Lee Cataluna: Mayor Kirk Caldwell dodges many issues but never misses a photo op

It’s hard to run for governor when your term as mayor ends two long years before the election.

It’s harder still when your poll numbers are in the tank, your list of accomplishments doesn’t match your list of promises, your nerves are frayed from constantly dodging the Kealoha fallout and deflecting the rail troubles, and even the potholes refuse to stay patched.

So what do you do to remake your image?

Apparently, you do a ton of press conferences.

If there’s anything to be said, announced, signed, opened, blessed, explained or proclaimed by the city, Mayor Kirk Caldwell is right there, ready to face the cameras.

In just the last month, Caldwell has often staged multiple press conferences a week. If you ran a mile every time he did a press conference in February, you’d be in great shape by March.

Let’s see, there was a press conference to welcome Chinese diplomats, followed a few days later with a press conference in Chinatown to let people know you can’t get coronavirus from buying locally grown cilantro.

That was followed a few days later by a press conference at Magic Island with a row of windblown people to talk about climate change.

The week after that, Caldwell was at Kakaako opening a dog park and posing with a very cute dog.

It’s a lot, and it’s looking obvious and a little bit forced.

There was a press conference to say the big Blaisdell Center renovation plan was suddenly on hold. That was followed a few days later with a press conference to say the Blaisdell plan wasn’t dead, just paused, and anyway it’s not because the city has any money troubles.

On Friday, Caldwell got on the unlucky side of the news cycle. There was coverage of yet another press conference, this time on a Chinatown street corner signing a bill that makes the photos citizens take of illegal dumping allowable as evidence to fine the responsible party. On the same day, on the same news webpages, was the story of an illegal dumper chasing down and shooting at a citizen witness.

Dang it. That’s the thing about chasing photo ops. When you have your face hanging out there all the time, the potential for bachi somehow increases. There must be a formula like: Desire for media attention PLUS unbridled ambition TIMES the number of instances when you get in the news EQUALS ooh, you going get bachi.

The story goes that Mayor Frank Fasi, who also alternately loved and hated the news media, refused to acknowledge any television camera that was set on a tripod higher than his head. Supposedly he didn’t want to appear to be looking up, as though asking permission. He preferred news cameras to be set low, so he could look down into the lens. That’s a power position.

Caldwell’s power position is that he likes to hold the microphone. He’ll speak at a podium with a collection of microphones on it, but when he can, he grabs hold and narrates the whole tour.

Ten more months of this variety show before the next mayor takes over and Caldwell will have to start paying for political ads.