Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Ikaika Anderson nominated to be Honolulu City Council chairman

STAR-ADVERTISER

Ikaika Anderson

Ikaika Anderson could become chairman of the Honolulu City Council under a resolution up for vote Wednesday.

The Council’s interim chairwoman, Ann Kobayashi, on Thursday introduced Resolution 19-105, which also lists herself as vice chairman and Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga as floor leader. Committee assignments have yet to be finalized.

Anderson, 41, has been on the Council since 2009, when he won a special election for District 3 (Windward Oahu) following the death of Barbara Marshall. Anderson had been an aide to Marshall.

While he is a registered Democrat, two of Anderson’s relatives served in the state Legislature as Republicans: his grandfather Whitney Anderson and his great-uncle D.G. “Andy” Anderson, Whitney’s brother. Council seats are nonpartisan, however.

Kobayashi has been interim chairman since January, when a legal challenge of the District 4 (East Honolulu) general election results, which showed Trevor Ozawa beating challenger Tommy Waters by 22 votes, threw Council leadership into turmoil.

Ozawa had been expected to become the Council’s chairman, but the Hawaii Supreme Court ordered a do-over election and Waters prevailed by over 1,000 votes.

Barring any new challenges by 4:30 p.m. today, Waters is scheduled to be sworn in Monday.

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