Mayor Mufi Hannemann: That's our goal. In fact, we're ready to move on it right now. We're waiting for the state. They obviously have a lot more questions that they want to ask before we enter into an intergovernmental agreement.

I think you as a taxpayer, when you're driving down a neck of road, you don't know and you don't care if it's a state or city road, you just want it fixed, and that's what we're trying to do. And I think we've had excellent communication with Rod Haraga and the Department of Transportation.

In fact, we had a couple of dates that we were scheduling to have a joint announcement, and it was at their request that we push it back. So, I felt that it couldn't wait any longer, that we needed to assure the public that we had a plan since I declared a war on potholes.

So, short of that eventual goal of having one jurisdiction handle both or having you call one number, we're ready to push out. I think the good thing that has happened through all this is the state has ramped up their efforts. I daresay that maybe they wouldn't have focused as much on it had we not come out so forcefully.

Jon Scott Hoffman: I'm a government worker, just like a lot of people in this room, and I know that in government it's very difficult to enact an agenda. You come to the table, fresh off a successful election, and you want to change things. And there are inherently infrastructure and institutional barriers. Have you had an opportunity to determine if those types of barriers exist in Honolulu county government? And if so, what are some of those barriers?

Hannemann: The answer is yes, there are barriers. But we have two ways to take a bite at the apple.

One, we're right in the midst of a Charter Commission process that can actually take recommendations before the voters that can change, amend, what have you, organizational structure.

I've also bitten the bullet in a very tight budget to actually set aside money for pay raises. Because the way that it works basically is that if there's a disagreement, it goes to arbitration. One of the things that you have to take into account is that we have a very solid economy right now. So why put yourself on the back end and fight the city employees when private-sector entities, some of them, are getting pay raises.

We were able, I believe, to avoid a very long, lengthy, protracted process with the firefighters. That was the first test before my administration. I made it clear I wanted to keep it out of the courts, keep it out of arbitration, and let's settle. And that's what happened.

So all of that, I believe, will lead to not only a better relationship between management and labor, but more importantly I believe that when there are areas that we're not always going to agree on, they will understand that it's based on solid, substantive reasons.

Janine Brand: We've talked some about the state and the city working together for roads. One of my concerns is homelessness. What can the city do about it?

Hannemann: We're at the fact-finding stage right now because I don't want to get in the way of what other entities and other organizations are doing. I'm truly trying to find a niche for us on this issue. One thing is clear to me: We're beyond the denial stage. On my last trip to San Francisco, I had an opportunity to meet with Mayor Willie Brown. We talked about homelessness and how they've dealt with it. I'm trying to figure out what's the best way for us to participate in this debate.

At one time the governor was talking about building 17,000 affordable housing units, many of them to be available to those who now are past the chronically homeless stage and perhaps can find a job to rent a home. My contribution to that would be actually making a commitment to make sure that we streamline that permitting process so those homes can be built as quickly as possible.

Right now we have a major problem in Wai'anae. I know the state has a notion to build a permanent supportive shelter there. But at the same time, I don't want Wai'anae to be looked upon as a catchall for all our homeless problems. We have right there in the boat harbor area a camp of homeless people that just keeps growing and growing and growing. And one of the ideas that has been brought to me by some nonprofit groups is that they see some land there that the city or state has in the area that they would like to see set aside.

So I've asked John DeSoto, former council member in that Wai'anae area, to help us work with the community and identify a prototype project there that perhaps we could use and share with the rest of the community. It's clear in my mind that every community has to be a part of this solution here. I don't want the homeless in Kailua, in Kalihi, in 'Aiea now to be shuttled out to Wai'anae.

The homeless population now is about 9,000 people. I really believe it has to come down to permanent supportive shelters. That's where we're gonna go — with every community being willing to have that in their back yard. To me, that's fair. So I'm committed to securing the federal grants, talking to the nonprofit organizations, working with law enforcement agencies so that when we evict people, it's not moving the problem to another area, or six months later, they all come back to the same area.

These are the things I think that involve a comprehensive strategy, but I think we need to talk to those in the field who are already doing that and then commit to a plan, not just a goal, as the White House would have it, but a real plan that brings state, county, everyone together, making everyone recognize throughout O'ahu that we've got to be part of this overall solution and not look at one area to take care of the homeless problem that obviously now is spreading throughout O'ahu.

