Mayoral hopefuls
likely judging
debate’s effect

Harris believes the men
will now try to get voters
to the polls

Duke Bainum and Mufi Hannemann are gauging whether Tuesday night's live televised debate made a difference in their quest to become the next mayor of Honolulu, the current mayor says.

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"I would imagine they are doing internal polling to detect some sense of whether the debate had any impact on the numbers, whether the front-runner is slipping or the one trailing has been picking up points," said Mayor Jeremy Harris, recalling his own post-debate experience.

The two candidates appeared on KITV4 News for a debate.

Harris, whose term ends in January, did not watch the debate live, but has it on video and was briefed on what the candidates said. Now that the debate is over, he believes the candidates will focus on getting their voters to the polls.

"They're probably trying to tailor their last few days of campaigning so they have to hit those areas where they have the opportunities for votes," Harris said.

In his first run for mayor -- when he was acting mayor -- Harris said he had to overcome the lack of name recognition to get elected.

"At this stage, I was putting in 20-hour days, but I was very optimistic," Harris said. "It's an exhilarating time, it's a nerve-wracking time, but it's really rewarding because at this point you've met so many thousands of people."

Harris also commented on portions of the debate that related to him, and provided insight into what it is like to be a mayoral candidate in the days winding down to the election.

Harris said he was glad hear about the praise given to this administration. "I'm very pleased that the candidates acknowledged some of the accomplishments of our city team," he said.

Hannemann and Bainum were asked to detail what aspects of the Harris administration they liked and did not like.

"In terms of the highlights, I look into what he did in Waikiki, I look at what he did in Chinatown, I look at what he did in terms of the sports initiatives that he's brought to the city," Hannemann said.

Bainum said, "I have admired the fact that Mayor Harris was very sensitive to the environment ... particularly in his work on the growth boundaries, trying to delineate what all great cities do, which is trying to find that balance between green open spaces and proper development."

But both candidates also said Harris spent too much time and money on beautification or "nice-to-have" projects at the expense of basic city services such as sewers, roads and other infrastructure.

Not so, the mayor said.

Contrary to the statements, "the single largest expenditure in the city is the upgrade of basic infrastructure," Harris said.

Harris had said just after the primary election that the two candidates needed to lay out their vision of Honolulu for the public, but he said yesterday that he has not heard that yet. "I think they have talked about specific projects or problems -- filling potholes is not a vision."

Harris said evidence of his administration's vision comes in the form of awards the city has won during his 10-year tenure, including one that came last week when he accepted a first-place gold award in the International Awards for Livable Communities as the most livable, sustainable large city in the world, beating out 48 communities from 20 countries.

"Our administration has focused on building a great cosmopolitan, sustainable city," he said. "I'm hoping since we've achieved this international status that these programs will continue."

But Harris was unhappy to hear that the two mayoral candidates do not share his vision of the Waikiki Memorial Natatorium. Both have said they will not move ahead to shore up the collapsing structure. He called their position "irresponsible."

"Some kid is going to get killed in there if they don't go in and stabilize the situation," he said. "It just puts the city and the next mayor in a precarious situation, both from a liability standpoint and a point of public responsibility."