Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 1985 — Honolulu Mayor Talks of Many Things [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Honolulu Mayor Talks of Many Things

City anel County of Honolulu Mayor Frank F. Fasi attended his first Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees meeting Jan. 25 in the OHA conference room "to listen and ask you what you want me to do." Fasi's appearance before the board is believed to be the first time a city or state government Ieader has done this. Veteran OHA staff members hailed this action as unprecedented. In his brief session with the board and other interested Hawaiian beneficiaries, Fasi talked of many things and handled several questions from board members covering such subject matters as the beach people, homeport, housing, land and iobs.

He opened the informal session by first noting that "I owe my election to the support of the people of Hawaiian ancestry ." Fasi p>ointed out he was "perplexed when I see OHA in one court is constitutional and in another court is unconstitutional. But I believe that will be worked out." Fasi stated he noticed by executive order that the Governor has transferred jurisdiction of Waimanalo Park to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. "We have purchased for $9 million Kualoa Park — 150 acres of property for use by Hawaiians. Maybe we ean effect a proper transfer whereby Kualoa Park could be under

direct supervision of DHHL and still be used as parks. We ean work out the property values," he declared. In response to a question on the beach people, Fasi answered: "1 see where a proposai was made to take the people off the beaches and put them in warehouses in town. I promised them I would not shuffle them around to where they don't want to go. We're stil! working on it."

Fasi had this to say on other matters: • Homeport. "It is incumbent on the authorities of the city and state to be concerned about their own people. My belief is that we ean accomodate both. We're going to have at least 5,000 rental units and you need 1,150 units for the battleship people. They would bring in an estimated 2,000 jobs with an average Naval Yard pay of $27,000 a year. These are the kinds of jobs I would like to see our people get. "Pearl Harbor is the best of the Pacific bases and the Pacific Fleet is building up. It ean go up to 600 ships. They will have to be placed some plaee. I would like some eeo-

nomie benefits or good paying jobs rather than the lower paying jobs. I don't think we ean depend on the tourist industry alone." • Employment. "We have legislation to start some industrial project in the Leeward coast in Nanakuli and Waimanalo areas to make those people in the area employable. I am concerned that unless we move in that direction, those who ean afford it eventually leave the islands; those who can't afford it are left to live in the lower standard of living.

"I am not Hawaiian looking but I feel the same problems that affect Hawaiians. These things affect all of us regardless of whether we're Hawaiian." Trustee Hayden Burgess reported that there are two applications for the 442nd Building in Waianae — one by the city parks department and the other by OHA. He said OHA is trying to find a center for Hawaiian people to create a cultural village while the city wants to put in a baseball field. Burgess asked the mayor for his kokua in trying to integrate one plan into the other. Fasi responded by saying: "If the people in your area want this in plaee of a baseball field, I am willing to talk to Tom Nekota (parks director.)"

Trustee Moanikeala Akaka said she couldn't overemphasize the housing situation. Fasi replied: "We need land. Find some land and we'll build. We have community block grant funds to build. Get DHHL to turn over some lands for this and we're ready to move. We can't do it alone. If you ean help us we ean help you." He also cited enterprise zone as being strictly for locals. It allows for good tax concessions, low lease rentals and "you get the businessman to invest and take your unempbyable there."

Mayor Frank F. Fasi