Honolulu mayor’s inauguration delayed due to employee furloughs

Honolulu — In the latest sign of Hawaii’s struggling economy, the inauguration of Honolulu’s new mayor will be three days late because a public employee furlough kept the county clerk from certifying the election in time.

Mayor-elect Peter Carlisle is to be sworn in on Oct. 11 rather than Friday, as originally scheduled, because the earlier date falls on one of the county’s 24 annual furlough days, instituted due to budget constraints.

A court ruling recently held that furlough days — unpaid time off to reduce the budget — should be counted as weekend days, and the county clerk by law needs to take at least 20 business days to certify election results.

Carlisle was elected Sept. 18 with 39% of the vote, compared with 35% for his main opponent, acting Mayor Kirk Caldwell. Carlisle will succeed Mufi Hannemann, who resigned to run for governor but lost the Democratic primary.