Rick Blangiardi, the former local and national broadcast executive, is starting his second term in his new career as one of Honolulu’s major political and government leaders.
After a series of successful positions running network TV stations in Seattle and San Francisco, the former University of Hawaii football player and assistant coach took on local politics and is starting his second four-year term as Honolulu’s mayor.
In his televised State of the City address last week to kick off his second four-year term in City Hall, Blangiardi’s vocabulary showed how he thinks of his job.
Thirty times in his televised speech, Blangiardi used the word “team.” In comparison, Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green, an emergency room physician, delivered his 2025 State of the State speech, which was half the length of the mayor’s address, and used the word “team” only seven times.
While past dealings between Hawaii’s governor and Honolulu’s mayor have been stormy and competitive, Blangiardi and Green have forged a steady working relationship.
Speaking of the challenge to provide affordable housing in Hawaii, Blangiardi in his broadcast, for instance, was offering only bouquets of appreciation to Green.
“I am very proud and grateful of our collaboration and working relationship with the state,” Blangiardi said.
“Governor Green, I cannot thank you enough for your friendship, your leadership, our partnership, and your willingness to combine our hearts and minds with the necessary resources to properly fight this fight. From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Blangiardi said of the struggle for affordable housing.
Besides his open acknowledgement of the political spirit of cooperation, Blangiardi also said he was also admitting that all is not always going smoothly with his administration.
“We also need to solve our city’s long-standing procurement issue,” Blangiardi said.
It takes too long for us to acquire new fire trucks and garbage trucks, too long to purchase new HOLO cards and license plates, and too long to secure contractors for important projects.
“This compromises our ability to deliver core city services, and to us, these procurement roadblocks are unacceptable,” said Blangiardi.
Perhaps the overriding issue for any Honolulu mayor will be his or her stewardship of the controversial, long-delayed and over-budget elevated rail line, dubbed Skyline.
“Construction on the third and final rail segment, through Downtown Honolulu and into Kakaako, will start this year — with the entire system slated to open in 2031,” Blangiardi said in his speech.
The train, besides being a long-promised boon to commuters, is also supposed to spur on both housing and development.
According to a public radio report, Blangiardi sees progress with rail pushing development forward.
“Our Skyline system provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to create high-density, mixed-use communities where people will choose to live along the rail line,” he said.
Blangiardi said the recently announced Iwilei Center will be part of a plan that will include approximately 2,000 new housing units around the Iwilei- Kuwili Skyline station.
Of course, the difference between announcing construction and actual getting the money has more than once changed the plans for Honolulu’s rail line.
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.
