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Hannemann
proposes isle youth
sports league

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By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Mayoral candidate Mufi Hannemann wants to set up an Oahu-wide middle school sports league administered by the city.

Middle school youths, in grades six through eight, are at the most impressionable age, Hannemann said, and educators are crying for healthy activities to keep them busy.

"I don't think it would take that much to pull together," Hannemann last night told about 100 educators who belong to the Hawaii Government Employees Association. "We have the parks, we have the gyms, we have the facilities to do this."

The union, which represents about 3,000 school principals, professional staff and supervisors, has endorsed Hannemann for mayor.

Hannemann said the idea is inspired by the Central Middle School Sports Program headed by Paul Kobayashi, principal of Wahiawa Community School, retired Leilehua High School principal and former president of the Oahu Interscholastic Association.

Kobayashi said that since 1994, he's run girls and boys basketball and volleyball, and later track and cross-country for students at the seven middle schools that make up the Central Oahu school district.

The program is supported by an annual $10,000 federal grant and is run mainly with the volunteer help of retired athletic directors and coaches.

In a speech outlining a six-point education platform, Hannemann also said he wants to look into the feasibility of having the Honolulu Police Department place "field offices" at public and private school campuses.

The actual involvement of the officers would be left up to HPD and each participating school based on its needs, he said.

"There's nothing like seeing the men in blue on campus," Hannemann told the audience, noting that Police Chief Lee Donohue has stated he would be open to the idea.

Other proposals outlined:

Coordinate city construction and repair work to best fit the needs of public schools.

Have the mayor market Oahu's higher-learning institutions and solicit private interests on behalf of the schools.

Expand the city's Summer Fun program to include technology and arts education.

Mayor Jeremy Harris, whom Hannemann is trying to oust Sept. 23, could not be reached for comment.

The mayor has proposed his own education initiative: taking over construction and management of school facilities on Oahu from the state Department of Accounting and General Services.