The controversy over the selection of a new police chief continued yesterday with four City Council members calling for the Honolulu Police Commission to delay the decision until the council members can question commission Chairwoman Christine Camp.

The council members are concerned about the adding of two candidates late in the process.

Two weeks ago, the commission named six finalists even though a selection committee it had hand-picked recommended only four candidates advance to the final stage. Two of the selection committee members resigned in protest.

The council Public Safety Committee, headed by Donovan Dela Cruz, had expected Camp to answer questions about the process yesterday, but she didn't show up.

Camp was interviewing finalists and said the commission was hoping to have a chief selected and named at tomorrow afternoon's regularly scheduled meeting.

Upset that Camp did not appear, Dela Cruz, with the backing of his committee, said he would write a letter to Camp urging the commission to delay the selection.

The committee is asking the full council to take up two resolutions at its meeting tomorrow. The first is a statement of "no confidence" in Camp and the police commission. The second calls for an investigatory committee to be formed to look into the search process.

Dela Cruz said it isn't his committee's intent to interfere with the selection process. "We're not trying to assert our authority to in any way affect the selection process or ... decide the outcome," he said. "What we are striving for is transparency and accountability."

Dela Cruz recessed the meeting for half an hour while council staff attempted to reach Camp.

"I hope that they're not using the final interviews as an excuse not to show up," Dela Cruz said.

'DARK CLOUD'

Camp, in a letter to Dela Cruz last week, said she would appear before his committee, but asked that Dela Cruz change the date of the meeting because she was interviewing candidates yesterday. She suggested that she would be available tomorrow morning.

But Dela Cruz said yesterday that would not be possible because the council is holding its monthly meeting then.

Councilman Charles Djou said he was also perturbed by the situation.

"Because the process is so messed up, whoever gets selected is going to enter with this dark cloud over their heads," Djou said. "It was my hope today that this meeting would clear up whatever doubts, or whatever dark cloud, may be hanging currently over the police commission."

Djou called Camp's no-show "disappointing and disturbing. I think all members of the public want to have confidence that what the commission is doing is proper, is right, and whoever is selected the next chief ... enters that office with some level of confidence."

"We don't have anything to hide," Camp said. She had previously said the commission decided to go with the top six candidates rather than just the four offered by its selection committee, to expand the pool, not to advance any particular candidate.

MAYOR'S SUPPORT

Yesterday morning, Mayor Mufi Hannemann reiterated that he has not interfered with the selection process.

When asked if he was involved in the selection process, Hannemann said he wants to know who is making the suggestion.

"Give me a name, give me an organization we can identify that we can go counterpoint with. But as far as I'm concerned, that's just a rumor."

Hannemann also voiced his support for the way the chief's search has played out.

"To Christine Camp's credit, she added this extra layer in the selection process," Hannemann said, noting that Camp chose to use an independent selection committee.

The commission selected Boisse Correa to be chief five years ago without a selection committee.

QUALITY CANDIDATES

The mayor also applauded the selection committee, headed by chairman Tim Johns.

"The bottom line is the six candidates that have been selected are excellent, all well qualified from where I sit," Hannemann said "My point is, let the process play itself out. The charter is very specific that the police commission selects the chief."

He added: "There's too much whining and complaining going on. If the six candidates at the end were of poor quality, maybe there's something there. But they're all very good. And the process to me has been fully vetted; it's out in the open. In my opinion it's very transparent and so let it play itself out, and let's see what the end product results in."

Hannemann had stated during the summer that he believes there are enough candidates within HPD's ranks for there to be a chief selected from within.

The four original finalists are acting Chief Paul Putzulu, Honolulu police Capt. Louis Kealoha, Phoenix police Cmdr. Harry Markley and Chicago police Cmdr. Gary Yamashiroya.

The two added later are HPD assistant chiefs Delbert Tatsuyama and Debora Tandal.

Correa left in August after five years when the commission chose not to renew his contract.