Nonpartisan mayoral race distracted by partisan cries

Hawaii Democrats are increasingly aggressive in imposing partisan purity on party members, even in nonpartisan elections.

In a letter to Democrats, former Gov. John Waihee invoked the menace of Donald Trump in attacking Charles Djou, a former Republican congressman who is running against Democrat Kirk Caldwell in the nonpartisan Honolulu mayor’s race.

“Nationally, we have a madman to defeat who would destroy everything we believe in,” Waihee wrote. “Locally, we have a Republican to defeat who in guise of nonpartisanship plans to take over our city government.”

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz also flew the partisan flag for Caldwell, saying, “This year more than ever it’s important that we elect Democrats because values do matter.”

Complaints have been filed with the party accusing former Democratic Gov. Ben Cayetano, former party chairman Walter Heen and City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi of violating party rules by backing Djou over Caldwell in the nonpartisan election.

In a tasty bit of irony, while fellow Democrats play the partisan card on his behalf, Caldwell himself is a target of a complaint that he violated party rules by backing Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who previously served as a Republican state legislator, over Democrat Keoni Dudley in the Leeward Council race.

It’s silly to suggest there’s anything wrong with one nonpartisan elected city official supporting another nonpartisan elected city official, and Caldwell was right to say so in his defense.

Now he and his backers need to similarly respect nonpartisanship in the mayoral election.

Nonpartisan city elections are not a “guise” as Waihee described it, but a deliberate choice by Oahu voters who in 1992 passed a City Charter amendment making all municipal elections party-free in order to end partisan bickering at Honolulu Hale and curtail party patronage in city hiring.

The reasoning was that there’s little party ideology in fixing potholes, issuing driver’s licenses and cutting the grass at the parks.

Senior Democrats such as Waihee and Schatz disrespect the will of the electorate with the cheap partisan appeals that voters made clear they didn’t want in city elections.

Waihee’s call to stop Djou from “taking over city government” is more about preserving Democratic patronage in appointed city jobs and keeping boards and commissions filled with loyalists who take care of special interests that underwrite Democratic candidates.

No doubt this is good for Democrats, but how does it serve the public interest to hire planners, engineers and police commissioners by party loyalty instead of ability?

As for Schatz, arguing values over policies doesn’t necessarily favor Democrats who control the City Council and mayor’s office.

What values guide current city policies that kneel to developers of luxury condos for rich outsiders while “compassionately” disrupting poor locals who can’t afford housing?

What ethical values allow Council members to rubber stamp rail spending without disclosing gifts they received from rail lobbyists, or the mayor to maintain a second job as a bank director for more than $200,000 a year?

When voters chose nonpartisan city elections, they hoped to see candidates rise above party cheerleading and instead lay out visions for making Honolulu a great city — and plans to get there.

Neither mayoral candidate has put forth a clear, cohesive vision for the city or a plan.

It’s about time the campaign is pointed in this direction instead of dwelling on the irrelevant question of who belongs to which political party in a nonpartisan election.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.