Rick Blangiardi entered his first race for public office, for mayor of Honolulu, as a political novice — but one with a lot of business acumen, someone who pledged to sharpen the business of city operations. It wasn’t certain how long he would remain in elected politics, or whether he’d even take to it.
Clearly the mayor does want his second term and, by demonstrating some skill in working the levers of government, he has earned another four years.
He has three rivals for primary election votes in this nonpartisan race. Choon James, a real estate broker and community leader, was in the wide mayoral race in 2020 as well. But neither she nor Duke Bourgoin or Karl Dicks has the experience or, after one term, Blangiardi’s record to be competitive.
The mayor, if he is reelected, still has much work to do — but first that record bears considering, along with further tasks that await:
>> For all its problems, rail has moved forward, and Blangiardi merits a share of the credit for shepherding Skyline past a significant hurdle: the delay in the release of remaining federal subsidy for the project. Construction is snaking through the Dillingham corridor, long acknowledged as the most challenging stretch.
One focus of the next four years would be to support the completion of Skyline’s connection to the airport, after which the usefulness and ridership of the system should accelerate.
And Blangiardi’s administration, the city Department of Transportation Services in particular, must do more to market the rail system. Building the rail is necessary, but not alone sufficient, to get people on board with it. Bolstering Skyline’s convenience to new transit-oriented developments, enlivening the transit hubs and enhancing the overall experience are essential.
>> One of the mayor’s top issues when he first ran for office was to streamline what has been a broken city permitting process, with delays that hobble many developments throughout Oahu.
To that end, Blangiardi’s administration, through the Department of Planning and Permitting, has launched systemic upgrades that have begun to cut permit applicants’ initial wait time considerably. Seeing these improvements through to the end when permits are issued is the mandate of another term in office.
>> Addressing housing and homelessness remains high on the list of critical city priorities. There have been encouraging steps taken in the right direction. Groundbreaking ceremonies have taken place on affordable projects in Kapolei and Aiea, using city land to contain costs.
A bond program has been reactivated to help with private housing financing. The city needs to stay the course on such initiatives and see them through to completion.
Blangiardi cites the Waikiki Vista supportive-housing project and the Iwilei Resource Center, which started as a medical respite center under the city’s Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) program. For the long term, Iwilei will be run as a state Department of Health stabilization center.
This is just one example of an increase in community- helpful cooperation between the city and state, which may be one of the standout achievements of Blangiardi’s administration.
Honolulu prosecutor
The Aug. 10 primary ballot also will include the name of Steve Alm, running unopposed for reelection as Honolulu’s prosecuting attorney. The city will be well served by another term for Alm, who has done a creditable job in his first.
He has focused on crime-fighting in the Safe & Sound Waikiki program, among others, and his strong opposition to legalization of recreational pot is welcome. Most recently, Alm’s office must firmly combat the proliferation of gaming centers that are often magnets for crime. One crucial aim, looking ahead, is to see that charges against habitual offenders will stick, keeping them off the streets.
Well after these elections, the public needs to stay engaged in the work of both these city officials to see that commitments are met.
