Jeremy Harris' Other Shoe

Long suspected in previous discussion here and elsewhere, Jeremy Harris' sudden decision to withdraw from the race for Hawaii governor had to have been prompted by something bigger than a few points in the polls.

While we haven't felt the Big One yet, there sure seems to be a pretty tangible tremor down below.

Last week, Michael Amii, the city's Director of Community Services, was arrested on a charge of theft in the second degree, accused of doing campaign work on city time. (He's not the first, to be sure, but he's arguably a bigger catch than Rene Mansho.)

Now, after routine grumblings about trips Jeremy Harris took for campaign purposes were raised and almost faded, the question has suddenly become: even if he went entirely on his campaign's dime, did he go on city time?

It bears noting that Amii — who went with Harris on some trips (like one to D.C. to deliver $100,000 in donations) — allegedly did. If that's part of the grounds for his charges and arrest, it's suddenly quite conceivable that our smiling, geekly Jeremy will also receive a visit from people in uniform at City Hall.

Is there still any doubting that there's more to the "quitting the race" call? Are these latest investigations nothing at all, just the tip of the iceberg, or even exactly the sort of only mediocre middle-level shenanigans that you'd expect to take Harris down?

Comments

When he initially dropped of the governor's race I suspected that maybe he was thinking of running for some other office in the 2004 race.

I still have a feeling this is just the "tip of the ice cream" (as my Dad would put it) although I'm not sure what could be bigger than this - other than an arrest on Jeremy Harris himself, and even that I can't really place my bets on.

:: goes to dust the No Bad Karma powder all over herself and her computer... ::

Corky's Hawaii on Thursday's Star Bulletin (it's a cartoon panel on the front page of the paper for those not familar with the Star Bulletin) had a whole force of police including the SWAT around Honolulu Hale, with one officer on the bullhorn saying:

"Aw'Right! We know you were campaigning during office hours! Come out with your hands up!!..."

I have no doubt that something like that might have happened, simply because it's common knowledge that many State and City and County workers do personal things on taxpayers' time.

So if some lowly State/C&C pee-on can get away with it, why not the bigger dogs and head honchos?

Yet another update:
Harris donors to face grand jury

Folks have been sensing something coming down the pipe for days now. Most telling were the TV news broadcasts last Thursday, when they went out of their way to report around the rumors by going to every former mid-term mayoral candidate and asked, "If, for some unspecified reason, Harris had to leave office early and would have to be replaced in a special election... would you be prepared?"

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