The Nation - News from Oct. 7, 1985

Despite receiving President Reagan’s endorsement, three Honolulu city councilmen have been removed from office by voters who decided that switching political parties is grounds for recall. The results show that elected officials “can’t switch parties in midstream and expect to get away with it,” said Councilwoman Patsy Mink, a Democrat and former congresswoman. Toraki Matsumoto, George Akahane and Rudy Pacarro, longtime Democrats who switched to the Republican Party in June and gave the GOP a majority on the nine-member council, were ousted Saturday in the city’s first recall election.