Honolulu City Council member Ann H. Kobayashi attended her final meeting as a sitting councilwoman yesterday but said she will not retire to a life of leisure and left open the possibility of running for mayor again.

"I've had a great time and met so many encouraging people. Politicians never say never," said Kobayashi, who was draped with lei. "People are strongly encouraging me (to run for office again)."

Kobayashi said she will spend a lot of time volunteering and helping out in the community.

Kobayashi's campaign committee remains intact and she will run for mayor in 2010 if the office is open, said council member Donovan M. Dela Cruz, who chaired Kobayashi's failed mayoral bid.

"Her supporters are charged up. The whole campaign was so positive. Everyone has so much aloha (for Ann)," said Dela Cruz, who has declared his intention to run for lieutenant governor in 2010. "I want to thank council member Kobayashi for making the lives of our citizens better."

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann has said that he will consider whether to run for governor or the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.

Kobayashi, 71, has 25 years of legislative experience on the council and in the state House of Representatives.

She decided to run for mayor just before the July 22 filing deadline, giving up the uncontested council seat she had held since 2002. She captured 42 percent of the vote Nov. 4 in a runoff election with Hannemann, losing by more than 47,000 votes.

Yesterday, as the council concluded its 2008 series of meetings, Kobayashi's colleagues lauded her work.

"She sees her work as a basic service to the community. Always a doer, Ann has been persistent and innovative in getting things done," said City Council chairman Todd K. Apo. "The people of Hawai'i have reaped the benefits of her selflessness."

Council vice-chairman Nestor R. Garcia said Kobayashi's work for her constituents at the state and county level will be felt long after her departure from legislative life.

"Ann has consistently ensured that their voices and concerns were heard in the chambers of the Legislature and here in the halls of Honolulu Hale," Garcia said.

Kobayashi was a state senator from 1981 to 1994, representing the Manoa area. She sat for seven years on the Senate's Ways and Means Committee, serving as chairwoman from 1992 to 1993.

She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1994, finishing third to Jeremy Harris with 19 percent of the vote. Harris was mayor from 1994 to 2004. After a brief stint as an executive assistant to Harris, she served as a special assistant to Gov. Ben Cayetano from 1997 to 2002.

"It's been great," said Kobayashi, addressing the council after yesterday's meeting. "We've had our differences but in the end we've always been friends."