"When future generations look back, I believe they're going to say that we met the challenges of our time, and that our stewardship marked the renaissance of Honolulu, a truly great city," Harris said in his farewell address.

But controversy that clouded much of Harris' tenure — and abruptly derailed his political express train — will also linger.

Some projects were marred by design problems and cost overruns, others were harshly criticized as frivolous. Debt for much of the work won't be paid off for decades. And an unprecedented three-year criminal probe of donations to his campaign committee has dominated much of the recent news about Harris.

Harris, who mostly shunned controversy, said his favorite part of being mayor was seeing important projects reach fruition.

"The thing that I found most rewarding was working with community people and actually accomplishing tangible results," he said in an interview at City Hall. "At the end of the day, you look back and ask yourself 'What did you accomplish?' and you can see that there is a real, tangible benefit to somebody in the community. And it's always rewarding when you have a team of people that are working with you to get it done."

Harris' administration has written its own history in a newly published coffee-table book titled "Renaissance of Honolulu." But the immediate future may be saddled with financial constraints tied to what some warn will be the "Harris Hangover."

"Unfortunately, there's no ice pack to relieve the pain," said Lowell Kalapa, president of the nonprofit Tax Foundation of Hawai'i. "He spent and spent, and it was all borrowed money. We will long remember him because we'll be paying the debts he incurred."

Total debt increased

Jeremy Harris leaves his office at City Hall as his term as mayor nears an end. Harris has held the position since July 19, 1994, when Frank Fasi resigned to run for governor. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

But the debt has been countered to some extent by a strong real-estate market and increased property tax projections. Harris is quick to point out that the city's independent bond ratings are excellent, and said it's important to recognize that his administration saved money by sharply limiting growth of the city's workforce.

And others say it must be remembered that the island's economy was severely hampered by outside forces during much of Harris' tenure, and that the City Council approved all the debt. O'ahu real-estate values plummeted in the Harris administration's early years after a recession in Japan slashed investments, and the 9/11 attacks later disrupted air travel and nearly crippled tourism.

"I think that all in all, he can walk away from office with his head held high, knowing that he did a pretty decent job at a very difficult time in the history of the state," said former council chairman Jon Yoshimura.

But for some, Harris' accomplishments may be overshadowed by the campaign probe.

The dogged investigation meticulously documented a vast network of illegal donations from government contractors and associates that total more than $1 million, and it's not over yet.

Harris hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing, but the probe decimated his campaign war chest and destroyed his 2002 campaign for governor after a strong start.

Harris flatly denies widespread criticism that he rushed some city projects to benefit that campaign. He insists he knew nothing of the hundreds of illegal political donations, and that there was nothing practical he could have done to prevent them.

He also points out that the criminal prosecution has focused almost exclusively on money received by his campaign, despite findings by state investigators that numerous illegal donations also went to other politicians. Prosecutors insist their probe has been fair.

"He's certainly going to be remembered for the campaign spending scandal, much to his regret, I'm sure," said Honolulu historian Bob Dye. "But also, on the good side, he'll be remembered for the energy he brought to the office."

Liked being a dreamer

Many say Harris' enthusiasm for Honolulu will linger as part of his legacy, along with the debt the city incurred to pay for his visions. Eugene Tanner• The Honolulu Advertiser

"If he had any real accomplishment, it was to pull the wool over people's eyes," Kalapa said.

Former city land-use director Don Clegg, who became a top Harris political adviser, said Harris would become extremely determined to accomplish something once he had made it a goal. That often meant impatience with those who didn't agree, he said.

"He really couldn't stand public criticism; he didn't like that at all," Clegg said. " ... Jeremy had a real difficulty admitting he was wrong."

Harris Projects Here is a list of key city projects launched or completed during Jeremy Harris' tenure as Honolulu mayor. Central O'ahu Regional Park: 269-acre park beside Kamehameha Highway, near Ka Uka Boulevard and Waipi'o Gentry. Includes a tennis complex, softball and baseball fields. A swimming pool complex is under construction. Waipi'o Soccer Complex: 300-acre park on Waipi'o Peninsula in Waipahu. Features 21 soccer fields and a lighted stadium. Hanauma Bay Marine Education Center: Interactive educational center with video presentations, gift shop, restrooms and other amenities. Waikiki improvements: Wider sidewalks on Kalakaua and Kuhio avenues, paved with quartzite stones and featuring hundreds of new trees, vintage-style lighting and hanging flower baskets. Additional landscape and sidewalk improvements on Ala Wai Boulevard. Kapi'olani Park: New bandstand, landscaping and restrooms. Other improvements in progress at Honolulu Zoo, including new elephant habitat and enclosure for Rusti the orangutan. Kapolei Hale: Honolulu's second city hall, a three-story building with 100,000 square feet, including a driver's licensing office and large conference room, 1000 Uluohia St. Kapolei police station: Three-story, 50,598-square-foot structure includes a basement cellblock with capacity for 90 prisoners, 1100 Kamokila Blvd. Internet site: Award-winning Web site with thousands of pages of information, www.honolulu.gov. Waialua Community Park and bandstand: Neighborhood park with open-air gazebo at Goodale Avenue and Kealohanui Street, Waialua. Ha'iku Stairs: Renovated 3,922-step metal "Stairway to Heaven" trail up Ko'olau Range to Pu'u Keahiakahoe summit. Remains closed to public amid dispute over access path. Chinatown improvements: New sidewalks, curb ramps, street lighting, video surveillance cameras and underground parking garage. Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant: Major court-ordered upgrade of Honolulu's main sewage plant, pump stations and pressurized pipes. Natatorium: Restoration of war memorial's decorative archway, concrete bleachers and restrooms. Work on pool stalled by dispute with proponents of open beach space.

