since then has served in the roles of Senate vice president and majority caucus leader. This year he also controlled the construction budget in the Senate, a key role that carries major political clout.
Kouchi served 22 years on the Kauai County Council, including a dozen years as Council chairman.
After Tuesday’s session Kouchi said, "We are looking at what we feel is the best leadership that will take the Senate forward."
Most of the other top power positions in the Senate likely will remain the same, according to a senator who asked not to be identified.
Sen. Jill Tokuda, who is being described as an architect of the shake-up, will remain chairwoman of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee, while Senate Judiciary and Labor Chairman Gil Keith-Agaran (D, Waihee-Wailuku-Kahului) is expected to retain his post.
In addition, Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Chairwoman Rosalyn Baker (D, West Maui-South Maui) is expected to continue in that position.
Tokuda (D, Kailua-Kaneohe) called the reorganization "a positive step" and said senators are appreciative of Kim’s contributions. Kim handled a difficult job, guiding the Senate through challenging times, she said.
"There’s never any perfect time to go through a transition of leadership, and I think what you see here at this particular point is a majority of senators who have decided it really is about how can we best align the various skill sets that we have represented in the Senate body into various leadership roles," she said.
Lawmakers who are immediately losing influence as a result of the shake-up are Senate Health Chairman Josh Green and Agriculture Chairman Russell Ruderman. Also at risk is Water and Land Chairwoman Laura Thielen (D, Hawaii Kai-Waimanalo-Kailua).
Those three lawmakers were not part of the initial reorganization push, which means they are vulnerable to being removed in favor of other lawmakers who assisted with the effort early on, according to senators who asked not to be identified.
Green (D, Kona-Kau) said in a written statement that he will not continue as Health Committee chairman, but "I have been asked to serve as part of President Kouchi’s leadership team" as floor leader for the Senate Democrats. Green said he will remain on the Health Committee as vice chairman.
Ruderman (D, Puna) will be removed as Agriculture Committee chairman, and Sen. Clarence Nishihara (D, Waipahu-Pearl City) said he expects to take control of the committee. That development might cause alarm in some circles because Nishihara has been skeptical of proposals to ban or label genetically modified products, issues that likely would be referred to that committee.
Perhaps the biggest individual winner in the shake-up apart from Kouchi will be Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz (D, Wahiawa-Whitmore-Mililani Mauka), who is expected to assume Kouchi’s previous position in control of all Senate appropriations for state construction spending.
That post is one of the most influential at the Legislature as state lawmakers seek funding every year for construction projects in their home districts.
The last time a neighbor island lawmaker was named Senate president was in 2010, when then-Sen. Shan Tsutsui was selected to replace Colleen Hanabusa after she was elected to the U.S. House. Prior to that the last Senate president from a neighbor island was John Ushijima of Hilo, who led the Senate from 1974 to 1978.
During the 1994 session, Senate President James Aki was replaced by Sen. Norman Mizuguchi.
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Star-Advertiser reporters Marcel Honoré and Richard Borreca contributed to this report.
