Hawaii hoops standout Derrick Low is putting his popularity behind Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s re-election campaign.

In a television spot that began airing recently, Hannemann is shown at the end of the clip holding a basketball before saying, “I can’t do it alone,” and passing the ball off screen.

Low takes the pass and responds with,

“Count me in. Mahalo Mayor Mufi,” before hoisting a three that is shown dropping through the net.

Low signed his first professional basketball contract in July, a one-season deal to play for the Sydney Spirit of Australia’s National Basketball League.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the package includes free housing and transportation.

Low, a 6-foot-2 point guard, is a 2004 ‘Iolani School graduate from Honolulu and recent standout at Washington State University.  Hannemann is a 1972 graduate of Iolani School.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama could announce his running mate as early as Wednesday, according to media reports.

Obama, who is back on the campaign trail following a week on Oahu with family and friends, has reportedly narrowed his choices to Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, according to a report in The New York Times.

After months of political calculations and soul searching, what could have helped clear his head in order to make such a momentous decision?

Hanging in his hometown of Honolulu, according to The Times.

Next Wednesday the Honolulu City Council will consider a resolution urging the city to allow homeowners to pay their property tax with a credit or debit card.

The resolution, which does not have the force of law, asks the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services to amend the current pay structure to allow for the use of credit and debit cards.

Most Mainland cities accept credit or debit card payments for property taxes as do Kauai County and Hawaii County.

The city administration is reluctant to amend the current payment process because they say the two percent transaction fee charged by most card companies will have to be passed on to residents.

The resolution was introduced by City Council member Charles K. Djou.

Djou wants to make the process convenient for residents.

“Residents increasingly use credit and debit cards for all forms of financial transactions and it’s time for the City to enter the 21st century and accept credit cards for real property taxes.   It makes no sense that the City accepts credit cards for vehicle tax and delinquent property tax payments, but refuses to accept credit cards for timely property tax payments,” said Djou.  “Most U.S. cities, including Kauai and the Big Island, already allow for payment of property taxes with credit and debit cards; it’s time for Honolulu to do the same.”

Property tax payments are due tomorrow.

The Hawai’i Government Employees Association has been open to discussions of a possible four-day work week as the state conducts a pilot project involving non-union workers at the state Department of Human Resources Development.

An August negotiations summary of contract talks between the state and HGEA Unit 3 — which represents non-supervisory white collar workers — has some folks in political circles talking, however.

From the “union proposals” portion of the summary:

Article (New) — Work Week
Four (4) day, eight (8) hour work week proposal with no adverse impact on compensation, benefits and working conditions.

In Utah, which started a mandatory four-day work week for most government employees this month, and in the state pilot, the work day is about 11 hours.

Jodi Chai of HGEA explained that the Unit 3 proposal, which is similar to proposals from several other bargaining units, was floated before the state pilot was announced.

“Just keep in mind that this is merely a proposal and this was actually prior to the governor’s pilot project and it was just merely to start the discussions,” she cautioned.

The three mayoral candidates with the most realistic chance of winning are now all online.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann has had a site for sometime as has University of Hawaii engineering professor Panos D. Prevedouros.

In the last week, Honolulu City Councilmember Ann H. Kobayashi unveiled her campaign headquarters on University Avenue and her campaign Web site.

Supporters can donate online and keep up with the candidates.

Brian Schatz, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, appears in a
montage of people on the Web site presumed to be Kobayashi supporters.

Schatz, asked whether he has endorsed Kobayashi, said the party does not
take sides in primaries.

He said he did not authorize the Kobayashi campaign
to use his picture.