Motorists traveling through Central Oahu and on the North Shore aren’t seeing things.

The Honolulu City Council chairman and his supporters are indeed waving signs that don’t just say "Mahalo," but also the word "Mayor"over where it once said "City Council."

Martin told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Wednesday, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to challenge incumbent Mayor Kirk Caldwell in 2016.

"It’s no secret, I’ve always expressed a desire to run for mayor," Martin said Tuesday. "It’s just a matter of timing." He noted that term limits bar him from running for a third, consecutive term on the Council.

Martin won his second four-year term to the 2nd Council District seat Saturday by capturing more than 50 percent of the votes cast, thus avoiding a runoff. The incumbent grabbed an overwhelming 76.3 percent of the vote to Dan Hara’s 17.3 percent and Dave Burlew’s 6.4 percent.

Like other candidates and their campaign committees, Martin and his supporters took to the streets this week to express their thanks — except that the words "City Council" have been replaced with the word "Mayor."

Caldwell is in the middle of a four-year term and will be up for re-election in 2016. Martin, who retains a formidable $300,000 in his campaign coffers, said he might run then or wait until 2020 or whenever else there may be a vacancy on the third floor of Honolulu Hale.

"My first obligation is to finish this term (which ends in December), and then starting my next term, which begins in January," he said.

But Martin, who spent more than 20 years employed in the city housing and community services agencies, also pointed out that "there’s no love lost" between himself and Caldwell.

"He’s always sought to undermine my leadership," Martin said. Caldwell’s campaign supporters have gone so far as to try to field candidates to run against him, he said.

"It’s just a matter of returning the favor," Martin said of his sign.

Lex Smith, Caldwell’s campaign chairman, denied that Caldwell or his supporters have tried to derail Martin’s re-election.

"I think it’s paranoia to me," Smith said.

Caldwell is focused on "running the city that he’s concerned about — filling potholes, improving the parks, fixing the sewers and addressing homelessness and all the other things that the mayor has on his plate."

Smith said Caldwell has not announced whether he is running for re-election in two years.

"The 2014 election isn’t even over yet, so I don’t know if anyone is concerned about the 2016 election at this point — except, I guess, Chair Martin."