{"id":1454,"date":"2026-06-17T07:34:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1454"},"modified":"2026-06-17T07:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T07:34:50","slug":"lawsuit-challenges-tommy-waters-eligibility-for-third-city-council-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1454","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit challenges Tommy Waters\u2019 eligibility for third City Council term"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu City Council candidate Trevor Ozawa has filed a lawsuit seeking to block Council Chair Tommy Waters from running for another term.<\/p>\n

Read more Hawaiian monk seal pup born in Kalaeloa, public urged to keep distance<\/a><\/p>\n

The lawsuit argues Waters is ineligible to seek re-election because the Honolulu City Charter limits councilmembers to two consecutive four-year terms.<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, Waters was elected to the District IV council seat in a special remedial election in 2019 and again in the 2022 general election. Ozawa argues a successful 2026 campaign would amount to a third consecutive term, which he says is prohibited under the charter.<\/p>\n

The challenge stems from a recent determination by Acting City Clerk Chadd Kadota, who concluded Waters is eligible to run because his first stint in office did not begin until he was sworn in during 2019. The lawsuit contends the city charter says council terms begin Jan. 2 following an election, regardless of when a councilmember takes the oath of office.<\/p>\n

Read more Arkansas murder trial underway for former Hawaii man<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Ozawa previously filed an objection with the city clerk\u2019s office, but the clerk declined to pursue disqualification proceedings and said no further action would be taken.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit asks the court to quickly resolve the dispute before ballots for the 2026 election are printed.<\/p>\n

Read more Hawaii Island police identify 17 year old killed in fiery Saddle Road crash<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The lawsuit argues Waters is ineligible to seek re-election because the Honolulu City Charter limits councilmembers to two consecutive four-year terms. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLawsuit challenges Tommy Waters\u2019 eligibility for third City Council term - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1454\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lawsuit challenges Tommy Waters\u2019 eligibility for third City Council term - 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