OFFICE OF THE MAYOR Mufi Hannemann, Mayor Kirk W. Caldwell, Managing Director • Trudi S. Saito, Deputy Managing Director

TRANSPORTATION The 2009 fiscal year was chock-full of milestones for the City and County of ’s rail transit project. Charter Amendment Honolulu’s mass transit project passed a major milestone in November 2008 when Oahu voters solidly endorsed a City Charter question authorizing the City to establish a steel-wheel-on-steel-rail transit system by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin. On the heels of that approval, the City released the draft environmental impact statement for public comment in November and followed that in February with a request for proposals for the first segment of the system. The DEIS examined the environmental, economic, and community impacts and benefits of four future alternatives between Kapolei and the University of at Manoa: three potential routes for a rail transit line from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center were analyzed in comparison to the no-build alternative. The City then issued a request for proposals in February for the construction of the first segment of the elevated guideway, from East Kapolei to Pearl Highlands, approximately 6.5 miles. The RFP is for an estimated $550 million to $600 million design-build contract that includes track installation and surface restoration in addition to the guideway viaduct. Stations along the guideway are to be constructed in future contracts. Transit-Oriented Development In March, the mayor approved Bill 10 (2008), which defines the City’s approach to transit-oriented development (TOD) around sta- tions for the planned rail transit system. The measure creates the framework for neighborhood TOD plans to be adopted by City Council resolution. The plans will focus on creating economically vibrant communities that are healthier and more pedestrian-friendly. These plans will become the foundation for specific zoning regulations and financial incentives. Zoning regulations will address parking standards, new density provisions, open space, and affordable housing. Financial incentives could include public-private partnerships, real property tax credits, and infrastructure financing. The Department of Planning and Permitting held a series of TOD public meetings in Waipahu to stimulate discussion on plans in that community, and was making similar plans for Kapolei. Transit Stations Another opportunity for public input came in a number of workshops to educate communities from Kapolei to Waipahu about rail stations to be built along the transit route and seek public input on the appearance of the seven stations. The areas of the station to be discussed were the “touch down” sections where the elevated portions of the stations meet the ground level. Some of the categories included color, landscaping, entry way design, exterior and interior wall finishes, seating areas, and plaques and monu- ments for the station. More than a dozen local architecture firms are working on rail stations, and a design guidebook has been developed by Dan Chun, a noted local architect and past president of the Honolulu chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Transit Symposium Residents heard from rail and transit experts from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom at the third Rail Transit Symposium in June—and the experts’ testimony validated Honolulu’s plans and echoed its experiences with its rail project. Nearly 500 people attended the all-day event at the Exhibition Hall. Speakers at this year’s event included Bill Millar of the American Public Transportation Association; Dan Doyle, executive vice president of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games; Joni Earl, CEO of Seattle’s Sound Transit system; Ian Mulcahey of the architectural firm Gensler; Chatham Olive, environmentalist and sustainability advocate; Richard Simonetta, CEO of the Valley Metro Rail system in Phoenix; and Wellington Webb, former mayor of . Doyle talked about the advantages of an elevated rail system in Vancouver similar to Honolulu’s planned system, while Simonetta and Earl discussed how the new train systems and extensions in their respective cities have created jobs and helped their local economies. Groundbreaking for the first segment construction was slated for the end of the 2009 calendar year. Service for the first leg of the route will take place in 2013. TheBoat Ends The mayor announced in May that the City would end TheBoat demonstration project after June 2009, but did not rule out a return to service. TheBoat was a passenger ferry service operated by the City that ran between Kalaeloa Harbor and Aloha Tower during peak workday traffic periods. Although intraisland passenger ferry service had been tested before, TheBoat was the first to seam- lessly integrate ferry service with dedicated shuttle service from TheBus. Mayor Hannemann said, “The City gained invaluable hands-on experience with ferry operations for the next go-around. We linked TheBoat and TheBus to demonstrate the effectiveness of a multimodal transportation system and offered a welcome commut- ing alternative for West Oahu residents tired of spending hours in rush-hour traffic. I remain a staunch supporter of multimodal

