All articles tagged with #honolulu city council
The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled 3-2 that Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters is ineligible to run for a third term, upholding a lower court decision that his 2019 appointment counts as a full term under the city charter. The ruling invalidates Waters’ primary votes and orders a runoff between Trevor Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory for the District IV seat.
Trevor Ozawa leads the Honolulu City Council District 4 primary with 39.9% of the vote, while disqualified incumbent Tommy Waters placed second with 28.2%. Neither candidate reached the 50% threshold required to win outright, so Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory will advance to the November general election. The race remains legally contested, as Waters is appealing his disqualification and may challenge the results, while Ozawa focuses on municipal issues rather than litigation.
Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters has been disqualified from the District IV race following a Circuit Court ruling that he is ineligible for a third term. Although his name remains on ballots already distributed, votes for him will only count toward determining if an eligible candidate achieves a majority. Waters has appealed the decision, arguing his first term was shortened by litigation, while opponents contend the charter limits consecutive terms regardless of duration.