Jeremy Harris

Jeremy Harris, born December 7, 1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, served as Mayor of Honolulu from 1994 to 2004. A biologist by trade, Harris started his political career as a delegate to the 1978 Hawai'i State Constitutional Convention. As chief executive of the City & County of Honolulu, the city was named "America's Greatest City" by the official American governance journal, Governing Magazine. Harris is the founder of the China-U.S. Conference of Mayors and Business Leaders and Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce Presidents. He is married to Ramona Sachiko Akui Harris and live in Kalihi Valley on the island of O'ahu.

Early years

Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris moved to Honolulu to study at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa where he obtained dual undergraduate degrees in related biology fields. Upon graduation from the University of Hawai'i, Harris went on to the University of California at Irvine where he obtained his master's degree in population and environmental biology, specializing in urban ecosystems. He returned to Hawai'i and settled on the island of Kauai. He was a professor at Kauai Community College and Marine Advisor with the University of Hawai'i Sea Grant Program.

Political career

Harris was elected by his fellow Kauai residents to serve as their delegate to the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention. The convention of 1978 came to be recognized as one of the most important events in Hawai'i history as from its body of delegates, many would become future "giants of Hawai'i politics" as the media would later recall. Harris debated alongside John D. Waihee III and Benjamin J. Cayetano, future Governors of Hawai'i, as well as future legislative leaders Carol Fukunaga, Helene Hale, Les Ihara, Barbara Marumoto and Joseph Souki.

In 1979, Harris was elected to the Kauai County Council where he served a single two-year term. In 1984, he joined the City & County of Honolulu as Executive Assistant to Mayor Frank F. Fasi. He was soon promoted to Deputy Managing Director and then Managing Director. In 1994, Fasi resigned as Mayor of Honolulu and in the line of succession, Harris assumed the office.

Mayor of Honolulu

Harris won a special election to become the outright Mayor of Honolulu in September 1994. He was consequently re-elected in 1996 and 2000, appealing mostly to Chinese American, Filipino American and Japanese American communities. During his tenure as Mayor of Honolulu, residents voted to limit the mayoral term to two four-year terms and thus made Harris ineligible for re-election in 2004. Former members of the Honolulu City Council Duke Bainum, Mufi Hannemann and former Mayor Frank F. Fasi ran to succeed Harris, but Hannemann was ultimately the victor.

Harris is recognized as having executed the first government system overhaul in Honolulu history. He reorganized all municipal departments and streamlined all services provided by the city and county. He also curtailed urban sprawl by reforming the system of land use planning to preserve open spaces and agricultural districts.

Harris' most ambitious and controversial project was 21st Century Oahu: A Shared Vision for the Future. 21st Century Oahu is a community based visioning program where neighborhoods would be given some control over their own community development, urban planning and beautification projects. Hundreds of public safety, environment, transportation, cultural and recreation construction is currently underway as an outgrowth of Harris' 21st Century Oahu project.

Gubernatorial Campaign of 2002

Backed by senior leaders of the Hawai'i Democratic Party, Harris was considered a favorite to win the 2002 race for Governor of Hawai'i. But in spring of 2002, local news media reported allegations of campaign finance wrong-doing by Harris' own staffers. Despite polling closely to the presumptive Republican nominee Linda Lingle, Harris shocked Hawai'i residents by bowing out of the gubernatorial race. Hawai'i Democratic leaders then backed incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mazie K. Hirono for the nomination instead.

Legacy

Much like his predecessor Mayor Frank F. Fasi, Harris leaves the City & County of Honolulu with a long-lasting legacy of his own. He built the Marine Education Center at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, instituted the Waikiki Revitalization project that changed the look of Waikiki's main thoroughfares, restored the Natatorium, Queen's Surf Beach, Kuhio Beach, Kapiolani Park Bandstand, established torchlighting ceremonies and hula performances every night at Waikiki and started Brunch on the Beach. However, critics of Harris, including current Mayor Mufi Hannemann, contend that these programs came at the expense of basic city services and infrastructure.

Harris has the distinction of being the only mayor to be elected more than once as United States Public Administrator of the Year by the American Society of Public Administration. Twice, Honolulu's The Bus was honored as America's Best Transportation System. Other foremost national societies named Honolulu first on the list of Kid Friendly Cities as well as the most digitally and technologically advanced city in the United States.

Harris made waves on the international stage as the founder of the Mayors' Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit. Delegates in 1999 that included over 400 leaders from the Asia-Pacific Rim nations voted to establish a permanent Secretariat in Honolulu in Harris' honor. Harris also established the Pacific Islands Environmental Symposium, China-U.S. Conference of Mayors and Business Leaders, Asia Pacific Urban Technology Institute and the Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce Presidents.

It is still unclear whether the allegations of campaign spending violations that aborted his gubernatorial campaign in 2002 will leave a lasting mark on Harris' legacy as mayor. Investigations into the allegations led to numerous no-contest pleas by local engineers, architects, and contractors. According to local political scientist Neal Milner, if the investigations focus on Harris himself, it may taint his legacy. However, he adds that political scandals seem more significant at the time it occurs, and that history has a way of putting such issues in perspective. [1] (http://starbulletin.com/2004/12/26/news/story4.html)

External links

• City & County of Honolulu (http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/)
• "The Harris Legacy", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Dec. 26, 2004 (http://starbulletin.com/2004/12/26/news/story4.html)