Pearl City residents will be in for a “changing of the guard” during the 2014 election season as the plot thickens with today’s announcement by Honolulu City Councilman Breene Harimoto that he will run for the State Senate District 16 seat (Pearl City – Halawa – Aiea) vacated by David Ige who is making a bid to become our next Governor.
Harimoto said, “After much soul-searching, prayers and consultations with family and friends, I have decided to not seek re-election to the City Council. Instead, I will run for the senate where my past experiences have prepared me well to help shape state policies that will determine the future of Hawaii.”
Harimoto is currently serving his first term on the Honolulu City Council while representing Council District 8 (Aiea – Pearl City – Waipahu). He will run as a Democrat. Harimoto serves as the chairman of the Council’s Transportation Committee as well as chairman of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization, which oversees allocation of federal transportation funds on Oahu.
In today’s press release, Harimoto lists his experience as a former information technology manager and management consultant in the private sector, along with his eight years serving on the Board of Education, two of which were as the BOE chairman. While on the BOE, he championed fiscal accountability, health issues, music and arts, and non-traditional programs to assist struggling students.
His experience seems to have prepared the way, and laid out the foundation for his credentials to present themselves as he makes a run at Senator Ige’s District 16 Senate seat which the Senator has held and served with great respect from the community and his constituents.
Both Harimoto and Ige’s experience, while in elected office, parallel one another at different city and state levels, as Harimoto hopes to bring his experience into the powerful Senate seat that Ige has held as the chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
Senator Ige’s State Senate webpage list his previous leadership positions as the following:
He has previously served in numerous leadership positions including Majority Technology Leader; Majority Floor Leader; and Chair of the Senate Committees on Health; Intergovernmental Affairs; Science, Arts and Technology; Economic Development and Technology; Education and Technology; Commerce, Consumer Protection and Information Technology; and Higher Education, Culture and the Arts.
Councilman Harimoto has dedicated himself, and is very active in the areas he was elected to serve. He was raised in Pearl City where he makes his home today. He generously volunteers his time serving residents in our bordering communities through partnerships with community volunteers and organizations.
Harimoto also serves as the Executive Director for the Pearl City Foundation that runs and operates the Momilani Community Center in Pearl City and is also on the Board of the Mana Loa-Nimitz Lions Club and is a member and former Board member of the Pearl City Community Association.
Elefante to run for Harimoto's District 8 seat
Councilmember Harimoto administrative assistant, Brandon Elefante will officially announce his candidacy for Harimoto's District 8 seat during a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, 12:00 noon on the steps of Honolulu Hale facing South King Street.
Elefante lives in Aiea and will be seeking an elected office for the first time in his career with his bid for a city council seat.