“I’m not interested in running,” he told The Maui News in a phone interview. “What I’d like to see is an open, fair, transparent race of those who file (as candidates). It gives everyone an equal footing.”

Political observers have noted that whomever Gov. David Ige picks to complete Souki’s term would have a slight advantage in this year’s election.

Chumbley said he’s discussed with Democratic Party leaders the idea of having someone temporarily occupy the seat and serve as an advocate for the 8th House District, which includes Wailuku, Waikapu, Kahakuloa, Waihee, Waiehu and Puuohala.

“I’ve gotten positive comments back from a lot of people about doing it that way,” he said.

In a statement to Maui Democratic Party leaders, Chumbley said he’s only committed to fulfill the balance of Souki’s term.

“I have no desire or interest in seeking incumbency for the sake of gaining a foothold advantage in the upcoming election,” he said. “Because of the power of incumbency and the potential for a long representative tenure, I believe district voters, through the election process, should have the opportunity to screen, compare and ultimately choose from amongst all candidates, who will represent us on a permanent basis in the state House of Representatives.”

Chumbley told The Maui News that there’s not much current legislative session time remaining for a new appointee to represent the interests of the 8th House. The session ends May 3.

The deadline for applicants to submit their names as candidates for the remainder of the term is Wednesday, and the Maui County Democratic Party’s official nominating committee is scheduled to meet Saturday. It will hear presentations from candidates and forward three names to Ige to make a selection.

Chumbley said that if Ige were to appoint someone for the remainder of Souki’s term on Monday, that would only leave about 10 session days remaining.

“It’s important to have someone with experience at that last important junction,” he said. “Decisions are being set in stone, so having the experience, familiarity of the process, established working relationships and ability to work through entanglements are crucial to providing seamless representation. In this short term, having to ‘learn the ropes’ would be disastrous for our district.”

Also, Chumbley has served as the Maui Region chairman for the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., and he said his top priority — if appointed to complete the current term — would be to restore full funding for the state’s commitment to provide eight years of subsidy funding to Maui Health Systems, the Kaiser Permanente affiliate that took over public hospitals in Maui County on July 1.

The first year of subsidy funding went through, and $32 million is being used by Maui Health Systems for Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital, he said.

Now, however, the House Finance Committee has “zeroed out” Ige’s proposed second-year subsidy funding of $23 million, Chumbley said. The budget is in the hands of the Senate, and “we’ll see if the Senate restores the requested amount,” he said.

He said his second priority would be to ensure that any capital improvement projects in the House district are funded and released.

Chumbley said he has established relationships with Ige, with Lt. Gov. Doug Chin and with legislators in leadership positions.

Also, Chumbley served in the state House of Representatives from 1992 to 1994 and in the Senate from 1994 to 2002. In the House, he was vice chairman of the committees on Agriculture and Education. And, in the Senate, he was, at various times, vice president, Education Committee chairman and co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

The governor has 60 calendar days, following the first day of the vacancy, to make the appointment.

Maui County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Lara declined to acknowledge that Chumbley submitted an application or disclose the number of applications received so far.

Whoever’s selected by the governor to complete Souki’s term, there’s “no guarantee” that person won’t seek the office. He pointed out that the candidate-filing deadline is not until June 5.

Maui Democrats are committed to acting quickly to forward names to the governor, Lara said.

“We want representation,” he said.

Souki, 86, resigned the seat he held for 36 years on March 30 as part of a settlement agreement with the Hawaii Ethics Commission of a sexual harassment complaint filed by Rachael Wong, the former head of the state Department of Human Services. The two-time House speaker and longtime Wailuku lawmaker also paid a $5,000 fine and issued a public apology. He’s barred from seeking public office for at least two years.

Five Wailuku residents have pulled nomination papers to seek the 8th House seat this election year.

Any resident of the district and a Democrat of good standing for at least six months is eligible to submit an application, which is available at mauidemocrats.org/wp/district-8-application. Applicants need to fill out forms, including a “statement of candidacy,” an “application credentials and questions” and a “nomination form” with verified signatures of least five party members within District 8. A resume also must be submitted.

* Brian Perry can be reached at bperry@mauinews.com.