This is a story about a power struggle on Honolulu's city council, playing out while an ethics investigation hangs over some of its members.

• Five council members allegedly met privately at a restaurant to discuss leadership picks before a formal vote — a move that could break the state's open-meetings law.
• A month later, the full council voted in a new chair, vice chair, and floor leader, set to take over in December.
• Critics say this locks in power ahead of schedule, even though the council has to redo the leadership vote again in January anyway.
• State open-government investigators have an open case into whether the restaurant meeting broke sunshine laws, so the new leadership picks are happening under a legal cloud.
• The members involved deny any formal vote happened at the restaurant, saying it was informal talk, not decision-making.

Outlook: Expect the leadership question to be revisited in January, with the open-meetings investigation's outcome potentially reshaping who holds power on the council.