Despite a distressingly low count of voter turnout for Hawaii’s primary and more than two months to go in this election cycle, the officials at the helm of Oahu governance are already off and running. That’s because the chief executive at Honolulu Hale and the contenders for Honolulu City Council have been given enough votes to secure their positions for the next four years.

The question now is: What will they do for voters in return?

Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who in 2020 ran his race as a political novice, easily secured the votes he needed to be reelected without a runoff in the general election — more than 50% of those voting. So did Councilmembers Esther Kia‘aina and Scott Nishimoto, who each faced multiple challengers for their spots representing Windward Oahu and the urban core, respectively.

Kia‘aina, the Council vice chair, had the incumbency benefit, her supporters plainly tipping the scales past the weight of her critics, some of them annoyed by her acceptance of large raises a salary commission set for members of the Council.

Nishimoto is a Council newcomer, but his name recognition from years in the state Legislature factored in his easy win. The rest of those up for reelection this year — Andria Tupola, Radiant Cordero and Augie Tulba — all ran unopposed and will join the remaining four on the Council to begin their work. City Prosecutor Steve Alm also returns to office after facing no rivals on the ballot.

So the city’s team is in place, but the in-box is already groaning under the weight of voter expectations and campaign promises.

As a start, Blangiardi’s own pledge to add 18,000 housing units to the island’s inventory over eight years in office is a lot to shoulder. The administration and the Council must rev up strategies to meet that commitment.

One contribution needs to be maximizing the potential for transit-oriented development along the rail line. The mayor has set a target of 2,000 affordable units around the station in Iwilei. That focus should be brought to the completion of other rail stops as well.

That’s only part of the picture, of course. The city, and the other three counties, are bound by the enactment of Senate Bill 3202. The new law mandates that the counties have ordinances on the books to allow at least two accessory dwelling units on a residentially zoned lot.

The bill, which the Council had opposed, ultimately was amended to exclude the smallest lot sizes, those as small as 1,200 or 2,000 square feet.

Now the conversation around setting appropriate standards for Oahu must start so that the enactment deadline of Dec. 31, 2026, can be met.

Boosting the housing inventory also will require better policing of city restrictions of short-term rentals. Continued work at the Department of Planning and Permitting to apply better technology should be aimed at tracking down the scofflaws running unauthorized visitor accommodations.

Further, city officials should move on a proposal for an “empty homes” tax, drawing more revenue from dwellings where nobody lives during parts of the year. This would help to sustain city services in a way that’s fairer to permanent residents.

Homelessness also must remain a top concern for Oahu leaders, and here it’s encouraging to see the cooperation between the state, which provides much of the funding support, and the city on initiatives such as the Iwilei Resource Center, including the new Behavioral Health Crisis Center.

Addressing the basic housing needs of Oahu’s people requires a marshalling of all forces. It’s work that awaits the newly assembled team at City Hall, beginning now.