CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Former Mayor Frank Fasi salutes with a twinkle in his eye at yesterday's renaming of the city's Municipal Office Building in his honor.
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The Fasi Legacy
Former colleagues turn out to honor the ex-mayor at the Municipal Building
USING a shiny metal cane and wearing two hearing aids, Frank Fasi came back to City Hall yesterday, his home for 22 years.
This time, Fasi returned to be honored. Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the City Council named the 15-story Municipal Office Building and the adjacent park for the 85-year-old former mayor, councilman and territorial senator.
Friends, former Cabinet officials and political supporters gathered to honor one of Honolulu's most colorful and effective political leaders.
Watching Fasi was his longtime former campaign chairman, Iwao Yokooji, who had been with Fasi during his six City Hall wins and the four failed attempts to become governor.
"It was hard. He could win Oahu, but the bitter thing was when you lose the battle," Yokooji said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mayor Mufi Hannemann and former Mayor Frank Fasi were at the renaming ceremony of the Municipal Office Building yesterday. Gail Mukaihata Hannemann, Hannemann's wife, was at left, and Joyce Fasi was at right.
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DURING the ceremony, Hannemann, who was 14 when Fasi first became mayor in 1968, reminded the audience how Fasi created Honolulu's bus system by ignoring the strike by the then private bus company, buying 300 used buses on the mainland, arranging for federal funding and starting what he dubbed "TheBus."
"I cannot think of a lasting city project that does not have Frank Fasi's imprimatur on it," Hannemann said.
"You talk about satellite city halls, the open market, Honolulu City Lights or his many other programs to help the little guy," Hannemann said.
Fasi resigned as mayor in 1994 to run for governor and was defeated. He then ran unsuccessfully three times to regain the mayorship, the last time two years ago.
EVER the politician, Fasi, who after losing in the 2004 primary endorsed Hannemann in the general election, told onlookers yesterday, "I will not run for office again, but Mufi will, so vote for him."
STAR-BULLETIN / JANUARY 1969
Frank Fasi talks to the media during one of his six terms as mayor of Honolulu. At a city Cabinet meeting, the fire chief reported that hydrants in high-rent districts had been painted in pastel colors by residents in an attempt to dress up the area. The practice was halted, and the hydrants went back to the standard silver. Mayor Fasi said that it was not all that important: "Dogs are colorblind anyway," he joked.
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Fasi spoke to the crowd of about 150 and explained what he tried to do as mayor.
"He served you, he saved you money and he did the job the way it was supposed to be done.
"We saved some of the money, and that means we saved your taxes, as least I hope so, because I ran for re-election on that one year," Fasi said.
Joyce Fasi, Fasi's wife, also thanked Hannemann, noting that a special exception to the city ordinance was passed allowing a city facility to be named after a living person.
"I am so glad that the Council agreed with Mufi to name this building for my husband while he can enjoy it and we can be with him," she said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Former Mayor Frank Fasi arrived yesterday at the ceremony to rename the Municipal Office Building in his honor. His wife, Joyce Fasi, was at left. Gina Fasi, their daughter, was at right.
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Fasi noted that he expects to celebrate his 86th birthday on Aug. 27, but he has been slowing down.
"I'm sharp upstairs, but the extremities are a little weaker," said Fasi, who used to routinely challenge reporters to do 100 push-ups.
Longtime City Hall worker Tom Hisamura, who started working with Fasi in 1974, acknowledged that "the mayor looked frail."
Fasi's former managing director, Ed Hirata, who started as head of the city Building Department in 1969, recalled that while in office, Fasi was a tough, demanding boss.
"We were constantly challenged by Mayor Fasi to think of new solutions," Hirata said. "For 22 years, Mayor Fasi was a man of a thousand ideas. In 22 years we got more done than any other mayor in the history of Honolulu."
