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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, May 29, 2010

Quick selection sought for Djou fill-in


By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Todd Apo

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City Council members could decide who will replace Congressman Charles Djou as their ninth member at a meeting Thursday, Chairman Todd Apo said yesterday.

Seekers of the District 4 seat, which stretches from Hawai'i Kai to Ala Moana, have until Tuesday to submit a resume to the council.

The Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Chaired by Apo, it includes all council members.

"At that committee hearing ... people can come and testify, make comments in support, or otherwise, for the candidates."

Apo said he hopes a majority of council members can come to an agreement that day so a resolution can be drafted with a prospective candidate. That resolution would then be up for approval by the full council at its next regularly scheduled meeting on June 9.

"The goal is, hopefully, we can come out of that committee meeting on Thursday with a resolution that has a specific name in it," Apo said.

He wants to speed up the process because the law requires a candidate for the job to first be bonded. Apo said the cost for that would be paid by the council.

At least 10 East Honolulu residents have submitted their resumes, Apo said.

Seven hopefuls have made their names public.

They are attorney Jo-Ann Adams, Wai'alae-Kāhala Neighborhood Board Chairman Francis "Scotty" Anderson, Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board Chairman Greg Knudsen, attorney Jonathan Lai, former state research analyst Jeremy Low, former 'Āina Haina Neighborhood Board Chairman Warner Kimo Sutton and former Djou chief of staff Lori Wingard.

The job runs through Jan. 2. That's when the winner of this fall's regularly scheduled District 4 election will take office.

Apo and other council members, as well as Djou himself, said they prefer that the person chosen for the temporary seat promise to not run for the full four-year term this fall to avoid giving a candidate an unfair advantage in the election.

Djou won last Saturday's special election for the 1st Congressional District seat to replace Neil Abercrombie.

He was sworn in Tuesday, the same day he resigned.