MAY-171 transportation, which includes the bus, the ferry, and rail transit that breaks ground later in 2009. We have not ruled out a return of TheBoat in the future.” TheBoat carried about 110,000 passengers since its inception on September 2007, averaging about 270 riders per day. Despite an early vessel reliability problem, TheBoat enjoyed a 95-percent on-time and in-service performance. Community response was positive and those who rode TheBoat reported in surveys that they liked the service. Despite its popularity among commuters, ridership on TheBoat hovered around 30 percent of capacity. Increasing ridership hinged on obtaining a western terminus located in Ewa instead of at Kalaeloa Harbor. An Ewa terminus would have provided a trip of 30 minutes to downtown Honolulu, half that of the Kalaeloa Harbor journey. Additionally, an Ewa terminus would have opened TheBoat to a larger rider base.

CABINET Mayor Hannemann made new appointments to his cabinet to coincide with his reelection to office: • Kirk Caldwell, managing director; • Jeoffrey Cudiamat, director and chief engineer of the Department of Facility Maintenance; • Rix Maurer III, director of the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services; • Craig Nishimura, director of the Department of Design and Construction; • David Tanoue, director of the Department of Planning and Permitting; • Tim Steinberger, director of the Department of Environmental Services; • Manny Lanuevo, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Services; • Collins Lam, deputy director of the Department of Design and Construction; • Sandra Sagisi, deputy director of the Department of Customer Services; • Robert Sumitomo, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Permitting; and • Sharon Ann Thom, deputy director of the Department of Transportation Services. In June, Dana Takahara-Dias, the director of the Department of Customer Services, was named the new head coach for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine basketball team following a nationwide search. Takahara-Dias left the administration in mid- July and was replaced by Gail Haraguchi, who had been serving as deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Haraguchi’s position was filled by Richard Haru, who was an administrator at Castle High School and a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

BUDGET Mayor Hannemann signed into law the administration’s Fiscal Year 2009 operating and capital budgets, which strongly emphasize public health and safety, fiscal discipline, and saving money for long-term obligations. “As in previous years, the Fiscal Year 2009 budgets place a premium on financial prudence and accountability, with a steadfast commitment to basic City services like public safety, sewers and solid waste, parks and public facilities, and transportation,” said Hannemann at the time, echoing the theme of his previous budgets. “These budgets provide a combination of new proposals, such as beefing up security in our parks and beginning planning for the rail transit system, with the tried-and-true priorities of catching up on our backlog of sewer and road work and properly maintaining public facilities.” For FY 09, the executive operating budget is $1.81 billion and the capital improvement budget is $954.8 million. The budgets include $340 million for sewer and trash disposal programs and $77 million for rehabilitation of major roads to battle the long-neglected and deteriorating roadways on Oahu. The Hannemann administration did not request any increases in tax rates or fees to support these budgets, which the City Council approved on June 4. Mindful of recent increases in real property values, the administration also budgeted for a $100 real property tax credit for qualifying homeowners. The operating budget is impacted by non-controllable costs, such as debt service and pension and health requirements, as well as arbitrated pay raises. Excluding these factors, the FY 09 operating budget for executive agency operations represents a 4.8 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. The budget appropriates $91.9 million for other post-employment benefits, specifically the City’s long-term obligations to fund health insurance for retirees. “‘Other post-employment benefits’ is a term that may not be familiar to the general public, but which is becoming a nagging con- cern of state and local governments across the nation,” Mayor Hannemann said. “Simply put, governments must now account for their long-term obligations to retirees on their financial statements. Unlike the state government, Honolulu and our Neighbor Island counties have begun setting aside money for this long-term requirement. It’s the responsible thing to do because we can’t in good conscience leave a costly obligation for future generations to pay. It’s only prudent that we save as much as we can, rather than spend everything as we go.” Hannemann is also adding another $7.5 million to the City’s Fiscal Stability Reserve Fund, a rainy day fund the City can draw upon for emergencies like economic crises or natural disasters. “We were the first in the state to have our bond rating upgraded because of our policies of fiscal discipline and spending money on core City services,” the mayor noted. “Our budgets reflect our adherence to those policies.”

