Mayoral candidates
talk prioritiesDuke Bainum and Mufi
Hannemann detail how they
would manage city services
At a debate last night before a money-minded crowd, mayoral candidates Duke Bainum and Mufi Hannemann highlighted their ideas for managing the city's coffers and explained how they would institute fiscal responsibility.
The 45-minute moderated forum for members of the Credit Union League covered a range of issues but focused on how the mayoral hopefuls would manage the city's finances under tough budget constraints and a growing list of repair projects.
"We need to get the city back to focusing on basic, core services," Bainum said. "This has to be a priority. I'm talking about transportation. ... We need to develop a road map on how we're going to fix our sewers."
Hannemann said he would focus on "need-to-have projects, not nice-to-have projects."
"I think it's all about having a mayor who is really willing to listen. ... This will be a very customer-friendly administration, just like the credit union," he said.
Both Bainum and Hannemann vowed to address core city services and shot darts at several projects spearheaded under Mayor Jeremy Harris' administration, including a $19 million beautification project for Kuhio Avenue under way since February.
Hannemann said that within 120 days of taking office, he would instill "a healthier respect for a system of checks and balances" to work closely with the City Council and the administration's departments.
Bainum said that he has a 100-day plan if he were to be voted in, which includes making city government accessible and "have the same ethical standards that I have."
More than 70 credit union employees attended the debate at the Radisson Waikiki Prince Hotel, and several said that the talk had not moved them to vote for either candidate.
"I'm undecided," said Don Yee, a member of the league. "I believe in a strong ethical government. I'm still in the middle."
Deborah Lau Okamura, an employee at the Hawaiian Telephone Federal Credit Union, said both candidates "presented themselves well."
"They're right on," she said. "I think we have two qualified, professional candidates."
Bainum supporter and Hawaiian Federal Credit Union employee Denise Crosby said she would have liked to see harder questions slung at the candidates "so we can grade them." The questions were submitted by league members during the debate.