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Admiration flavors memories


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POSTED: Friday, February 05, 2010

Puanani Tilton, a retired schoolteacher, remembers the first time she saw Frank Fasi.

“;I was a young girl. We were at the roller derby games, and I just remember he was so handsome but I said, 'He is a politician, and that's why he is smiling at me,'”; Tilton said. “;His whole mannerism was to connect to you.”;

Her friend Moana Nahinu remembers working in two of Fasi's campaigns.

“;He was out there with people from all walks of life, and he was always with the common people,”; Nahinu said.

The pair were talking about Fasi all morning yesterday at the Waimanalo McDonald's.

“;He was a scrapper, and he was willing to take on whomever and reap the anger of people who were powerful,”; said Tilton.

In Manoa, Ray Uyechi recalled how downright entertaining Fasi was for voters.

“;He didn't give a damn what people thought of him,”; Uyechi said. “;He wanted to do and he would get things done.”;

;[Preview]  Politicians and Colleagues' Response to Fasi's Death
 

They remembered Frank Fasi as one of the most charismatic leaders Hawaii has ever seen.

Watch ]

 

Yesterday in Honolulu you could strike up a conversation with almost anyone and they would have had something to say about Fasi, who died Wednesday at age 89.

 

“;I came here in 1982. In five years I became a citizen, and I voted for Fasi,”; said Lodito Reyes, a city worker taking a break in Aina Haina. “;Even though he was the underdog, I still voted for him. He was good for us.”;

Hawaii's political leaders joined in with remembrances of Fasi, starting with Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who renamed the city's office building after Fasi.

“;He was the bold and gutsy leader who shaped modern Honolulu. His enduring achievements are all around us: TheBus, the Fasi Civic Center, senior citizens programs, Honolulu City Lights, farmers markets, satellite city halls and on and on. Even rail transit was a centerpiece of his administration,”; said Hannemann.

               

     

 

READER COMMENTS ON FRANK F. FASI

        The man had more guts, brains and moxie than any other politician in the history of Hawaii. There will never be another like Frank Fasi. He deserves our deepest aloha and mahalo. He proved anyone can stand up and be counted. He was a great man and a great Marine. Growing up in Foster Village, he made us all pay attention ... even the snobs downtown. Aloha, Mayor.
       

— makalapa

       

One morning I was walking up Alapai Street, just mauka of Beretania behind the Board of Water Supply, when I spotted a man in a white jumpsuit sweeping the street. As I approached, I saw that it was Mayor Fasi, sweeping up glass from broken beer bottles. I asked him, “;How come you're out here doing this?”; He just kind of shrugged and said, “;I was walking by and saw the mess. So I went down there to get a broom. Someone's gotta do it. Why not me?”; After that, I voted for Frank every time I had the chance.

       

— joeeddie

       

Frank was the type of guy that you could easily hate but at the same time respect. Oftentimes I would argue with him, but he always stuck to his guns. I respected him for that even if I did not agree with him. We need more leaders like him.

       

God bless you, Frank.

       

— Bill Christensen

       

I remember meeting Mayor Fasi a few years ago in downtown Honolulu.  He was siting at a table located near an outside cafe, and looked very relaxed and in a positive mood.

       

I greeted him, and we chatted for a few moments.

       

Mayor Fasi was truly a people person, and his wide smile was just as bright then as it was when he was in office.

       

I feel very fortunate to have had this brief opportunity, and will remember Mayor Fasi as the “;people's politician.”;

       

My heartfelt prayers go out to Mrs. Fasi and their ohana.

       

—Mark Kazuo Bradley

       

 

       

Hannemann said he spoke with David Fasi in the morning and offered the use of city facilities for a public memorial service.

“;They know how many people want to come and pay respects to Frank Fasi, so I believe that we may be able to do something,”; Hannemann said at an afternoon news conference.

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie will soon resign his congressional seat to run for governor—the one office Fasi wanted but could never attain.

“;Frank Fasi was his own legacy,”; Abercrombie said. “;He didn't need to leave behind impressive buildings or heroic statues or huge parks to be remembered. He left a rich inheritance of public service based on a genuine love of Honolulu and everyone in it.”;

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye called Fasi's tenure “;controversial, to say the least.”;

Even though they often were on opposite sides of Democratic Party political fights, Inouye noted, “;Whether you were for or against Frank Fasi, one thing you could not do was ignore him.”;

Others were more blunt in their admiration. Dante Carpenter, Democratic Party chairman and former Big Island mayor, said Fasi had “;the testicular fortitude to strive constantly in meeting the needs of the people.”;

Gov. Linda Lingle, who defeated Fasi in a 1998 GOP primary, called his work “;innovative, sometimes unconventional, often controversial.”;

“;Mayor Fasi never wavered from his commitment to helping the everyday person and always showed great empathy for their daily struggles,”; said Lingle.

Former City Councilman Randy Iwase, who frequently sparred with Fasi, says Honolulu voters are better off because Fasi was mayor.

“;He was also courageous enough to push through what he believed in despite controversy,”; Iwase said, noting that the city HPOWER plant “;was a visionary project to deal with Honolulu's growing waste situation.”;

Fasi's friends were from all walks of life. Retired Army officer Donald Mack recalls first meeting Fasi when Mack was a 14-year-old golf caddy at the Waialae Country Club.

“;He was a former Marine captain, then with his own construction firm, an average golf player with a large muscular chest and a good tipper,”; Mack recalled yesterday.

After having lunch with Fasi later in life, Mack said Fasi was the same.

“;The first thing he asked me in front of everyone loudly was, 'I was a good tipper, too, right?' He didn't ask me about his golf skill, but wanted everyone to know that he wasn't stingy or a tightwad,”; said Mack.

Even U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka recalled Fasi's golf game.

“;I have fond memories of golfing with Frank. He played like he ran the city: If he saw something wrong with my swing, he would pounce, tell me what I was doing wrong and help me improve,”; said Akaka.

In the Legislature, members of the House and Senate observed a moment of silence for Fasi at the end of their respective floor sessions.

State Rep. Della Au Bellati (D, Tantalus-Makiki) remembered Fasi as a “;son of Hawaii and Makiki”; with a colorful reputation who will be remembered for his shaka signs, campaign posters and the political battles he waged.

“;In my community and throughout Honolulu, he will surely be remembered for how he stood up for the little guy,”; she said.

Star-Bulletin reporter B.J. Reyes contributed to this story.