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Hawaii’s World

By A.A. Smyser

Tuesday, February 22, 2000

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Harris is making
good on promises

HE lacks the warmth of Neal S. Blaisdell, his friendliest predecessor since World War II, and the showmanship of Frank F. Fasi, the feistiest and most entertaining.

Some people think he's a bit too slick -- as when he says he won't raise real property taxes but still picks up a few extra bucks for the city via assessment increases.

But Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris does one helluva job of running an efficient government, doing things he promises, and getting community input before he moves.

He's even on KHNR radio (AM 650 on the dial) at 5 p.m. weekdays to take calls about pot holes and anything else bothering the callers.

Governor Cayetano's very good State of the State speech this year was heavy on good intentions for bucking entrenched unions and bureaucracy in government.

Harris, who oversees only about one-fifth as many employees as Cayetano, was able to tell us that most of the things he is working for are under way or achieved. Examples:

$2 million each for community vision teams to carry out their diverse area improvement proposals.
Size of government down 7 percent in five years but with more police officers and firefighters than ever. Computers this year for squad cars. Global positioning systems for all emergency vehicles. Crime down by more than a third.
Trash pickup fully automated with hefty savings.
A soon-to-be One Stop Permit Center in the municipal building. A new city hall this year for Kapolei, plus more and even mobile satellite centers and services. Automated permit tracking. Expanded electronic bill-paying capability. Water meters read electronically from the street. More synchronized traffic lights and live pictures of intersections.
Waikiki beautification at Kuhio Beach Park, at the Kapiolani Park bandstand, along the Ala Wai and with plantings throughout the area. Tourism development tax incentives. Other island-wide beautification projects.
Progress on a bypass highway to Waikiki from Honolulu Airport via a parkway across Sand Island and a tunnel under Honolulu Harbor. Though it sounds far out today, future generations will come to appreciate it almost as much as Kapiolani Park, also considered "far out" when conceived.
More express buses, neighborhood circulator buses, and a trolley system from Kalihi and downtown into Waikiki.
A Waipio soccer complex...sewer service upgrading...more and improved fire stations.

A management rating of 35 major cities by Syracuse University this year put Honolulu in the top 10 with a special mention for achievement despite Hawaii's weak economy.

Harris owes thanks to a one-house City Council that is much easier to work with than the bicameral Legislature that so often stymies Cayetano. Despite this, Harris badly wants to be governor. He seems sure to run in 2002, when Cayetano must leave office.

That may be Harris' greatest vulnerability in running for a new four-year term as mayor this year. He would have to resign in mid-term to make the 2002 governor race.

His opponents -- Councilman Mufi Hannemann and Fasi -- are sure to harp on it, but I'll vote to sign him up for two more years anyway, just to be sure he can move ahead with his projects under way.

Come 2002 I'll let the cards fall where they may. I may even vote Republican that year just to help us revive a strong second party. City elections are nonpartisan, but Harris says he'll run as a Democrat in any partisan race.

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A.A. Smyser is the contributing editor
and former editor of the the Star-Bulletin
His column runs Tuesday and Thursday.