Posted on: Sunday, October 24, 2004

Candidates promise safer, less congested Honolulu

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honolulu's mayoral candidates say they have glowing visions for the city's future that go far beyond their frequent promises to fix pothole-scarred streets and leaky sewers.

Mufi Hannemann and Duke Bainum say they want to grow O'ahu's economy, make the island safer and cleaner, reduce traffic congestion, and make Honolulu one of the world's great cities.

Whoever wins the Nov. 2 election will have to work very hard to make those things happen, said Mayor Jeremy Harris, a hands-on leader who aimed high — some say too high — during a decade at City Hall.

Modern cities must plan well into the future, and that's especially important for an island with limited room for growth, Harris said.

"I think they really need to have a clear vision of the city 50 years out," he said.

Bainum's not thinking quite that far ahead, but says he wants to set goals that are achievable in 2020.

His "Honolulu 20/20" plan is a vision for the city that a child will see after 16 years of education that results in a college degree, he said.

"Every great city needs visionary planning, and a healthy balance between open space and growth," Bainum said. "And a great city is one where history is preserved and culture is cultivated."

Restoring public confidence in City Hall contracting and decision-making must be an early priority that builds a strong foundation, he said.

Hannemann hasn't pegged his goals to a time frame in quite the same way, but said he sees a larger scene in a deeper way.

One goal is to make Honolulu a true "Geneva of the Pacific," where the United States intersects with Asia and the Pacific in a meaningful way through commerce, education and diplomacy. It's not a new idea, but one that Hannemann believes has great merit.

"We just need a dynamic leader, someone who feels it," he said.

Honolulu is blessed with a multilingual population that mirrors that of the region it is the center of, Hannemann said. The key to Honolulu's greatness is increasing the confidence of its people, he said.

"I really feel we shortchange ourselves," he said. "We have to end the sense of feeling inferior, not as good, so people see us in a different light."

Both candidates say improving transportation will be a high priority, and that building a rail system will be part of the solution. Harris said that's a good idea, but that there should be no illusions about what it will take to achieve.

Relying on money from the federal government or the private sector would be a mistake, he said. The city needs taxing authority to pay for mass transit, and that can only come from the Legislature and the governor, he said.

"Unless they're willing to come out and say there are no free lunches, that no developer is going to pay for it, and that it's going to cost money, I think the chances of them actually getting something done are slim to none," Harris said.

Seeking federal money can be a time-consuming exercise in bureaucratic frustration, he said.

"It's virtually impossible to hold together a political consensus for the time it takes to go through a federal approval process," Harris said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.