Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.
With her leadership of the City Council at stake, Council Chairwoman Patsy Mink today demanded the resignations of three longtime Democratic Council members who switched political parties yesterday.
Mink, who rushed back from the Mainland last night after learning of the defections of George Akahane, Toraki Matsumoto and Rudy Pacarro, labeled the three "turncoats" in a morning news conference in her City Hall office.
"I believe they should submit their resignations immediately from membership on the Council," she said. "If they decline my invitation to step down, I’m planning to initiate a petition to have them recalled."
Flanking Mink at the conference were state Democratic Party leader James Kumagai and Oahu Democratic Chairman Jack Richardson. Both men said they fully support Mink’s idea to ask for a special recall election.
Akahane, Pacarro and Matsumoto all said they made the switch out of dissatisfaction with the local Democratic Party and with the Democrat-led Legislature.
Akahane, who forms part of a new five-man Republican majority on the Council, already is talking about what he wants to do as the Council’s new chairman.
Mink was on her way to a meeting of Americans for Democratic Action in Washington when she heard of the coup yesterday. She quickly returned to Honolulu to denounce the move.
Mink said a recall would require circulating petitions in the Council members’ three districts to get approval from at least 10 percent of registered voters for the proposal.
"I hope to be able to start (circulating petitions) myself at 8 a.m. tomorrow, as soon as I can get my shoes on," Mink said.
Mink pointed to city Charter provisions saying Council members must resign if they move out of their districts, saying voters should decide if the three councilmen should similarly remove themselves for changing parties. …
Mink said, "They ran as Democrats and once you are elected as a member of the Council, you are to represent your constituents as a party person."
