Mufi Hannemann

Mufi Hannemann served as the 12th mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, the 13th largest municipality in the United States.  He took office in January 2005 and was reelected resoundingly, with an 80-percent public approval rating, to a second term that began in January 2009.

As mayor, Hannemann amassed a remarkable record of achievement. He led the development of Oahu’s first rail transit system, which is poised to break ground soon. His strong emphasis on public safety led to Honolulu being named by the FBI as one of America’s safest big cities, accreditation of both the police and fire departments, additions to the fleet of fire engines and police cars, repairs to fire houses, establishment of a Department of Emergency Management, expanded ambulance facilities, and a major overhaul of the first-responder telecommunication network.

His commitment to fiscal integrity resulted in many financial awards and consistently high bond ratings from prominent rating agencies. The administration’s focus on the infrastructure led to billions of dollars of investment in the sewer network and treatment facilities, as well as expansion or improvement of curbside recycling, bulky-item pickup, and other refuse services. An expansion of the waste-to-energy plant will increase electricity output, while plans are proceeding for the processing of green waste, food waste, and sewage sludge; the introduction of new disposal demonstration technology; and ash and residue use.

Meanwhile, the City’s aggressive road program resulted in repaved thoroughfares, filling of potholes, and tens of millions of dollars for additional resurfacing.  An accelerated parks and public facilities effort led to repairs and maintenance of parks, gyms, golf courses, and the Blaisdell Center, as well as new attractions at the Honolulu Zoo.

In the digital technology arena, the City brought free wireless Internet service in public areas, City facilities, and parks; greatly expanded its catalog of online services; and earned national recognition for these accomplishments.

Hannemann, who has been a long-time advocate of economic development, was credited with playing a pivotal role in averting the closure of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard; greatly expanding public-private partnerships with business and community organizations; revitalizing Chinatown as an arts and culture district, which snagged Honolulu a national outstanding achievement award; supporting the development of the Disney resort in Ko Olina and Trump Tower in Waikiki; and advocating for the sports and film industries. He involved the City in supporting the agricultural industry by reducing property tax rates on farm land, curbing the theft of crops, collaborating with the Hawaii Farm Bureau on soil conservation, and opening a farmers market in downtown Honolulu.

On the environmental front, his 21st Century Ahupuaa program set forth near-term goals for energy and resource conservation and sustainability in City government. He was credited with driving a successful effort to reduce demands on Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, saving Waimea Valley from development, settling a long-standing management dispute involving the Kawai Nui Marsh, and expanding recycling. He resolved a long-standing dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency involving the City’s waste water system.

He was active in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where he served as trustee and chairman of the group’s tourism committee and led the charge nationally among his mayoral colleagues to prioritize the arts and visitor industry.

Hannemann helped found the Hawaii Council of Mayors, the organization of the state’s four mayors that collaborates on inter-county issues, lobbies for state legislation, and works together on matters affecting local government. They also were members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where they pursued federal assistance for the counties of Hawaii.

The Honolulu-born, Harvard-educated leader is an alumnus of ‘Iolani School, where he was student body president, an all-star athlete in football and basketball, and recipient of the Headmaster’s Award. He chose to attend Harvard University from amongst Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Brown, and Cornell. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard, and was active in student government and lettered in varsity basketball. Following his graduation in 1976, he studied abroad as a Fulbright Scholar at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

Hannemann served on the City Council beginning in 1995, including as its chairman. At the state level, he was a special assistant to Governor George Ariyoshi. In the administration of Governor John Waihe‘e, he was director of the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and Office of International Relations. He was an executive with agribusiness C. Brewer and Company, created and operated his own consulting firm and non-profit organization, and was an educator and coach at ‘Iolani School, his high school alma mater. He also founded the Pacific Century Fellows, modeled after the White House Fellows, that is mentoring and encouraging future generations of local leaders.

He has the distinction of having served in four Presidential administrations—Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush—in a number of appointed capacities. He was a special assistant in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular and International Affairs under President Jimmy Carter. He was a White House Fellow with Vice President George H.W. Bush during the Reagan administration. He was President Bill Clinton’s U.S. representative to the South Pacific Commission under the U.S. Department of State. And he was appointed by former U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship during the tenure of President George W. Bush.

Among his numerous honors and awards, Mayor Hannemann recently received the American Public Transportation Association’s 2010 Local Distinguished Service Award for his role in Oahu’s rail transit project. Another national award was bestowed on Hannemann in 2008 by Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors as the nation’s mayoral advocate for the arts.

He was selected for the Easter Seals National Outstanding Advocate Award, named Fellow of the Pacific by Hawaii Pacific University, honored by Iolani School with the Alumni Service Award, and inducted into the Farrington High School Governors’ Hall of Fame. The National Football League gave him its highest state accolade by honoring him with the Val Pinchbeck Award for his support for the Hawaii Pro Bowl and the league’s charitable endeavors in the islands. The American Diabetes Association has recognized Hannemann as its honorary chairman for several years and credits him as the most prolific fundraiser and volunteer recruiter for the organization’s annual fundraising walk. In August 2009, the Boy Scouts of America’s Aloha Council named him its Hawaii Distinguished Citizen of the year.  And in December 2009, Helemano Plantation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of the physically and developmentally challenged, presented him with its Humanitarian of the Year Award. He was named the “Best Public Official” in 2008 and again in 2009 by Honolulu Magazine, and in 2009, the readers of Honolulu Weekly judged him “Best Local Politician.”

On January 1, 2011, Hannemann became President of the Hawai‘i Hotel & Lodging Association.  The Hawai‘i Hotel & Lodging Association (HHLA) has a statewide membership of 170 hotels, condominiums, timeshares and other lodging entities representing more than 48,000 guest rooms, and also has an allied membership of more than 280 companies. The organization is devoted to representing the interest of Hawai‘i’s hospitality industry through education, political action, and member benefits that improve the financial position and public awareness of the industry and its contributions to the community.

Hannemann is married to Gail Mukaihata Hannemann, who is the chief executive officer of the Girl Scout Council of Hawaii. They reside in ‘Aiea.

Biographical Data

Personal

  • Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 16, 1954
  • Sixth of seven children of Samoan-German-English immigrants Gustav and Faiaso Hannemann
  • Married to Gail Mukaihata Hannemann, CEO of the Girl Scout Council of Hawai‘i

Education

  • ‘Iolani School graduate: headmaster’s award, student council president, and all-star athlete in basketball and football
  • Harvard University alumnus: cum laude graduate, freshman council president, and varsity basketball letterman
  • Fulbright Scholar at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand

Career

  • President of the Hawai‘i Hotel & Lodging Association
  • Former Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu
  • Business consultant
  • Member of the Board of Directors of the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management
  • Founder and chairman of the Fund for the Pacific Century/Pacific Century Fellows program
  • Member of U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship and President’s Council on the 21st Century Workforce (Bush administration)
  • Honolulu City Councilman and former Council chairman
  • U.S. Representative to the South Pacific Commission (Clinton administration)
  • Director, Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (Waihe‘e administration)
  • Director, Hawaii Office of International Relations (Waihe‘e administration)
  • Vice President for Corporate Marketing and Public Affairs and President and General Manager of Punalu‘u Sweetbread Shop/Visitor Center and C. Brewer Hawaiian Juices for C. Brewer and Company
  • Staff Assistant to Vice President George H.W. Bush (Reagan administration)
  • Special Assistant to Governor George R. Ariyoshi
  • Special Assistant in the U.S. Department of the Interior (Carter administration)
  • History teacher and varsity basketball coach, ‘Iolani School