Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi came pretty close last week to losing one of his major asks: that the city charter be changed to allow the mayor to hire his own police chief.
The 13-member Honolulu Charter Commission, narrowly voted to kill the idea after a commission working group tacked on a provision that would give the Honolulu City Council the power to confirm or reject the mayor’s pick, just like the council does with other cabinet members. That twist did not sit well with the mayor’s office which asked that it be removed.
But a number of commissioners wanted the council to have a role in selecting the chief, which, they argued, is one of the most important jobs in the city. And the council is really the only place where the public can have a say in who gets picked, they insisted…