But the past few months have been full of reminders to Harris that even when you sweat the details and have a plan for the future, leading a city can be unpredictable and frustrating.

In recent weeks, Harris has been forced to back off from three very public initiatives: full restoration of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium, an ambitious plan to build a regional park at Koko Head and allowing a carnival in Ala Moana Beach Park on the Fourth of July weekend.

Even when he is distracted by the occasional political misfire, it is clear that the 48-year-old head of the nation's 11th largest city is a politician with potential and a reputation as a bright, detail-oriented leader. He's expected to run for re-election next year and then turn his sights to the governor's race in 2002.

But to many of Oahu's residents, Jeremy Harris remains something of an unknown, even into his fifth year in office. His image is formed largely through speeches, public service announcements and carefully considered sound bites. His personality and policies stand in sharp contrast to those of his predecessor and one-time mentor, Frank Fasi, a passionate, irascible leader whose ideas and ego sometimes eclipsed everything else at City Hall.

Improvements to Waikiki, a major sports complex in Central Oahu, Natatorium restoration, light-rail transit and the park at Koko Head are examples of Harris at his best: pushing forward ambitious plans for improving the look, feel and livability of the city.

They can also be emblems of Harris at his worst: failing to line up political and community support ahead of time and becoming defensive or walking away when challenged.

These examples open Harris to the criticism that it isn't clear what he stands for. If his agenda is essentially to improve the quality of life for Honolulu's citizens, then where does he make his stand?

To be fair, Harris has spent more time than his predecessors simply dealing with the politically unpopular chore of bringing the city's budget into balance after years of generous spending that came with phenomenal growth.

While Fasi's agendas were clear and easily defined ­ helping "the little guy," encouraging business development and generally "getting it done" ­ they were also easier to accomplish in an era of expansion.

Started on Kauai

A native of Delaware, Harris moved to Hawaii in 1970 to study marine biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He got his first taste of politics on Kauai as a liberal Democrat questioning the pro-development forces that he saw changing his community.

"I was concerned about the way I thought Hawaii was going. I thought we were overdeveloping our islands and weren't taking care of the natural environment, the quality of life," Harris said, stressing a theme that has shaped much of his political agenda.

He added: "I never, ever envisioned a career in politics."

But then he ran for and won a seat at the 1978 Constitutional Convention, which gave a start to a generation of politicians.

Harris lost a race for state House that year, then ran successfully for Kauai County Council in 1980 and 1982. After losing a close race to Mayor Tony Kunimura, he moved to Honolulu in 1984 and was hired as an aide to then-Mayor Fasi.

He worked his way up quickly, becoming deputy managing director to D.G. "Andy" Anderson within the year, then groomed to succeed him a year later.

As managing director, Harris was a workaholic, staying in the office from morning through evening, devouring the details of projects and carrying out projects for Fasi.

Gentler approach

Today, Harris avoids confrontation where his former boss relished it. When people complained to the city about various issues, Fasi sometimes advised staff: "Tell 'em to go to hell, but do it nicely." Harris will respond: "Tell them we share their concern."

Yet that gentler approach has not led to harmony with the City Council.

Chairman Jon Yoshimura recently forged a more cooperative relationship with Harris that helped him to win the leadership role among council members who felt that a less combative tack with the mayor would be more productive.

"I think he takes things a little too personally and maybe he tries too hard to put his positive spin on certain controversial issues," Yoshimura said. "I think he's still trying to develop a political style."

That style was at the heart of his conflict with former Council Chairman Mufi Hannemann. An example was Harris' public commitment to buy land in Aina Haina to build a nature park to block the construction of a cemetery there.

After the measure worked its way through the council, Harris refused to sign the budget item that included $5 million for the land purchase for no stated reason. "He wants us to take the heat, but he wants to cut the ribbon," Hannemann said.

Council member Duke Bainum has had differences with Harris, but said he believes that during the past year the mayor has been willing to avoid political skirmishes to get things done.

Harris concedes he has mellowed: "There are very few people in the world that actually get the chance to have a brief period in their lives when they can effect dramatic impact on the quality of people's lives. It's a shame to waste it with political bickering."

Bainum said Harris took bold action by involving the community in so-called "vision-team" meetings that ask the neighborhoods what they want from city government. "I think once you give the community that power, fortunately, government will never get it back," Bainum said.

Harris rolls into work at Honolulu Hale about 8 a.m. every day in his city-owned Buick LeSabre. He spends the day sifting through paperwork and in meetings, often walks to lunch in Chinatown with Managing Director Ben Lee or other advisers, then returns for more meetings until heading out for an evening function.

He also does at least two early-morning radio shows a week, preferring an open-ended format in which he can talk at some length. He speaks well, knows his subjects and warms up to a small crowd, but he is not a glad-hander or comfortable working a room.

Someone once remarked that Harris will sometimes watch the floor numbers in an elevator instead of shaking hands with everyone in it.

"Actually, I'm pretty shy," Harris said. "It's been one of the hardest things for me to cope with in politics, having to sort of push yourself out there in front of people that you don't know."

An only child, Harris remained devoted to his parents, who moved to Kauai in 1974 to be near him. When their health began to fail, they moved in with their son and his wife, Ramona, in 1992.

His mother had been a social worker and his father a home builder. Those close to him recall his dedication to his parents through their illnesses. His father died in 1993, and his mother died just after the 1996 election.

