Honolulu will get a new managing director next month — engineer Wayne Hashiro, who now serves as director of the city Department of Design and Construction — as a result of a Cabinet shuffle.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced the changes yesterday, which will shift current managing director Jeff Coelho to the job of Department of Customer Services director.

Hashiro will be taking over the No. 2 spot in the city administration. Although it's a political appointment, the job is a key one that involves juggling a variety of management tasks and taking over the top post when the mayor is out of town.

As head of design and construction, Hashiro spent nearly as much of the first year of the Hannemann administration deciding what not to build as well as what projects to continue. That's because the new team re-evaluated dozens of projects under his watch and canceled some 84 contracts worth more than $19 million.

Hannemann said Hashiro proved himself a key team member well-suited to the new job.

"He really has adopted my mantra of fiscal accountability," Hannemann said.

Shifting former radio executive Coelho to customer services also proves a natural fit because of his people and communication skills, Hannemann said.

Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz said the mayor has the responsibility and right to make his own choices. He said he hopes that Hashiro realizes he must communicate regularly with the council.

For example, Dela Cruz said that when Hashiro cut projects, "the council members read it in the newspaper versus hearing about it from the department first."

Coelho also will become the mayor's executive adviser and personal representative.

Council member Charles Djou praised Hannemann for what he described as a "major Cabinet shake-up." "I applaud the mayor's restructuring and I think it is a good move that will hopefully repair relations with the City Council," he said.

The council must approve the appointments of the managing director and the department directors.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.