Blake McElheny: When I look at a map of O'ahu and look at the state land-use classifications, it appears that there's a range of 100,000 acres in urban designation, which would allow the highest level of development. And the data I've seen from the state is that there is somewhere around 40,000 of those acres that are either vacant or not developed to their highest, or best, use — maybe underdeveloped. Is there anything that the county can do to facilitate, incentivize and encourage those landowners that have lands that are already designated urban to maybe put those lands to use so that (1) they increase these homeownership opportunities and (2) maybe prevent some of the expenses that taxpayers bear when they do infrastructure projects far outside of the existing urban areas?

Hannemann: Yes, we can be much more proactive. I think there's an increasing sense that we really need to be very careful about too much development, or where these development areas take place. The city has made a conscious decision that further growth is going to take place in that West O'ahu area, and that's where I would like to confine that growth. That's why I'm spending a lot of time and a lot of my effort to show that we are serious now about creating a livable city up there. I spend one day a week in Kapolei, basically with my office out there for one day a week, and I take that as setting a strong message throughout West O'ahu that this is where the growth is going to take place.

I want to encourage more agricultural activity. I've taken a strong stance to emphasize agriculture, support farmers. We have to be very careful where the growth is going to take place. And I also have to be clear, too, if we're going to do a rail transit of some sort. Economic growth or activity basically develops or grows around those transit centers, so I don't want to approve everything right now; I want to keep our options open because I am a believer in rail and I'd like to see that come about.

One of the ways to reduce the costs of rail is to have development go around the basic transit centers and the like. If we're going to take these transit centers out into the rural areas, we've got to be very careful how and what kind of development rural community areas would accept.

Hoffman: Could you explain the theory behind why particular programs (from the previous administration) were cut and what the criteria was.

Hannemann: I wanted to make sure that people understood that we are cutting what I felt were expenses we could do without or could wait for a better day. To simplify it: need to have vs. nice to have. Then we ask the three questions that everyone has become familiar with: Affordability, do we need it, and what about ongoing maintenance? Then I added another one to that: Is it getting in the way of public safety?

Many of (these projects) were just sitting on the city's books. They put it into the budget and they never funded it. So every year it was just sitting there and I felt that oftentimes that leads to people getting very disillusioned with government.

So we knew it was not going to be an easy one. We knew that there would be some concerns, some complaints, some letters to the editor about some of our decisions. But we feel very comfortable about that process.

Let's try to figure out public-private partnerships for some of these projects to move forward. Is there a community group out there? Is there a private company out there that can help us with this? So, we're very open to reviving some of these projects, as long as it doesn't compromise public safety, or more importantly, that there's an ongoing maintenance plan to pay for some of these things that we felt government just can't be expected to fund, given all the things that we need to do now.

Alcosiba: The redistricting of the downtown area to be designated as a culture and arts district — what's your opinion on that, and are you in support of culture and arts?

Hannemann: This is where I want my administration to make its major mark. I want for us to do in Chinatown what Jeremy Harris did in Waikiki. I chose Chinatown for two reasons:

No. 1, I believe that the city doesn't have to spend a lot of dollars like it did in Waikiki. They spent nearly a billion dollars in Waikiki.

The Advertiser's Community Editorial Board discussed Mayor Mufi Hannemann's plans for Honolulu. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

I recently accepted an all-expense-paid trip to go to the Mayor's Institute of Urban Design. They asked eight mayors to come there with a project from your district that planners and designers could give you some ideas on. I chose Chinatown because a lot of work has already been done. (Frank) Fasi, Harris and the group that you're talking about — the city has already done a master plan in Chinatown. So I felt that is a perfect model for my administration now to embrace because we don't have to spend a lot of dollars and there's a lot of good ideas to build upon.

Hawaii Theatre is going through a major renaissance. It's there, it's happening. The First Friday activities — wonderful. I'd like to see First Saturdays. I'd like to see every night of the week with our activities. There are over 23 art galleries there. We have a lot of parking all over Chinatown. The Arts Center at Marks Garage I take great personal pride in. I introduced a resolution on the council, we provided the seed money, we partnered with a nonprofit group, voila.

I'd like to see this prototype in other areas. I'd like to do it in the North Shore, I'd like to do it out on the Windward side, I'd like to do it in Kaimuki, Kapahulu. We take underutilized facilities, be it public or private, and we turn them into art centers.