MAY-172 Budget highlights include: General Government • $11 million for energy conservation im- provement/solar energy initiatives • $7.4 million for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System modifications for corpo- ration yards • $20.1 million for the procurement of major equipment • $13.35 million for an energy reserve to offset increases in fuel and energy costs and to mitigate any impact on operations Sewers and Solid Waste • $245.3 million for sewer rehabilitation and sanitation-related projects • $8 million to expand curbside recycling • $2.5 million for the third year of the Leeward Coast Community Benefits package, which Sewer infrastructure repairs are continuing, with major investments in new sewer offsets the burden of the Waimanalo Gulch pipes and improvements to waste water treatment plants. Landfill on residents of that area of Oahu, and which splits the money between grants to service providers and parks improvements • $40 million for the solid-waste-to-energy facility (H-POWER) • $44 million for the solid-waste-to-energy facility purchase Roads • $77 million for rehabilitation of major roads • $3.4 million for road repairs using City crews • $6.4 million to rehabilitate and complete seismic retrofits of bridges • $5.2 million to inspect and plan improve- ments to potential rock-slide areas Transportation • $265.1 million to plan, design, and begin construction of the fixed guideway linking Kapolei with downtown Honolulu (includes $14 million in federal funds) • $31.1 million to purchase 50 hybrid buses (includes $24.8 million in federal funds) • $5 million to construct the Alapai Transit Center and $350,000 to plan the Windward Transit Center A crew applies reflectors to freshly paved Kilauea Road. The City budgeted $77 • $4.2 million to construct the Middle Street million for road rehabilitation projects across the island, as well as additional Intermodal Center money for smaller repaving projects and pothole repairs. • $6.7 million to design the Alapai Transportation Management Center • $1 million for bikeway improvements and funding for one new engineer position to oversee the City’s plans to provide more bikeways and bike routes • $5.1 million for a traffic signal maintenance facility Public Safety • $63,000 to form a parks patrol of officers from the Honolulu Police Department, working in cooperation with the parks staff • Six positions to bolster the police department’s recruitment and training efforts • $5.5 million for 58 replacement patrol cars, 10 motorcycles, one helicopter, and other equipment for the Honolulu Police Department • $2 million for major improvements to police stations and other facilities • $4.4 million for three fire engines, two ladder trucks, and other equipment for the Honolulu Fire Department • $2 million for major capital improvements to fire houses and facilities

MAY-173 • $1.2 million (from the operating budget) for repairs to fire houses and $800,000 for general repairs to other City facilities • $1.19 million to plan and design a new East Kapolei fire station • $7.3 million for the Ewa Beach Fire Station relocation • $200,000 for additional Windward community policing Housing and Sustainability • $4 million to acquire land in the Honouliuli Preserve and Puuiki Beach in Waialua using money from the Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund • $3.8 million to renovate the Kulana Nani affordable rental housing project in Kaneohe and $3.5 million from the Affordable Housing Fund to acquire the fee interest in the land • $2 million to develop the River Street Residences in Chinatown, a transitional shelter for families and individuals, including those with disabilities • $1.1 million for a new, federally funded, tenant-based, rental assistance program, similar to the Section 8 rental vouchers (includes three positions and $960,000 in rental subsidies) Parks and Public Facilities • $15.9 million for parks improvements • $8.5 million for Ewa Mahiko Park master planned improvements • $6.9 million for the construction of the new elephant facility at Honolulu Zoo City Operations • $91.8 million for other post-employment benefits, primarily the City’s long-term obligations to the Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund to pay for health insurance for retirees. The administration set aside $40 million of this sum last year. • $13.4 million for a provisional account to cover anticipated increases in the cost of fuel and electricity • $7.5 million for the Fiscal Stability Reserve Fund, economic crises, or natural disasters

