Fulfilling A Dream

That has certainly been the case for Muliufi "Mufi" Hannemann, the 12th mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, Hawaii, and that U.S. city's first chief executive of Samoan ancestry. Hannemann's narrow victory last November, in which he wasn't assured of the title until nearly 4 a.m. the day after votes were cast, is but the latest chapter in his long career in public service.

In a recent interview with Pacific Magazine, 45 days into his new job, Hannemann had already had to face at least 11 sewer line breaks and other public service glitches. This, on top of discovering that the city's treasury has no funds to pay for, among other things, renovations to an aging sewer system and repairs to roads and streets pockmarked with potholes.

In his first State of the City address to the City Council in mid-February, Hannemann outlined in specific terms what the city's fiscal requirements are in order to survive and asked the Council to accept the idea that taxes and service fees have to be raised and done so quickly enough to keep Honolulu moving forward. So far, it looks like the Council and the general public is supportive of the changes.

“I’m learning more and more every day that this is a very tough, challenging and complex job.” –Mufi Hannemann Photo: Jimmy Forrest

"I'm learning more and more every day that this is a very tough, challenging and complex job," Hannemann acknowledges.

On November 2, 2004, the then 50-year old Hannemann met his wildest dream head on. Late in the evening, as the votes were being counted, he came from behind to narrowly win the election for mayor of Honolulu by only 1,355 votes. On January 2, 2005, he was sworn in as Honolulu's 12th mayor. He also became Honolulu's first mayor of Samoan ancestry and the first locally-born and raised since 1968 when then-Mayor Neil Blaisdell left office.

With a workforce of about 10,000, Honolulu is the 11th largest municipality in the United States and has an annual budget of about $1.5 billion, which the mayor oversees and coordinates with a publicly-elected City Council. Honolulu has a population of about 900,000.

"I feel we ran a good campaign," Hannemann says, as he sits back behind his big desk with a full in-basket. "My one handicap was that my main opponent had money, so money was no object in his campaign. He comes from a wealthy family, so he had a lot of money to draw from."

According to the Hawaii State Campaign Spending Commission, Hannemann's opponent, Duke Bainum, spent $4.1 million in his campaign. That amount included several personal loans totaling $2.8 million. Hannemann, on the other hand, spent nearly $2.3 million, also partly raised by personal loans.

"We worked very hard up to the very end," Hannemann continues. "So I felt real good going into the election results that night, even though the polls were showing that I was behind. When the first results printout was released, it showed that I was trailing. The initial reaction among my supporters was 'Oh no, here we go again!' I cautioned everyone that we should wait for the second printout. We had all campaigned all the way to 6 p.m. on Election Day. All day long, I felt a very positive public response every where we went. So, when the second printout came out, the numbers between us had started shrinking. I felt then that this was my time, that we were actually going to do it, to win. That second printout reinforced my confidence in an ultimate victory. When the third printout came, the numbers had changed-we were ahead in the count."

Assured that this was the final results printout, Hannemann stepped out onto the stage in his campaign headquarters. Partway through his victory speech, however, he was quietly interrupted by his wife Gail and advised that, as luck would have it, the Election Office had discovered about 4,000 ballots that had not yet been counted. "At that moment, my heart just sank," Hannemann recalls. "So, I had to tell everyone that we had to wait a little longer."

The tension of the drama finally eased at about 3:30 a.m. While out for a late meal with his wife and family, Hannemann received a phone call that would change his life and confirm that he had, indeed, won the election.

"The caller told me that the numbers are final, 'you've won!'" he says. "I let out a huge sigh of relief. We were all finally able to exhale deeply and relax. I tell you, those were the best pancakes I have ever had in my life! The campaign was finally over. Of course, none of us ever got any sleep until late the next day."

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hannemann is the sixth of Gus and Faiaso Hannemann's seven children. The Hannemanns had migrated to Honolulu from Tutuila, American Samoa in search of a better educational opportunity for their children. After graduating from the prestigious Iolani School in Honolulu, he went on to Harvard University where he graduated with honors. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. His political career began in 1979 when he was appointed by then Hawaii Governor George Ariyoshi to be his special assistant on Pacific Affairs.

Hannemann won his first race in 1994, following unsuccessful attempts to win a U.S. Congressional seat. Hannemann ran for the City Council seat for his home district and won. He was re-elected in 1998 and also served as Council chair until 2000 when he ran unsuccessfully against his predecessor Mayor Jeremy Harris.