The page was turned to a new chapter at Honolulu Hale on Saturday when veteran businessman Rick Blangiardi was sworn in as mayor and five Honolulu City Council members took their seats for the first time.
A retired television executive, Blangiardi is Honolulu’s 15th mayor since 1905 and its eighth since statehood. He replaces Kirk Caldwell, whose eight-year tenure ended at noon.
Blangiardi, 74, takes the baton from Caldwell with tough assignments ahead as he must focus on dealing with the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continually troublesome East Kapolei-to-Ala Moana Center rail project.
Bringing home the point about the challenges of the pandemic was the unusual scene that played out during the ceremony in the Honolulu Hale courtyard. To adhere to statewide social distancing guidelines, fewer than 100 people attended, a far smaller crowd than the throngs that typically attend a mayoral inauguration.
Cabinet appointees and their spouses made up much of the audience, and most sat in clusters of two, 6 feet apart.
In an extemporaneous speech that lasted less than 10 minutes, Blangiardi offered few specifics on issues. Instead, he complimented Managing Director Michael Formby and the cabinet members the two were able to enlist in city government service and actually spent part of his time speaking directly to them.
“I have found in my life that if you can collect enough passionate, authentic people with great skill sets who know what they’re doing and have proven that, great things happen,” Blangiardi said, adding that the appointees are also “people of high integrity.”
The former University of Hawaii football defensive coordinator called Formby “my first-round draft pick,” and later, during a brief press conference, “the quarterback” of his cabinet.
Formby, Deputy Managing Director Danette Maruyama and 20 appointees took their oaths of office from retired Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Steven Levinson after Blangiardi did the same.
Carrying the coaching metaphor further, Blangiardi spoke to his team in what was akin to a pregame pep talk.
“This is our beginning,” he said. “I’m so proud of this group and what I know we will accomplish together.
“We’ve made no small plans and we know the challenges in front of us are going to be as great as anybody’s ever faced coming into this role that we’ve all accepted,” he said. “Your willingness to do this … your commitment, spoke volumes.”
Citing the late actor Peter Ustinov, Blangiardi said “the whole idea of living is to believe that that the best is yet to be.”
>> PHOTOS: Five new members join Honolulu City Council
In the City Council chambers on the third floor of Honolulu Hale, returning Councilman Tommy Waters was elected unanimously to lead the panel as its chairman. First-time Councilwoman Esther Kiaaina was elected vice chairwoman and rookie Councilwoman Andria Tupola as floor leader.
Kiaaina and Tupola are among five newly elected members who also include Radiant Cordero, Calvin Say and Augie Tulba.
The five will play major roles at City Hall the next four years by virtue of simple math.
The Council has nine members, so Waters and the three other carryover members — Brandon Elefante, Carol Fukunaga and Heidi Tsuneyoshi — will need to depend on the new members to approve any action.
And for the first time in the city’s history, a majority of councilmembers are women.
As with Blangiardi’s ceremony, there were noticeably fewer well-wishers at the Council swearing-in.
Each Council member was allowed to have two family members or guests and one staff aide in the audience as Hawaii Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald administered the oaths of office.
Waters, whose speech was even shorter than Blangiardi’s, urged the new lineup to set aside petty politics.
“Never mind finger-pointing, excuses and blame, which has never created amazing leadership forging into the future,” Waters said. “What has always worked is love and true aloha for the people we serve.”
He added, “We all got here at one time or another on different canoes, but we are all in the same boat together now. For us to thrive, we all gotta be together, the entire community.”
