Honolulu has had no shortage of flashy mayors. Frank Fasi served a total of 22 years as Honolulu’s mayor and for all that time, the easiest conversation starter was, “Did you hear what Fasi is up to now?”

And at 6 feet 7 inches, former Mayor Mufi Hannemann was never overlooked in a crowd.

But current Mayor Rick Blangiardi is the only Honolulu leader to get a 1,500-word story in the entertainment bible, Variety.

The article, titled “How TV Broadcasting Veteran Rick Blangiardi Wound Up As Honolulu’s New Mayor,” was about how Blangiardi was leaving a successful career as a television broadcasting executive, which proved to be the pathway for a campaign for mayor of Honolulu.

That was in 2021, and now Blangiardi is running for reelection.

At the age of 77, one could make the argument that retirement might be a likely career choice — but the former University of Hawaii football player and former UH assistant football coach is moving ahead with a strong, well-funded campaign that so far has not attracted any significant opposition.

Blangiardi’s key points mirror Honolulu’s major needs: affordable housing, a reduction in homelessness, and improved public safety. After largely self-funding his initial campaign, Blangiardi is serious about raising campaign cash for his second campaign, with the primary election set for Aug. 10. Early reports show that Blangiardi has already raised more than $600,000 for a second campaign.

While handling his mayoral duties in a low-key, nonpolitical manner, operating much like a city manager, Blangiardi’s biggest decision was to halt construction of the city rail line before reaching all the way to Ala Moana.

As Blangiardi said at the time, rail was in trouble.

“Facing a history of cost overruns, an inadequate budget and delayed construction timetables, including a disillusioned public, and our weary and concerned partner, the Federal Transit Administration, our first order of business was to regroup the team of city leaders and key principals overseeing the construction and ultimately the operations of the rail, a team that had all but quit working together during HART’s time spent pursuing a public-private partnership,” he said in March 2022.

For the portions of the city rail line that are functioning and open to the public, Blangiardi has been supportive — but he has not supported going over budget to get to Honolulu’s major shopping destination at Ala Moana. So far there has not been public backlash for that decision.

In fact, the lack of major opposition in his reelection effort shows that so far, Blangiardi’s nonconfrontational style has gotten quiet public approval.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.