PROFILE

MUFI HANNEMANN

FOR MAYOR OF HAWAII

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Copyright © 2008, Cherie Phillips

Mufi Hannemann

AGE:

54 years old

RELIGION:

Mormon

FAMILY:

Mufi has been married to Gail Mukaihata Hannemann since 1992 and live in Aiea with no children. Gail is runs the Girl Scout Council of Hawaii.  Mufi's heritage is Samoan, English, and German. He grew up in Kalihi in a family of seven children. His father, Gustav, worked two jobs to support the family, at Foremost Dairy and the Shoe Department at Sears Roebuck, while his mother, Faiaso, raised the children.

EDUCATION:

Mufi attended Iolani School in Hawaii. After growing up, he moved to Massachusetts and took classes at Harvard. Thereafter, he moved to New Zealand to attend classes upon obtaining a Fulbright scholarship.

CAREER:

Mufi returned to Hawaii and worked as a Board member of C. Brewer Co. Ltd.  In 1994, he was elected to the City Council, and in 1998, he was re-elected.  In 2005, he was elected Mayor of Honolulu.

MAY NOT WORK FULL TERM IF ELECTED:

Mufi is currently the elected Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, and advised during a KITV Channel 4 interview on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, that, if re-elected,  he has some other job opportunities available in 2010, and, consequently, may not be able to finish the full four-year term as Mayor. Speculation is that he will be running for Governor or Congress.  If he runs for Governor, he must give up the seat of Mayor, but if he runs for Congress, he will be allowed to continue being Mayor, but he will not be able to fulfill the critical job requirements facing Hawaii while campaigning for either position.

RAIL ISSUE:

Mufi proposed the construction of steel-on-steel rail system which he has scheduled to begin construction in 2009. It will be only 34 miles long, and will cost taxpayers over $3.7 billion.  It is an elevated rail system. 

HOMELESS ISSUE:

Mufi stated that those with homes (with backyards and front yards) have been "living in denial" when playing at parks surrounded by the tents of the homeless, and he has ordered the systematic removal of the homeless and their tents from the parks, stating it is the State's problem to find housing for the homeless, but they cannot stay in the public parks.

COMMENTS:

Hawaii is 50 to 100 years behind the civilization on the Mainland. Hawaii needs strong leadership. We have friends and we have those whom we greatly respect, but we don't have to elect every friend and respectful person in our society. We have think about the future of our children and make sure that our leaders are moving us in the best direction, and, at the present time, that means a strong dedication to the massive amount of work that needs to be done, and focused wisdom to achieve the progress needed to improve the quality of life for each of us without economic discrimination nor any other kind of prejudice.

Regarding the elevated rail system, did you notice the word, "elevated?"  If you have never ridden an elevated rail system, it is similar to riding the roller coaster at the fair.  The rail system in Washington, D.C. only has a short distance elevated and upon reaching the elevated section, it rocks from side to side, and you cannot even close your eyes to escape because you hear the screeching steel slapping right, then left, then right, then left. It is terrifying! And this was only a few blocks elevated. Most of the rail system in Washington, D.C. is underground or at ground level. I would never ride a rail system for 34 miles elevated because I would be unconscious at the end. If you can afford to travel, go somewhere and try it out before you commit to something you know nothing about.

The Washington, D.C. rail system was a magnet for thieves drawn to the working class who inevitably had to work late and walk in the lonely dark to their cars or who stood at the isolated stops. Thieves look for money and the riders of rail make more money than the riders of buses.

Further, many will lose their property because of eminent domain (the power of the government to take private property for public use). It will be too late to complain after your property is chosen for sacrifice by the government. Are you willing to give up your property at government-determined value paid to you for the land?  Or would you be willing to even move out of your home if it is necessary for construction of the rail?  However, it is not an option at that point because when your house or land is chosen, you must sacrifice it to the rail. Or, perhaps you will take all the money you get for your house and gamble it away in Las Vegas and become homeless . . . .

Regarding the homeless, the public parks belong to the homeless equally as all Hawaiians. Wouldn't it be better to wait until the State provides affordable housing rather than chasing the homeless out of the public parks with no place to go?  In fact, the State is not making any effort to secure such affordable housing.

The worse of it is that the shelters are run like prisons (details will be given in news articles) with only the possessions you can fit in a small milk crate allowed (try putting all your possessions in a milk crate, and perceive what it would be like to throw everything else away. It is like losing everything in a hurricane or other disaster.

Yet, the homeless are being chased around and around and around with no place to go on this island. Recently, on September 17, some homeless families suffered an attack from arsonists who burned their tents down and destroyed their few possessions.

Let us pray for all the leaders of Hawaii to have Wisdom Peace and to lead with virtues of reason, courage, justice, self-discipline, and compassion.

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Copyright © 2008/5008. All Rights Reserved.
5008 + 1.5 x 10 ¹⁰ Universal  | Chérie Phillips, Editor

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