Former Managing Director Robert Fishman, now chief executive of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, has worked for Harris and four governors. Of Harris he said: "He's an incredibly hard worker. He's an absolutely brilliant man. History will be kind to him." He said Waikiki already shows the effects of Harris' leadership and is still improving.

Detail man

He conceded that Harris has annoyed some longtime city workers by stepping right into their work. Some charge that he micro-manages, but Fishman said it shows how focused Harris is on improving the workings of government.

Harris expects those who work for him to work nearly as hard as he does. At a Cabinet meeting at the beginning of the year, Harris asked how many had been hit by the flu while keeping up with night meetings, vision teams and weekend tree-planting schedules.

When three-quarters of the people raised their hands, he smiled and nodded approvingly for them to keep going, despite their discomfort.

"He pushes his people very, very, very hard," Fishman said. "He does it because he absolutely insists on delivering the results."

More than a year ago, Harris and his wife figured out that they had eaten at home twice in an entire year. Since then, he said they've cut back on evening commitments and try to eat dinner at home at least once a week.

Since Harris does movie reviews on the radio, they must make time to go to movies weekly. "That's sort of our private time together," he said.

Council member Donna Mercado Kim has been a frequent critic of Harris, partly because she thinks he wavers with public opinion.

"He's always trying to find out ­ by polling or whatever ­ what the public wants, and then he'll do that instead of just doing what he believes is right and standing by it," she said.

Hannemann agrees: "With Fasi, you were always sure where you stood. With Jeremy, you never always know."

Harris surprised and disappointed some within his own administration when he shuffled loyal staff members to bring in other appointees with different political contacts.

'Breaks his word'

Fasi remains bitter about what he sees as a lack of loyalty by his former right-hand man when Harris declined to support his run for governor in 1994.

Fasi asked Harris to resign as managing director because he didn't want to see City Hall torn between supporting him for governor and Harris for mayor in the 1994 election. Fasi said he told Harris: "We can't both draw from the same well."

But Harris convinced him that they could support one another, then later decided to remain neutral. As an old-school politician who rewarded friends and punished enemies, Fasi could never forgive that move.

"The man does not tell the truth. The man breaks his word. The man does not keep his promises," Fasi said. "We all make mistakes. We all want to get ahead. But to me, friendship and loyalty, you can't buy that."

Among some City Hall colleagues, Harris has developed a reputation as having a "you're either for me or you're against me" approach to projects. And when some of those projects have failed to generate much public interest, or have sparked loud opposition, critics say Harris has walked away.

Some cite the highly publicized Harris plan to build a series of "koban," the Japanese term for neighborhood police kiosks, to cut Waikiki crime. So far, only two have been built, and finding staff for them has been a problem.

But backing away can also win points. When residents of Hawaii Kai opposed Harris' plan for the Koko Head park, he withdrew the proposal and won credit for listening to community concerns rather than pushing ahead.

Harris knows a good photo opportunity when he sees it: scuba diving to remove ocean garbage, planting trees and running the traffic-watch cameras.

Sensitive to critics

But he is sensitive to the criticism that comes with the limelight.

One observer commented that Harris' relationship to the news media could be summed up with Winston Churchill's description of the Germans as being "always at your throat or at your feet."

Harris acknowledges that he sometimes chafes at coverage, complaining that issues are oversimplified and important background information is omitted in daily news stories.

Harris is most excited when he talks about leaving Honolulu a better place, but he comes across more professorial than passionate.

He talks about a more beautiful city, with more trees, a revitalized sense of community, a better economy, improved sewage treatment and stewardship of the environment.

Harris points to Waikiki in 2000 as much different than in 1994, when he became mayor.

"I think it's going to be greener, I think it's going to be more pedestrian-friendly, it's going to be more Hawaiian. It's going to be a place people want to come. It's going to be a place people are happier living."

Harris gets excited about his field trips into the community, a chance to tromp through the Central Oahu cane field where the city is planning a park, to tour the sewage treatment plant where the city is moving toward recycling.

"It's the hands-on stuff that I like the most," Harris said. "The worst part of the job is the politics that you have to go through in order to get anything done. That's where the frustration comes from."

Impatient leader

Outside of Honolulu Hale, Harris continues to rank well with the public and the business community.

The Honolulu Advertiser Hawaii Poll for the past two years has found Harris ranked highest overall among local politicians. But the survey ­ taken last year and this year in May ­ found that Harris has declined in the positive ratings and picked up more negative feedback.

Attorney Peter Char is assistant treasurer of the Harris campaign, but not a longtime political insider.

Char said Harris' hard work and intelligence impress him, but he acknowledges those qualities can also make Harris seem intimidating. "There's a certain degree of impatience on his part," he said.

Retiree Lois Bunin got to know Harris when he was managing director and she was coming up with ideas to help the city get rid of street vendors in Waikiki. She said he and Ramona Harris gradually became closer to her over the years.

Bunin, 74, now volunteers as a greeter at City Hall and disagrees with those who call Harris aloof. "I think he's one of the warmest people I've ever had the opportunity of knowing," she said.

Bunin said Harris and his wife have visited her in the hospital several times, even on Christmas.

Bunin tells Harris when she disagrees with him and believes he appreciates the feedback. She said his kindness toward someone who has nothing to offer but her friendship shows that he has a good heart.

When people don't see a caring leader, she suspects the mayor simply has too many things on his mind. "What appears standoffish is just focusing," she said.