Breene Harimoto wears a backpack around his house to carry the apparatus for the feeding tube that is still attached to his stomach. It’s not how he thought he’d spend his summer, battling an aggressive form of cancer. He had planned to be reading and researching in preparation for the legislative session. But not much in his life is what he thought it would be.
The state senator and former Honolulu city councilman never intended to go into politics. He calls himself “maybe the most reluctant candidate ever.”
Harimoto’s first career was in IT. He fell into the field when, as a freshman at UH, he was assigned a work-study job in computer technology. He was hoping for an easier assignment, maybe a messenger job on campus, but said, “It was fate. It turned out I liked it.”
After college he worked in a number of IT jobs in local banks for more than 20 years. He liked managing computer systems.
But then he got what he refers to as his calling.
In 2001 his niece invited him to attend a lecture in church by Olympic medalist Kevin Asano. Something the judo champ said struck Harimoto like a bolt of lightning. “He was talking about persevere, persevere, persevere. But then he said something different. He said, ‘If you’re not fulfilled in your career, maybe God wants you to do something else.’”
Harimoto felt that this was a message for him to become a Christian and devote his life to community service. Even before that awakening, Harimoto had given much of his time to organizations in his neighborhood, like the Pearl City Community Association and the Momilani Homeowners Association. He came to believe that that sort of work should be the focus of his life.
“After that, doors opened and I walked through.”
Harimoto was city director of IT in 2002 when his friend Marilyn Harris called him. She was serving on the Board of Education and was planning to step down for health reasons. She wanted to put his name in to succeed her. “I thought, ‘Yeah, right. Cayetano doesn’t know me. I don’t know him. It will never happen.’” When told that Cayetano had chosen him for the appointment, “I was floored,” he said.
Harimoto served eight years on the BOE, rising to the position of chairman. He then worked in City Councilman Gary Okino’s office and ran for the seat when Okino hit his term limit. Last year the reluctant Harimoto was talked into running for state Senate when David Ige left it to run for governor. In both the Council and Senate races, Harimoto was unopposed. He still can’t get over that. “It’s crazy! Nobody runs unopposed in two elections,” he said. “I never aspired to be a politician. I was never driven to do this.”
Again, Harimoto attributes his path to faith, though he doesn’t lead with his religion like other politicians. “I’m not one of those in-your-face kinds,” Harimoto said, “but faith guides everything I do.”
One vote in particular brought his religious beliefs to the forefront. “I was adamantly opposed to creating marijuana dispensaries in the last session. Adamantly opposed,” he said. But then, constituents wrote to him and told him heartbreaking stories of their relatives who were sick and needed access to medical marijuana. “Those letters were tear-jerkers. It really hit home,” Harimoto said.
Harimoto ended up voting in favor of the dispensaries despite his religious beliefs. “I have a greater appreciation of how to balance my personal faith with my position in government,” he said. “I would argue strongly for what I believe is right and fight hard against what I think is wrong, but also, who am I to judge?”
Over his years in political office, Harimoto has built a reputation as a nice, soft-spoken guy who isn’t afraid to tangle with the likes of City Council Chairman Ernie Martin; a man who shows up at all manner of public meetings and listens thoughtfully rather than showboat for appearances.
His diagnosis of pancreatic cancer this summer came as a shock. “My world shattered,” he said. In June he had been feeling tired and didn’t have much of an appetite. When his wife finally persuaded him to see his physician, he could tell by the doctor’s reaction that it was serious. He was admitted to the hospital that day.
Harimoto, 61, is home resting before starting a round of chemotherapy next week. He has had two surgeries to remove the cancer, and both went well. His baby grandson visits often, and he stays in touch with his Senate staff. He has lost weight, “and I was skinny to begin with,” he said, but he’s trying to eat. Despite the seriousness of his condition, he’s certain that he has more work, more public service, calling to him. “I’m anxious to get back. I tell everyone I will be back. I have every confidence in my faith.”
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
