HONOLULU -- Councilman Rod Tam -- who's under criminal investigation for using city funds on meals for friends and family -- filed his nomination papers to run for Honolulu Mayor Wednesday.

Tam walked into the city clerk's office just after noon and gave leis to his parents who were waiting inside. He then took the oath of election in the race for Honolulu mayor from Honolulu City Clerk Bernice Mau.

Afterward, he greeted about 20 supporters outside the clerk’s office but refused to answer KITV4’s questions when a reporter tried to interview him about the police criminal investigation into the way he used his council allowance.

He's agreed to pay the city $13,700 to settle an ethics investigation that found he improperly treated himself, family and friends to thousands of dollars worth of meals with city taxpayers footing the bill.

Tam sandwiched himself between two supporters near the entrance to city hall and refused to answer any of KITV4's questions, while television cameras from two other television stations also recorded the scene. No other reporters were present.

"Why are you unable to speak to us, sir?” asked KITV4’s Keoki Kerr.

Tam said nothing but his supporter, Lionel Wright of Papakolea, said, “He's not unable to speak. We're gonna speak for him.”

“Why are you choosing not to speak to us today? Can you tell us that, please?” Kerr asked Tam.

Again, Tam refused to answer.

Another supporter, Blanche McMillan of Waimanalo answered, “Because we decided that we want to speak for him.”

Kerr responded, “OK, well, he's running for office, not you, so I'm just asking the candidate here, what's going on?"

McMillan said, “He is running, but we're the speaker today."

With that, Tam's supporters whisked him down the front steps of Honolulu Hale and into a white Mercedes sedan. They told KITV4 they were going to lunch, and even joked they might go to Zippy's, one of Tam’s favorite restaurants.

"We know the real Rod Tam, and we know that Rod Tam is a people person. He's a grassroots person and that's what us in Papakolea, that's what we like. So that's why we're supporting him," said Wright, who said he’s known Tam for 26 years.

Asked if he’s worried that the criminal investigation will dampen Tam’s chances in the special mayor’s election, Wright said, ”I'm sure that it may. But for me, I know and everybody else out there knows that this is politically motivated."

Former city prosecutor Peter Carlisle is one of Tam’s opponents in the mayor’s race. Carlisle asked the state attorney general's office to handle Tam's case because of a potential conflict of interest, since they're both running for the city's top job.

Others running in the special election for mayor on Sept. 18 are Acting Mayor Kirk Caldwell, a former state legislator who served as managing director under former Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who stepped down to run for governor. Tam’s fellow Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, the council’s former chairman, is also running in the mayor’s race, along with Panos Prevoduoros, a University of Hawaii engineering professor.

In a second probe, the state campaign spending commission is looking into Tam’s use of campaign funds to determine whether they were legitimate campaign expenses.

In March, a KITV4 investigation found his campaign spent $26,546 on food and drinks between 2007 and 2009, when he was not actively campaigning since he had just been re-elected in 2006. That came out to an average of $24 a day on meals and beverages during each of those three nonelection years.

In May, Tam said he was following local custom – offering people something to eat and drink as they talk about his campaign.

“I get volunteers, people interested in helping. And I say, ‘Oh, can we sit down?’ And then we have something to drink. A coffee or so,” Tam said.

His most popular destination is Zippy’s restaurant on Vineyard Boulevard, where campaign records show he ate 101 times in the last three years for meetings with volunteers.