The Charter of the City and County of Honolulu sets out the purposes of various agencies, including the Honolulu Police Commission. There’s one passage that bears review, listing among its duties:

“Receive, consider and investigate charges brought by the public against the conduct of the department or any of its members and submit a written report of its findings to the chief of police.”

The panel looks out for the interests of the public, overseeing the police employed in its service. Oahu residents need and deserve, above all, this representation.

Concerns about two of Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s nominees sank their appointments. Benjamin Mahi, a former Honolulu Police Department officer, withdrew after questions came up about his suspension while on the force. Next, Larry Ignas, who had mainland experience as a police officer, withdrew after the City Council, which must confirm appointments, and others criticized his comments that racism doesn’t exist in the islands.

Blangiardi then eliminated police service as a selection criterion and submitted a third name: Ann Botticelli, a former journalist and longtime corporate executive for Hawaiian Airlines, Kamehameha Schools and Communications Pacific.

Based on Botticelli’s long-established connections to the community and familiarity with its issues, this would seem to be a reasonable appointment.

It is good that a broad swath of the public is now engaged in the process of selecting police commission members, owing at least in part to the awareness raised by national debates about police brutality in the past year, also sparked by two HPD shootings last April.

Initial testimony before the Council brought out supporters for Botticelli but also critics who cited her lack of experience with criminal justice or the conditions faced by marginalized populations. Botticelli acknowledged those deficits but resolved to ask the questions that would bring problems to the surface.

None of the seven members on the commission can ever check off all the boxes on a diverse public’s wish list. However, each of them should be expected to articulate how they will think through the complexities of HPD conduct and arrive at decisions that best serve the public.

That is the key standard the Council should apply in filling each vacancy, including the one Botticelli now seeks.