Ann Kobayashi tonight won the special election for the Honolulu City Council 5th District seat vacated by the death of Duke Bainum and will return to the seat she gave up last year in an unsuccessful bid for mayor.

Kobayashi, 72, beat out 13 other candidates in the mail-in election that also included former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga and labor attorney Nathaniel Kinney, a newcomer who launched a sizable media campaign.
Kobayashi won with 7,658 votes, or 37.6 percent. Matsunaga had 6,284 votes, or 30.8 percent, and Kinney got 3,822 votes, or 18.7 percent.
In all, 20,391 people cast ballots or 40.8 percent of the 49,851 eligible voters.
The 5th Council district seat was left vacant when Councilman Duke Bainum died June 9 after suffering an aortic aneurysm.
Kobayashi will fill out the remaining three-plus years on Bainum’s term, and is eligible to run for two more consecutive four-year terms.
The 5th District includes Mänoa, Makiki, Ala Moana, McCully-Möçiliçili, Kapahulu, St. Louis Heights and Pälolo.
This was the second special election for a city council seat. Earlier this year Ikaika Anderson won over a field of 10 other candidates to determine who would replace District 3 council member Barbara Marshall who died in February.
Council Chairman Todd Apo anticipates Kobayashi will be sworn in to office Aug. 28, with a ceremonial swearing-in scheduled for Sept. 16.
Kobayashi regains the seat she first won in January 2002, also during a special election when then-Councilman Andy Mirikitani was convicted of felony public corruption. That election featured also 14 candidates
Kobayashi chose to forego a reelection bid last year and instead ran for mayor against incumbent Mayor Mufi Hannemann.
Expect the long-running rivalry between Kobayashi and Hannemann, fueled largely over her opposition to the administration’s $5.6 billion transit project, to be renewed with Kobayashi back on the nine-member council.
Most notably, Kobayashi has said that while she supports mass transit, she has strong concerns about Hannemann’s plan. Matsunaga and Kinney have been mainly supportive of Hannemann’s plan.
Kinney, Kobayashi and Matsunaga raised the most money and received the bulk of endorsements.
Preliminary spending reports through July 23 showed Kinney reporting having received $109,910 and spending $99,969. A lawyer for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, his report showed $30,000 of his money came via a loan from his father, Painters Union chief Lynn Kinney.
Kobayashi was second in fundraising and spending. She reported receiving $96,616, including $7,400 in contributions from herself, and spending $82,406.
Matsunaga reported receiving $60,790 and spending $54,396. His receipts included $38,400 in loans from himself.
Kobayashi’s endorsements included the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, ILWU Local 142, Local 5, the Hawai‘i Women’s Political Caucus and the Sierra Club Hawaii‘i Chapter.
Kinney’s endorsements included the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association, the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, the Hawaii Carpenters Union, the Operating Engineers of Hawai‘i, the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council.
Matsunaga’s endorsements included the Hawaii Laborers International Union and The Honolulu Advertiser.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8082.