Some West Oahu Democrats are worried another game of musical chairs for insiders is playing out in the selection of a new state senator to replace Maile Shimabukuro in District 22 (Ko Olina, Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha, Makua).

Shimabukuro resigned at the end of the 2024 session, saying she wouldn’t finish her term that ended in November in order to spend more time with family and friends and do volunteer work.

She endorsed state Rep. Cedric Gates, who is battling former state Rep. Stacelynn Eli in the Aug. 10 Democratic primary, to succeed her.

Critics see it as a power play by Shimabukuro and party leaders to get Gates appointed to finish her term by Gov. Josh Green before the election, giving him the advantage of running as the incumbent senator.

Such an anointment would require Gates to resign from his House seat, potentially giving the party and Green a chance to appoint a preferred successor from Democrats seeking the job: Cross Makani Crabbe, Desire De Soto, Philip Ganaban and Ranson Soares.

District Democrats meet 7 p.m. Wednesday at Maili Community Park, 87-360 Kulaaupuni St., in Waianae, to select three candidates to finish Shimabukuro’s term. The recommendations will be reviewed by the Oahu and state Democratic chairs before being sent Friday to Green, who has 60 days to make a choice but seldom takes nearly that long.

One district Democrat raising concerns is Alex Santiago, a former state legislator and Democratic Party chair who sees no point in Shimabukuro skipping out of her remaining term other than to give an unfair head start to Gates.

“She was resigning to spend more time with her family and do volunteer work,” he said. “Now that session is over, there is no reason for her not to be able to do that and still finish out her term. There is very little official work our part-time legislators do during the interim.”

Santiago said he’s not backing any candidates in the Senate and House races and only seeks a level playing field.

“I just want the community to decide without favoritism being given to any candidate,” he said. “An appointment of any of the candidates now running for the seat will give that person a huge unfair advantage.”

If Gates is elevated before the election, it will be the latest in a recent string of appointments to legislative vacancies being passed around among insiders.

In November, Green chose state Rep. Troy Hashimoto to fill a Maui Senate vacancy. Hashimoto is running unopposed for reelection after receiving the fundraising embrace of Senate leaders such as Ways and Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz.

When the governor named state Rep. John Mizuno to become his homelessness coordinator in January, he chose Mizuno’s wife, May, for the House seat, giving the couple a financial windfall as well as a continuation of its political dynasty.

Green said then that the other two candidates put forth by the Democratic Party were nice people but unprepared to represent the district, a scenario that could replay in West Oahu if party leaders seek to gift-wrap Shimabukuro’s Senate seat for Gates.

A private clubhouse that never gets fresh air soon begins to stink.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.