The names of three people have been submitted to Gov. Josh Green to replace veteran state Rep. John Mizuno, including Mizuno’s wife and office manager, Joje “May” Mizuno.
The vacancy was created when Green in December selected Mizuno to serve as Hawaii’s homeless coordinator after representing Kamehameha Heights-Kalihi Valley for the past 17 years.
Three people applied to replace Mizuno: his wife, along with Edgar Fernandez, program specialist for the state Workforce Development Division, and Hernando Tan, former president of the Unite Here Local 5 hotel workers union.
“Each has proven experience as a grassroots leader and community builder, which will serve the district well during these challenging times,” state Rep. Adrian Tam
(D, Waikiki) — interim chair of Hawaii’s Democratic Party — said in a statement.
The party sent Green the names of potential Mizuno replacements Monday.
If Green selects May Mizuno, her appointment would follow a recent trend of legislative office managers to be appointed or win election outright, Tam told the
Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Tam himself had been office manager to state Sen. Stanley Chang (D, Hawaii Kai-Kahala-
Diamond Head) for three years when Tam campaigned to represent Waikiki in the House in 2020 at the age of 27.
Tam, now 31, believes the experience of managing Chang’s Senate office, including immersing himself in the details of bills, helped counter any potential concerns about his age to Waikiki voters.
“It definitely helped me in terms of understanding the issues facing the state,” Tam said. “And it helped me understand the technicalities behind every single bill. When I talk one on one with someone in the district, I’m able to answer these questions. I definitely needed that extra knowledge to offset the youth that I bring to make sure people trust that I know the issues.”
Other sitting legislators who were office managers include Rep. Lisa Kitagawa (D, Kaaawa-Kahaluu-Kaneohe), who worked
for Aaron Ling Johanson; Rep. Jenna Takenouchi (D, Pacific Heights-Nuuanu-Liliha), who worked for Takashi Ohno; and Rep. Rachele Lamosao (D, Waipahu), who worked for Sylvia Luke, along with “a ton of session staffers” in the past, Tam said.