Loft housing gives us another opportunity to create an upscale image of Chinatown. I want to push that. I'd like to look at that River Street area and see whether in fact we could do a miniature outdoor cafe type of experience there. I'd like to bring back 'A'ala Park and make that a little different. I remember at one time 'A'ala Park was the gathering place. It's beautiful now, but basically it's desolate. So you've got a lot of new development that's coming there.

Brand: What can you do to avoid the inside-the-beltway mentality?

Hannemann: You know, that was one of the interesting things I talked to Willie Brown about, 'cause I always saw him as a grassroots mayor. And when he counseled me, he said, "Mufi, the way you campaign to be mayor is how you should conduct yourself as mayor. And that is, make sure you're always out there in the public; make sure you're touching base with people." And that's great because that's how I feel.

I don't want to be a mayor who spends his time sitting behind his desk at City Hall. I encourage my Cabinet to get out in the community. If they're sitting behind their desk all the time, if they're not out there interacting with the community, then they're not going to be very effective. Because they're not hearing what's out there.

That's one of the reasons why, not only do I work in Kapolei once a week, I have Cabinet meetings out there once a month. We're going to have Kapolei City Lights like you do Honolulu City Lights. I'd like to talk to Windward Mall if we could do a Windward City Lights over there. These are things that I think that just gets the mayor out there in the community.

I've always said your mayor is your grassroots leader in the community. The mayor is the guy whom people feel comfortable with.

I love my job. I'm excited about it, I don't think I'm going to feel any differently four years from now. I campaigned a long time for this job, for one thing, and I have a lot of ideas for this, and I have a great team. That's the other thing: You gotta surround yourself with good people. That's why I'm very proud of the team that I've assembled.

McElheny: The visioning process — it was clear there were many flaws there. But one of the upsides of the concept was it involved residents from around the island in the thought process of what do we need in our specific geographic community. (What is) your philosophy on what you tell, say, a young person in the community? What would you tell them, how would you guide them in getting involved in the governance process? Is there more that the county government can do to give citizens that good information, and also a role in deciding where resources are invested, and how can we avoid some of the mistakes of the visioning process where the residents maybe weren't given the adequate tools to make the sound decisions when they were given that opportunity to get involved?

Hannemann: I like to think that we did the first visioning process — that the Harris administration basically patterned the visioning process (after our work). And that was when I came into office as a council member and I was saddled with the problem of figuring out what to do with the Manana plans. The city purchased 119 acres for $122 million and basically the charge from the administration was, we've got to develop these lands — we've got to do something. These were dilapidated warehouses.

The ideas that initially came up, from affordable housing to a cemetery, were shot down by the community. So I embraced that concept and came up with a community-based process. The Harris administration folks were there — City Council, state officials, the community — and we sat down at the table. The difference with that process of the visioning is that I didn't hold out $2 million a year, I didn't say we were gonna get $10 million if we do this. But I said to them, let's be clear. The city needs this because it needed to reduce the debt. What is it that we want as a community for this, and let me see if we can sell it to the council. And that's what happened. They said, you know what, we'd like another major spine to come through Waimano Home Road, so it'd make it easier for us to get to Kam Highway; we'd like a youth park, we'd like a recreation center.

And all of that was a healthy give and take — and every time there was something that didn't sit well with them, I asked the Harris administration, and to their credit, they went to the neighborhood boards, we formed what was called a Pearl City task force, and we had that ongoing exchange.

And today what I think you see is a win-win situation in terms of community benefits, city services, retail operations that have contributed to traffic mitigation measures as well as $300,000 that Home Depot gave for the Pearl City community youth to benefit from.

So that's how I see it happening. I want to work with the council members and say to them, "Hey, this is what I did with Manana several years ago, let's do that in all your areas where there's a major need, be it homeless, be it drugs, be it the need for ball fields, what have you — put together a group, then let's empower the community to come forward." But let's not just put a price tag on it and let's be realistic in terms of what it is that we can deliver from the city.

I'd also like to reaffirm the importance of the neighborhood boards. For that person who wants to cut his or her teeth in terms of elected office, you run for the neighborhood board, learning parliamentary procedure. You run for the neighborhood board if you want to be a leader in your community.

McElheny: I appreciate that. That's positive. I hope the council can get that message out there to the high schools, to recent college grads, to come to the meetings.