Lee Cataluna: Sen. Breene Harimoto put service before self

Sen. Breene Harimoto called himself “maybe the most reluctant political candidate ever.”

He may not have wanted to be a politician, but once elected, he put all his might into the job like it was his calling.

Harimoto died Thursday at age 66 after undergoing years of treatment for cancer.

The people who worked with him in government have tried to describe him in their tributes.

Harimoto defied the typical descriptions assigned to Hawaii politicians.

>> PHOTOS: Remembering State Sen. Breene Harimoto

He was conservative in his beliefs but liberal in his support for people who were struggling. He was a soft-spoken man who seemed to be afraid of nothing. He held fast to his beliefs but was willing to listen to the other side. He was often seen at community events and public meetings, but never as a lei-covered political celebrity shaking hands and making speeches — he was usually in the background, listening, and staying until the bitter end. He never felt the need to vote with the pack. He fought hard but never dirty, disagreed without being disagreeable. Most of all, he never seemed to ask, “What’s in it for me?” He was very clear that holding public office had nothing to do with his own needs and ambitions and everything to do with service to the community.

In 2015, I sat with him in his home in Pearl City. He was post-surgery, pre-chemo and looking thin, but his eyes shone as he talked about his faith and he cracked jokes about how he never intended to run for public office.

Harimoto was working for the city as director of information technology when in 2002 his friend Marilyn Harris asked if she could submit his name on a list of possible replacements for her on the Board of Education. He gave her permission to include his name, thinking that there was little risk in actually being chosen. When Gov. Ben Cayetano named him as Harris’ replacement, he was caught completely off guard. But since he had been called to serve, he accepted the appointment, spending eight years on the BOE, rising to the position of chairman.

He then worked in City Councilman Gary Okino’s office. When Okino hit his term limit, Harimoto was talked into running for the seat. He ran unopposed and served on the Honolulu City Council from 2012 to 2014. Then, Harimoto was talked into running for the state Senate seat David Ige had held until running for governor.

Harimoto was unopposed in every election, which he found hard to fathom, but took as proof he was doing what he was supposed to do. “I never aspired to be a politician. I was never driven to do this,” he said, as though fate had pulled him along and faith had made him follow.

In 2015, he said, “I’m not one of those in-your-face kinds, but faith guides everything I do.”

One of the most memorable images of Harimoto was from the opening day of the 2016 Legislature. He was looking so frail in a suit that no longer fit his shrinking body. In those photos, Harimoto was beaming. He believed God would give him the time he needed to do the work he was supposed to do.