Members of past Honolulu City Councils have paid fines or spent time behind bars for illegal behavior such as spending tax money on themselves, but current Council members are perplexed about how to deal with the wild antics of colleague Tom Berg. His actions have made him a growing embarrassment to his district but yet, his constituents should not be deprived of full representation on the nine-member Council as it makes decisions that could be of great importance to them.
Berg, 46, has been loud and assertive since his victory in a special election last December to serve the remaining two years of the term vacated by Todd Apo, who resigned to take a job with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Berg has been most vehement in his opposition to the rail project between Ala Moana and his district, which stretches from the Leeward Coast to Ewa, including Kapolei. In and of itself, of course, championing that cause, or any other, is his prerogative.
But on Nov. 17, Berg’s argumentative behavior in criticizing the steel-wheel-on-steel-rail transit system in front of the Waipahu Neighborhood Board prompted a call to police to maintain order. Rito Saniatan, the board’s chairman, said in an email message that the councilman’s behavior "was like an ‘uncontrolled’ individual with vengeance." Berg later apologized for his argumentative actions, but Saniatan refused to forgive his "very unprofessional, undignified, immature" behavior.
Disturbingly, this occurred just five days after an incident in which police said Berg was intoxicated and "extremely argumentative and irrational" with Secret Service agents at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation reception at the Hale Koa Hotel. The agents called Honolulu police at a security checkpoint for assistance in dealing with Berg, who had been at the APEC event but had left his credentials and cellphone inside. Berg eventually was led back to the cellphone, then put in a cab home.
City Councilman Breene Harimoto has asked Council Chairman Ernie Martin that Berg be disallowed from voting on all Council committees — but Martin made the right call, for now, in chastising Berg but not taking away his votes on behalf of constituents. Harimoto had maintained that Berg’s "inappropriate and disruptive behavior is escalating in frequency and intensity" and that "his outbursts, verbal tirades, inability to stay on the topic of discussion and argumentative and aggressive behavior are serious concerns."
Serious concerns, indeed. Unfortunately, Berg is the only elected representative of the leeward district on the Council, even though most of his constituents oppose his position on rail, its major issue. Of 14 candidates, Berg drew 18.5 percent of the 12,534 votes cast, edging out the runner-up by 351 votes in a no-runoff election. The state Legislature in the upcoming session should consider enacting an instant runoff system, such as having voters include three other preferences beyond their first choice.
Meanwhile, Berg needs to know that the leash is short. He now claims to realize, belatedly as it might be, that "there is always a better way to be more productive" than "doing all the barking at City Hall." Pending possible state legislation, leeward voters should pay increased attention not only on how candidates stand on issues but also on their demeanor and decorum.
