For some, the election’s just a formality

The Hawaii campaign season shifted into higher gear with Tuesday’s candidate filing deadline. All the hopefuls are now lined up, some of them off and running.

But 23 have already crossed the finish line, without having to break a sweat. Here are the folks who were elected outright — or will be, once a single ballot is cast for them — because they have no opposition:

State Sens. Shan Tsutsui, Suzanne Chun Oakland, Donna Mercado Kim, Glenn Wakai, Jill Tokuda and Clift Tsuji; state Reps. Cindy Evans, Joe Souki, Derek Kawakami, James Tokioka, Gene Ward, Sylvia Luke, Roy Takumi, Henry Aquino, Ken Ito and Cynthia Thielen; Hawaii County Council members Dennis Onishi and Dru Kanuha; Maui County Council members Robert Carroll, Elle Cochran, Mike White and Riki Hokama; and state Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Colette Machado.

Congrats. Now back to work, no excuses.

Can’t wait for Harry’s Music to look old again

Kaimuki soon will be whole once more, at least according to the measure of many Honolulu musicians.

That’s because Harry’s Music Store — for 66 years a fixture of the retail community — is set to reopen in smaller digs, about six months after the old store closed.

But let’s face it: It may be hard for those accustomed to the lived-in look of the original Harry’s to adjust to something freshly renovated. Part of the charm of Harry’s was all the accumulated atmosphere.

Here’s to new beginnings for old friends. Before long, the reborn Harry’s will begin to acquire its own patina. Everything new will be old again.