Mufi Hannemann

Party: Nonpartisan

Age: 55

Job: Mayor, City and County of Honolulu.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii. In Hawaii from birth

Lives: 'Aiea

Contact: 808) 695-2220, info@mufihannemann.com

Web site: www.votemufi.com

Job history past 10 years:
2005 – present: Mayor, City and County of Honolulu; 2000 – 2004: Business consultant and non-profit head; 1998 – 2000: Honolulu City Council (took office 1994).

Ever run for public office? When? Outcome?
1986 Congress, 1st District; Lost; 1990 Congress, 2nd District; Lost; 1994 & 98 Honolulu City Council, 8th Dist, Won; 2000 Honolulu Mayor Lost; 2004 Honolulu Mayor Won.

Other civic experience or community service:
Founder, Pacific Century Fellows, Basketball Jamboree, Team Aloha, In the Paint Skills Camp; Chair, American Diabetes Charity Walk; Board of Governors, Iolani School.

Anything else you'd like voters to know about you?
When I shared my "Mufi's Maxims" on leadership and service at a cabinet retreat, I asked my team to leave the city a better place than we found it. And we intend to do just that.

1) Why are you running for office?
Public service is a noble calling and I have spent a lifetime preparing for such a career. Government is an arena where opportunities abound for one to make a contribution. As a keiki o ka aina, I want to contribute to the betterment of our city, state, and nation. It remains my goal as mayor to make Honolulu the best place to live, work, and raise our families.

2) Do you support the city's rail transit plan? If not, what alternative do you support?
Rail will be another means of travel. Steel on steel, the experts' choice, will be the centerpiece of a multimodal system. Of 62 projects funded by the FTA since 1992, 90% have been awarded to steel rail. Congressman Oberstar, hailed Honolulu's project as one of the best in America and recommended $900 million in funding. Future generations will look back and thank us for this wise investment.

3) Should the city extend/expand the Waimanalo Gulch landfill? How else should the city deal with its solid waste?
We should continue our comprehensive solid waste program that includes expansion to islandwide curbside recycling and construction of additional H-Power capacity. Achieving our goal of increasing landfill diversion to 79% by 2012 will serve as a guide to future strategies that may, in the short-term, include some out of state shipments.

4) What role should the city play in helping homeless people who are moved out of public parks and beaches?
Primary responsibility and resources for addressing homelessness belong to the state. We leveraged the city's limited resources to help nonprofits establish homeless resource centers in three communities and developed a work readiness program to assist the chronically homeless. We are establishing a rental assistance program and building a rental housing project that will also serve the homeless.

5) With revenues in decline, should the city increase property tax rates or cut programs? Be specific.
Ensuring public health and safety is our highest priority. We have invested over $1 billion in sewer rehabilitation, with another $1.5 billion in repairs forecast over the next six years. Our first target is the long-neglected wastewater collection system. Local experts testified that there are no environmental benefits to justify the cost of secondary treatment.

6) What is the No. 1 quality-of-life issue facing O'ahu, and what would you do about it?
Traffic is our leading quality-of-life challenge. People are tired of sitting in traffic and spending money on studies; they want action now! Short-term fixes include budgeting $200 million for road repairs and a traffic control center to coordinate traffic management. The long-term solution is a multimodal, steel-wheel, fixed guideway system supported by TheBus, TheBoat, and bikeways.

7) What's the No. 1 initiative you would pursue in 2009?
The economy, given what's facing the tourism and construction industries. For tourism, we'll keep our emphases on a safe environment, a sound infrastructure, and on the national level, expanded visa waivers for Asian markets, marketing support, and a cabinet-level tourism head. We'll build on our record on West Oahu development, agriculture, and rail—which will generate 9,000 construction jobs.