FINANCES Awards: The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded the City and County of Honolulu two honors: a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The GFOA is a non-profit organization that serves 17,000 government finance professionals throughout North America. This year marked the 21st time in the past 22 years that Honolulu has been recognized by the GFOA for its outstanding governmen- tal accounting and financial reporting. The budget award was based on how well the City’s budget served as a policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications tool. The budget had to be highly rated in all four categories to be recognized. Integrity Hotline: The City introduced the Integrity Hotline to give employees a new means of reporting allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and ethics violations. The hotline lets employees report concerns to a live call center outside City government every day of the week, around the clock. Up until its introduction, employees voiced concerns by communicating with management, contacting the Honolulu Ethics Commission, or calling the City complaint line. The Integrity Hotline service provider interviews the employee and sends a report to the City. In many cases, the report identifies issues that require further investigation or action. Callers may choose to remain anonymous. The Integrity Hotline does not change the public’s ability to report any government-related concern through the complaint line at 768-4381. Members of the public and City workers may also report ethics concerns or complaints directly to the Honolulu Ethics Commission. These hotlines are becoming a standard best practice for local governments and are a recommended practice of the Government Finance Officers Association. Counties Share Revenues: Honolulu distributed among Hawaii’s counties nearly $8 million in revenue from mobile phone taxes that had been collected by the state but not distributed to the counties from 2005 to 2008. The distribution was the result of a Public Service Company (PSC) tax review conducted by Honolulu, which found that the City was not receiving any PSC tax from T-Mobile, a provider of wireless voice, messaging, and data services. It was subsequently determined that the company had been paying the state the full amount of PSC tax at the rate of 5.885 percent. The 1.885 percent county portion of the tax was not being allocated and paid to each county, however. The county portion of the PSC tax for these years was $7,995,662. Honolulu later received a check from the state for this amount, which was divided among the counties following a formula required by state law. The City is working with T-Mobile and the state to address the years 2002-2004.

HAWAII COUNCIL OF MAYORS The Hawaii Council of Mayors welcomed two new members: Mayor of Kauai Bernard Carvalho, Jr., and Mayor of Hawaii Billy Kenoi, both elected in 2008. The group immediately represented the islands at the inauguration of President , lobbied for support with Hawaii’s Congressional delegation and other federal officials, and testified before the state Legislature on the counties’ legislative package for 2009.

MAY-174 The mayors held a news conference in January at the State Capitol to outline their legislative package.

The mayors met regularly during the legislative session to discuss legislation and plans for inter-governmental cooperation.

U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS Mayor Hannemann’s leadership role in the U.S. Confer- ence of Mayors was broadened with his election as a trustee of the official nonpartisan organization of the nation’s 1,201 cities with populations of 30,000 or more. He also serves as chairman of the USCM Standing Com- mittee on Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports, and is co-chair, with Mayor Richard M. Daley, of a special public-private task force working to support the U.S. proposal to host the 2016 Olympics in Chicago. 10-Point Action Plan: As chairman of the Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment, and Sports Committee, Mayor Hannemann led the effort to include tourism and the arts in the mayors’ 10-Point Action Plan outlining priorities for Mayor Hannemann was elected as a trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the official nonpartisan organization of the nation’s 1,201 cities the next presidential administration. with 30,000-plus populations. Travel Promotion Act: The USCM urged Congress to approve the Travel Promotion Act, which they have long supported, a bipartisan measure designed to create jobs and help boost the U.S. economy by encouraging overseas travelers to visit. The act, which Senator Daniel Inouye co-sponsored, would establish a Corporation for Travel Promotion as a nonprofit entity to promote the U.S. as a premier international travel destination; provide information to people interested in traveling here; and identify and address perceptions in other countries regarding U.S. entry policies. The version of the act approved by the House specifies that travel promotion would be financed through private sector contributions and a modest fee on foreign travelers, with no cost to U.S. taxpayers. Nearly every developed nation in the world spends millions of dollars each year to attract visitors. U.S. Conference of Mayors President Manny Diaz, mayor of Miami, asked Mayor Hannemann to lead the group’s effort to win Sen- ate approval of the Travel Promotion Act. Mayor Hannemann worked closely with Travel Business Roundtable President Jonathan Tisch, chairman of Loews Hotels, and other industry leaders who strongly support the measure. Chicago Olympic Bid: Mayor Hannemann joined Mayors Diaz and Daley to announce a new public-private effort to support Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. “Holding the Olympics in Chicago will attract thousands of new visitors to the U.S. and draw world-wide attention that will inspire other travelers,” said Hannemann. “We believe many of these guests will visit other U.S. cities, including Honolulu, in conjunction with their Olympic travel and that the Games will create new interest in travel to the U.S. We are going to do all we can to support Mayor Daley and his efforts to bring the Olympic Games to our country.” He also joined Mayor Daley in presenting to the International Olympic Committee’s Evaluation Commission the United States’ proposal to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Chicago is competing with Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo to host the games. The International Olympic Committee was to meet in Copenhagen in October 2009 to make a final decision. President Obama has extended his personal support and endorsement of Chicago’s proposal. Olympic Day: The USCM announced plans for cities across the nation to sponsor Olympic Day sporting events in June to support and raise public awareness about Chicago’s proposal. The group worked with sister cities in other nations to urge their support.