"I think some of the media folks took on the Harris administration and could find no good in it," Clegg said.

Neal Milner, a political-science professor at the University of Hawai'i, said he believes Harris will largely be remembered for the parks he created, and for city beautification projects.

"I think that will be his most visible legacy," Milner said. "To me, that's what he'll be remembered for by the average person."

Jim Hall, Harris' speechwriter and executive assistant for part of his first term, described Harris as a brilliant technocrat who detested mean-spirited political warfare.

"He wanted to save the world, but he didn't like the nitty-gritty of politics," Hall said.

Harris sometimes seemed to be everywhere at once, and he worked with tireless enthusiasm, Hall said.

"He liked to walk to lunch, but he was a hard guy to keep up with," he said.

Harris made a spur-of-the-moment decision to restore the crumbling Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium after Hall suggested the project be announced in a speech, Hall said.

The idea was initially very popular, but opposition later stalled most of the work. Harris pushed forward with the project for years, but Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann has said he will cancel it immediately after he's sworn in.

Clegg said the Natatorium saga is an example of Harris' stubborn streak, but that other improvements Harris made in Waikiki should not be undervalued, even if many residents don't directly experience them.

"There's no doubt that his beautification projects have made a tremendous impact, especially in Waikiki, and I think the importance of that is not recognized by much of the public," Clegg said. "We all live off Waikiki. It benefits everyone on this island."

And Harris' promotion of O'ahu internationally has helped create a very positive image of the island, he said.

Harris approached nearly everything with an unusual intensity, and he could also be a very caring person — sometimes to a fault, Clegg said.

"When someone had a personal problem, like a death in the family, it was just like it happened to him," Clegg said. "Too much so. You can't take on everyone's grief."

Delved into the details

Strolling outside City Hall recently, Harris stopped twice to pick up litter. It simply makes no sense to drop rubbish on the ground when there are two trash cans a few feet away, he observed.

"You always look at little details, because a city is all about little details," said Harris, who served as Honolulu's managing director for eight years before he became mayor in 1994.

He laughed about visiting parks and public facilities on the weekends and instructing his wife, Ramona, to inspect women's restrooms and report on their state of cleanliness.

Minutes later, he spoke passionately about development and environmental problems confronting Asia and the Pacific Rim, and about the impact they could have on the entire world's future. He has clearly focused much attention beyond O'ahu's shores.

"I really think that if we don't dramatically change direction in the next 20 years, civilization is in jeopardy," he said with a strong sense of urgency. "I really believe that when I go to China and see the growth rates they are experiencing, and how poorly they are managing it."

Asia has an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the United States, rather than repeat them, said Harris, who earned degrees in marine biology and the study of urban ecosystems.

"They are basically following our same failed approach, and the air pollution alone is choking Chinese cities," he said. "If we think our 4 percent of the population causes greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, just wait as the Chinese weigh in with 1.3 billion people adding 10 million cars a year to their roads and burning coal to generate their electricity. We're looking at enormous impacts."

Harris' views on sustainable development have led to numerous high-profile international speaking engagements, and he plans to focus on the subject after leaving office. Closer to home, he's sometimes derided as the mayor who couldn't keep the potholes patched.

"He was a good talker, I'll say that for him," said former Mayor Frank Fasi, who gave Harris his start at City Hall but had a bitter falling-out with him years later. "The fact of the matter is, this guy is not what he purports to be."

Yoshimura, the former council chairman, said he believes Harris always had good intentions, but that strong leadership inevitably draws flak. Harris also had a shy streak that was sometimes misinterpreted as aloofness, he said.

"I don't say this disparagingly, I say this more tongue-in-cheek, but he's kind of like that nerd in high school that was a really sharp guy, really wanted to be liked, and grew up to be Jeremy Harris and ended up being in a job and position that was kind of his ideal, dream job," Yoshimura said.

It's ironic that Harris was criticized early in his career for being a micromanager, and later fell under fire for problems with basic services such as street repair, Yoshimura said.

"It's one of the unfortunate things about public life that you're never going to be everything to everybody," he said.