"The next mayor should pay attention to the basics," said Sam Maii, 51 of Palolo. "Harris started good, but he went off track. All that Nu'uanu community sign stuff. In Palolo we got a small wooden sign over here. It does the job."

East Honolulu resident Herm Zampetti, 61, agreed.

"I'm really upset about the quality of the roads," Zampetti said. "Potholes. That's a major thing. I'd rather they put more money into that than brunches on the beach. Let's take care of city functions before the frills."

Both mayoral candidates Duke Bainum and Mufi Hannemann — one of whom will be elected tomorrow — say they have heard that message loud and clear.

Bainum said going back to basics with core city services is a central theme of his campaign.

"What has happened is the pendulum did swing too far over to beautification and other type of projects," said Bainum, a former state legislator and city councilman. "You can't build a great city or a vigorous economy on a weak foundation. Basic city services are the foundation of our city. That means repairing your sewer lines and maintaining water lines so they don't break every other week. Making sure you repave the roads and pick up the trash. All those type of things. It is not glamourous, but boy, it is important."

Hannemann, also a former city councilman, promises to provide the "need-to-have projects, not nice-to-have projects."

"People in this community want us to focus on basic city services," Hannemann said. "The priority part of the budget will go for basic city services. I outlined it very early in this campaign — roads, sewers, our parks, solid-waste management and public safety."

Honolulu is the 11th largest city in the country according to the U.S. Census with a population of 892,000. The city operates with an annual budget of $1.2 billion and employs nearly 8,000 people. The city maintains nearly 2,000 miles of roads, 9,000 acres of parks and more than 2,000 miles of sewer lines. The Police Department has more than 1,800 sworn officers and the Fire Department has 1,152 uniformed positions.

Lynne Matusow, chairwoman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, said some of the Harris projects such as Brunch on the Beach reduced public safety by taking police officers away from normal duties for traffic and crowd control.

"That isn't what police overtime should be used for," Matusow said. "It should be used for real police activities. These events need the special-duty officers and the private sponsors should pay for them. If the tourist industry is so keen on this stuff, let them foot the bill."

Brunch on the Beach transforms Kalakaua Avenue into an outdoor cafe featuring food booths and free entertainment. Hundreds of tourists and residents attend. Sunset on the Beach is a similar program taking place in Waikiki and other communities with live entertainment, food booths and free movies. Both are paid for with city money.

Harris has also spent millions of dollars to beautify roads, sidewalks and parks in Waikiki, expanded O'ahu's parks system and through his "vision teams" created community plans and landscaped road medians. One of the vision team's most controversial projects was the Nu'uanu gateway sign that cost more than $500,000.

Hannemann said his administration would end that type of spending.

"No more $566,000 for community signs," Hannemann said. "No more $1.3 million for median strips and landscaping of trees that nobody wants in East Honolulu. Whenever we spend something new I'm going to ask three questions: do we need it, can we afford it and most importantly, can we maintain it? If we can't maintain it we are going to repair and maintain that which we (already) have."

Makiki resident Milton Hee, 59, wants the new mayor to make sure the beaches and parks are maintained and garbage and sewage are handled properly.

"Right now the city is too overburdened with the population increase so we've got to try and make it sustainable and livable for the next generation," Hee said. "Parks are something I want to enjoy and I want my kids to enjoy, but we have to be really cognizant of the rubbish we are throwing around and all the pipes breaking."

Bainum said park maintenance is one of the most frequent complaints of residents.

"We need to provide the resources, which means money and personnel, to do a better job," he said. "In particular, restroom cleanliness. As a physician, it upsets me to see the conditions of some restrooms."

To pay for those improvements and other basic services, Bainum said he would ask the state to help.

"Our visitor numbers continue to increase and that's why we need greater financial assistance from the state," he said. "We are picking up the visitors' trash, providing lifeguard service and police protection. All those things and the state is giving us less and less money. That is why I will work closely with the governor to try to increase support for the city."

Hannemann will seek more federal money to help pay for basic services.

"There are lots of federal grants that are escaping the City and County of Honolulu," Hannemann said. "We have relied on our federal delegation to bring home federal grants, and they do a great job, but I know there are county-specific grants that we are not getting."

Hannemann said the first thing he would need to do at City Hall is find out exactly how much money the city has.

"Nobody really knows," he said. "There has been an ongoing guessing game between the council, the administration and the public of how much money there is. To bring about a businesslike approach to managing our finances, I've called for an operational audit and budget for results. The money in the Hannemann administration is going to go to the following: roads, sewers, parks, solid-waste management and public safety."