MAY-175 As a result of the special task force’s efforts, more than 180 U.S. cities pledged to hold “Olympic Day” events in support of the bid. Hannemann expanded the event in Honolulu to a week-long celebration in June. The Honolulu celebration included special events for participants in the City’s Summer Fun program; a 5K Fun Run/Walk on June 20; a Sunset on the Field movie event at Les Murakami Stadium at the University of Hawaii at Manoa that evening featuring “Miracle,” a film about the inspiring true story of the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team’s 1980 victory over the Soviet Union team; and special appearances by Hawaii Olympians and by beach volleyball Olympic Gold Medalist Misty May-Treanor. Federal Stimulus: Mayor Hannemann met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and other key members of Congress to seek federal funding for a comprehensive package of infrastructure projects in Honolulu and cities across the nation. On Capitol Hill, he joined Mayor Diaz, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayor Daley, and Los Angeles Mayor to release a conference report that inventories local “ready-to-go” infrastructure projects that could be completed in two years. The mayors met with Speaker Pelosi, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey, Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller, and Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson. The mayors also met with Senate Majority Leader Reid, Congres- sional Joint Economic Committee Chairman Charles Schumer, and Senator Debbie Stabenow. The report included 17 projects in Honolulu worth a total of more than $87 million, and follows an earlier report that includes 28 Honolulu projects worth $456 million. The latest projects include repairs to water mains in Haleiwa, Kaneohe, and Waipio; reservoirs in Kahana and Waimanalo; and streets and sidewalks throughout the island. The earlier list of projects includes a range of trans- portation, public safety and affordable housing initiatives, including 80 new hybrid buses, expansion of the Pearl City bus facility, and construction of the planned Middle Street Intermodal Center. The combined projects are expected to provide nearly 3,500 jobs. Nationwide, the new report includes 11,391 infrastructure projects in 427 cities costing a total of $73 billion, which are expected to create nearly 850,000 jobs. An earlier report included 4,600 projects that could be completed in one year in 154 cities, worth $25 billion. “This economic recovery effort should not be construed as a ‘handout’ or ‘bailout,’ but as a partnership,” Mayor Hannemann said. “Mayors are willing to do their part, as we have in Honolulu, with the millions of local dollars we have invested in repairing and main- taining our infrastructure. Mayors are well-positioned to create immediate jobs because of our ongoing emphasis on infrastructure.” National Culinary Award: Hannemann announced that the USCM will sponsor a National Culinary Award, in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association and the Culinary Institute of America. The award will recognize a prominent restaurateur or chef for public service in a community, along with exceptional hospitality and customer service. Hannemann initiated the award plan brought it to fruition. “Our world-class chefs and restaurants are often the highlight of a Hawaii vacation, and I’m hopeful that we will have our fair share of local honorees for this award,” Hannemann said. APEC Conference: The mayor met in Washington in June 2009 with Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett regarding Honolulu’s proposal to host the 2011 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, as well as other issues affecting Honolulu. Hannemann also met with a U.S. State Department official regarding APEC. Honolulu is a finalist to host the APEC event, along with Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additional cities may also be considered. