Hawaii Council of Mayors

A Story about Collaboration and Cooperation

In 2006, Mayor Mufi Hannemann traveled to the Big Island to turn over the keys of several used City buses to then-Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim.  Afterward, at a meeting in Kim’s office, they talked about collaborating on county issues, something they felt had been missing in intergovernmental relations.

The first meeting of the mayors, involving Hannemann, Kim, Bryan Baptiste of Kauai County, and Alan Arakawa of Maui County, was held in December 2006 in Honolulu.  The mayors discussed wide-ranging concerns and came up with legislative proposals that they could all support at the Legislature.

In 2007, with Mayor Charmaine Tavares of Maui County joining the group, the mayors decided to step up their collaborations, which included formally calling themselves the Hawaii Council of Mayors, holding several meetings, and developing a legislative package for 2008, which they agreed to submit jointly as HCOM.  The mayors then met with House and Senate leaders in January 2008, leading the legislators to remark that it was the first time in memory that all the mayors had come together to offer a package of bills. 

Hawaii Council of MayorsThe success of the mayors’ collaborative approach led them to repeat it in 2009 and 2010.  This time mayors Hannemann and Tavares were joined by new mayors Billy Kenoi of Hawaii County and Bernard Carvalho, Jr. of Kauai County.

The four mayors also have been active on matters outside the legislative front.  They were involved with the recent round of collective bargaining negotiations with the United Public Workers and HGEA.  They joined the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau on tourism promotions in mainland and overseas markets and lobbied in Washington, D.C., for federal support and initiatives being backed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Mayor Hannemann has credited HCOM with creating a new dynamic in the counties’ relationship with the state government and other entities.  He said, “While each mayor pursues specific interests, the Hawaii Council of Mayors has given focus to our mutual interests.  Our ‘all for one, and one for all’ approach, whether it’s legislation, tourism marketing, or collective bargaining, has enabled us to speak as one clear and strong voice.  Our collaboration is unprecedented in island politics, demonstrating that geography is not a barrier to communication, effective working relationships, and the pursuit of goals that benefit all the people of Hawaii.”