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▶ By Hugh Clark and Scott Ishikawa
HILO, Hawaii — The "applicant" for Big Island mayor won the job last night as Republican candidate Harry Kim held an overwhelming lead in a three-way race.
Despite his never having run for office before and his restricting campaign donations to $10 a person, Kim, known for his independent streak, defeated Democrat Fred Holschuh and Green candidate Keiko Bonk with ease.
Kim said last night he hoped the outcome made a statement that "it does not take big money or a big organization" to be involved in politics in Hawaii. His campaign was conducted out of his home, with his retired schoolteacher wife Bobbi acting as his campaign treasurer and chairwoman.
Kim, who left his job as Civil Defense administrator on June 30 after 24 years, entered the mayor’s race three weeks later and conducted one of the most extraordinary races the Big Island has witnessed.
Republican Party chairwoman Linda Lingle called Kim’s strong showing amazing.
"Why the voters chose Harry is simply because he is not a politician," she said. "They felt a sense a security with a person they feel will listen and can operate in difficult circumstances."
Kim agreed "I am not a typical politician." He said with some pride last night.
Holschuh, an emergency room physician held second place.
Bonk, a university art lecturer was third. In a 1996 race against Steve Yamashiro. Bonk was second; Yamashiro, who served two full terms, could not seek re-election this time around.
Bonk had complained that neither of her opponents had articulated plan for governing the Big Island and were part of an ongoing "old-boy network."
Kim bristled at that claim, asserting he was committed to no one.
It would "have been presumptuous," he said last night, to have discussed a possible Cabinet before he was elected. Some interpreted that as meaning he would keep some of Yamashiro’s group.
"Our fast-forward is to meet with the mayor (Yamashiro) and develop a transition plan," said Kim as he met in a garage with reporters.
Kim said he would not employ "a blue-ribbon committee" to help shape the new government, as the late Bernard Akana did in 1988 after his stunning upset of Democrat incumbent Dante Carpenter.
"I am different. I need to feel people out. I will be looking for certain people who are committed," Kim said.
Kim will take office at noon Dec. 4. He indicated he may announce his Cabinet choices at that time.
Kim and his wife will begin a brief vacation on the Big Island tomorrow.
All three candidates in the race were considered political outsiders.
But it was Kim’s unconventional campaign that struck a chord with voters. Along with a limit on individual contributions to $10 each, Kim usually stood alone campaigning on the roadside. He printed "applicant" for mayor on his bumper stickers instead of "candidate."
"I am applying for this mayoral position as any other job," Kim said in a recent interview. "You don’t go to a job interview with a 100 people behind you and you don’t bring money or gifts."
During the campaign, strangers assisted him in many ways, including recording and airing a radio jingle for him without his knowledge. In some instances, Kim had to check with the state Campaign Spending Commission to make sure the kindness of strangers was not violating any election laws.
Jim Wang, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii-Hilo, said Kim’s victory could set a precedent in local campaigning.
"You need someone like Kim with the name recognition to pull off a campaign with a limited budget," Wang said. "But a Kim win could symbolize you don’t need big money to run. On another level, Kim could encourage regular working-class residents to try for public office."
The mayor’s race in the last four days of campaigning degenerated from upbeat to mud-slinging. Front runner Kim was accused of abusing overtime and conducting an issue-less campaign.
Kim said he was disappointed by the late charges brought by the group named Truth in Politics, whose treasurer is Lloyd Asato, and by the Airport Community Coalition, led by attorney James Stone.
"I am very sorry it has happened," he said. "This is not good for anybody."
In 1990, Kim claimed $59,673 in overtime during the peak of the Kilauea eruption that destroyed Kalapana and nearby neighborhoods. Critics complained he was paid more than the governor. Kim said Nov. 6, that he had cooperated with reporters looking into the overtime issue and that no wrongdoing had been found.
Democratic candidate Holschuh said he entered politics naïve, but now believes he gained the equivalent of a political science degree. Holschuh said he had been the victim of baseless personal attacks.
Considering how the Big Island was deluged by rains the past week, voter turnout was encouraging, said County Clerk Al Konishi.
The road in Pahala was washed out last week by heavy rains. Election officials were considering transporting the ballots from eight precincts around the other end of the island to Hilo for counting but arranged a National Guard helicopter to take them instead.
Two political observers, one each from the Green and Republican parties, boarded the chopper to supervise the transporting of the ballots.
"Both were looking forward to the ride, so it must have been their first time on a chopper," Konishi said.
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