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT There were several highlights from the administration’s economic development program. Waikiki Parks Get Makeover: Mayor Hannemann launched a new effort to clean and renovate public park grounds and facilities in top tourist destination Waikiki. The program, named Malama o Waikiki, included four phases: daily morning closures of pavilions along Kuhio Beach for cleaning; extensive grounds maintenance, beginning with the closure and refurbishment of grass areas in Kapiolani Park and planned work around Queen’s Surf, the War Memorial, bandstand, sports fields, and picnic areas; makeovers of comfort stations and pavilions along Kuhio Beach and in Kapiolani Park; and nighttime closures of areas of Kapiolani Park, mauka of Kalakaua Avenue. City Changes Waikiki Sign Regulation: The mayor signed into law Bill 70 (2008), an important signage regulation measure supported by Waikiki businesses, the Outdoor Circle, and many others. “This measure is important to our economy and the health of Waikiki businesses because it will provide greater flexibility in the placement and design of signs that guide visitors and other customers,” Mayor Hannemann said. “The measure will also assure the preservation and improvement of Waikiki’s aesthetic qualities.” The ordinance will provide greater opportunity to second-floor businesses, which have been very restricted in the ways they identify themselves and their goods and services. Bill 70 amends the Land Use Ordinance by clarifying provisions for the Sign Master Plan option; amending certain definitions and general sign standards and adding a definition and general sign standards for “small signs”; and increasing the ratio for business sign areas in the Waikiki Special District, as well as the maximum size of building identification signs in the WSD. These amendments were prepared and initiated by the Waikiki Improvement Association and were supported by the Waikiki Neigh- borhood Board No. 9, Outdoor Circle, sign makers and designers, and numerous Waikiki area businesses. Halona Blowhole: The City rebuilt the Halona Blowhole lookout, a popular visitor attraction. Work included the demolition of the lower platform due to safety concerns and restoration of the area to a natural appearance; reconstruction of the upper visitor viewing platform; access for disabled people from the parking lot to the upper viewing area; and reconfiguration of the parking lot to improve pedestrian and motorist safety. MAY-176 Mayor Forms Natatorium Task Force: The mayor formed a special Natatorium Task Force to conduct a series of public meetings and make a recommendation for the future of the aging Waikiki landmark. “This community-based planning process will help us decide how best to honor the symbolism and history of the Natatorium while also addressing the real problems presented by its current condition,” Mayor Hannemann said. “Our community has wrestled with this dilemma for far too long, and it’s time to move forward with solutions.” The task force members were selected because of their interest and involvement in various organizations, but do not necessarily represent such organizations officially while serving on this task force. Task force members include Hannie Anderson, Hawaiian Civic Clubs, canoe clubs; CPO Fred Ballard, USN (Ret.); Rick Bernstein, New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel Coalition; Art Caleda, president, World War II Filipino American Veterans; Jean Pierre Cercillieux, general manager, New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel; Rick Egged; president, Waikiki Improvement Association; Kiersten Faulkner, executive director, Historic Hawaii Foundation; Dr. Charles “Chip” Fletcher, professor, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii at Manoa; Tim Guard, decorated Vietnam War veteran; Edgar Hamasu, Korean War veteran; Rep. Ken Ito, Air Force veteran, chairman of the House Water, Land and Ocean Resources Committee; Brian Keaulana, lifeguard; Collins Lam, deputy director, Honolulu Department of Design and Construction; Linuce Pang, president, Friends of the Natatorium; Dr. Andrew Rossiter, director, Waikiki Aquarium; Jimmy Shin, Korean War Veterans Hawaii Chapter; and Lt. Gen. H.C. Stackpole USMC (Ret.). Chinatown Efforts Earn Award: The U.S. Conference of Mayors awarded the City’s Chinatown revitalization program a “Best Practice in City Livability” award. The winning cities were selected by former mayors from a pool of more than 200 applicants. Honolulu won in the category of cities with populations of 100,000 or more, one of only four municipalities so honored. The City has supported a number of initiatives in the area, including partnering with ARTS to launch the First Fridays Gallery Walk, improving parking and lighting conditions, bolstering public safety, organizing Month in Chinatown events during the Chinese New Year, and joining the community on other projects. Federal Tourism Legislation: In his capacity as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Standing