Garry Sues to Void Honolulu Council Leadership Vote
A lawsuit alleges five councilmembers discussed leadership posts privately before a November 5 public vote.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in City Hall
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Tim Garry has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to void the Honolulu City Council's November 5 leadership vote. The suit alleges that five councilmembers discussed leadership positions at a private October 5 gathering before the public vote formalized those discussions.
Why it matters
The case tests whether private discussions among councilmembers before a public vote violate Hawaii's sunshine law. The outcome could affect who holds council leadership in Honolulu and how the council conducts its business in public view.
The lawsuit names five councilmembers who attended the October 5 gathering, and the Office of Information Practices investigation is still pending. The leadership vote remains in effect while the court has not ruled on the claims.
The players
Tim Garry
Garry is a Honolulu resident who attended the November 5 council meeting and filed the lawsuit seeking to void the leadership vote.
Office of Information Practices
The Office of Information Practices is Hawaii's state agency that oversees compliance with the state's open records and sunshine laws, and it has an investigation pending in this matter.
The details
The five councilmembers told the Office of Information Practices that the October 5 gathering at Zippy's in Waipahu was not planned and that they made no decisions or commitments about leadership there. Garry, who attended the November 5 council meeting, alleges that the later public vote formalized those private discussions and asks a judge to require sunshine law training and bar the five members from council leadership posts.
Timeline
October 5, 2026: Five councilmembers gathered at Zippy's in Waipahu.
November 5, 2026: The council held its leadership vote at a public meeting.
November 10, 2026: The lawsuit was reported in the news.
Political Context
The lawsuit's core argument is that private discussions among a majority of councilmembers before a public vote violate Hawaii's sunshine law, which requires deliberations on public business to occur in open meetings. The five councilmembers dispute that the October 5 gathering was planned or that any leadership decisions were made there, and the outcome will depend on how the court and the state investigation interpret those facts.
Residents of Honolulu may see changes in council leadership if the court voids the November 5 vote and bars the five members from holding those posts. The case also shows how the public can check whether council discussions take place in open meetings under state law.
The takeaway
Open-meeting rules apply to discussions before a vote as well as the vote itself, so residents can ask whether council decisions were made in public. Watching for the Office of Information Practices findings can help clarify what the record shows.
Further reading
For more on how local lawmakers operate, see City Hall coverage of Honolulu.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KITV Island News.
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