Committee on Tourism, Arts, Parks, Entertainment and Sports, Mayor Hannemann lobbied on Capitol Hill for the passage of the Travel Promotion Act. The USCM had urged creation of the Travel Promotion Act in the mayors’ 10-Point Action Plan, outlining its priorities for the next presidential administration, and conference leaders provided Congress with letters of support for the measure. Mayor Hannemann led the effort to include tourism and the arts as priorities. City Helps Laid-Off Workers: The City used a $1.4 million federal grant to further help laid-off airline workers plan and train for new careers. Since the layoffs were announced in April, the City helped find new employment for workers by providing training and sponsoring job fairs. More than 40 were also hired directly by the City. The Department of Community Services’ WorkHawaii Division, the lead agency for Oahu WorkLinks, received the grant to provide career planning, counseling, re-training, re-employment, and support services to workers who were laid off from Aloha and ATA Airlines. Government Approves Korea Visa Waivers: Mayor Hannemann applauded the federal government’s decision to waive visa requirements for visitors to the U.S. from South Korea and six other friendly nations. He had been a long-time proponent of visa waivers, co-authored a resolution calling for more waivers, and met personally with presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to urge that they support the timely expansion of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, especially for South Korea. Japan, Australia, Spain, and 24 other friendly nations were already participating in the Visa Waiver Program, making it easier for their citizens to visit the United States. The program, established by Congress in 1986, permits business and leisure travelers from selected countries to visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without the expense and delay of obtaining a nonimmigrant visitor visa. The program was intended to facilitate and promote overseas travel to the U.S. while simultaneously allowing the State Department to shift visa screening resources to higher-risk countries. In 2006, approximately 14 million overseas visitors arriving in the U.S. originated from countries participating in the program, representing approximately two-thirds of all overseas visitors. Mayor Hannemann has worked hard to strengthen Honolulu’s ties with South Korea. He visited in 2006 and 2007 to bolster Honolulu’s sister-city relationships with the largest cities, Incheon and Seoul. He was a featured guest at a Business Roundtable meeting in Seoul with CEOs and presidents from 30 of Korea’s top companies to promote Honolulu’s business and invest- ment opportunities. He also discussed the visa waiver issue with U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow and directors general from Seoul’s Office of International Cooperation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. City Attracts All-Star Football Classic: The City joined private sponsors in bringing an all-star football event in December to . The inaugural Hawaii All-Star Football Classic was sponsored by the Hawaii Union Builders Foundation and Sportslink, a sports-marketing and management company that produces and oversees many high school all-star sporting events. The double header featured two games, the Senior Bowl Goodwill Classic and the Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl. “We approached Mayor Hannemann about hosting an all-star football game because Hawaii has one of the best football cultures in the world, a true warrior mentality, and continually produces top football talent. The state isn’t recognized like a Texas, California or Georgia, but deserves more of the spotlight,” said Rich McGuinness, president of Sportslink. “We’re grateful for the mayor’s leadership in bringing together this all-star classic and for the cooperative support of HUB Foundation Chair Herbert Kaopua and Hawaii High School Athletic Association Executive Director Keith Amemiya.” The first game, the Senior Bowl Goodwill Classic, now in its 18th year, is Oahu’s premier annual football event that features many of the best high school seniors. The new competition, the Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl, highlighted 40 of the nation’s top prep football players competing against a Hawaii team comprised of 38 players from across the state, three players from American Samoa, and nine mainland players with Hawaii ties.

MAY-177