Mayor of Honolulu Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu
Seal of the City and County of Honolulu
Incumbent Rick Blangiardi since January 2, 2021
Term length	4 years Maximum of 2 consecutive full terms
Inaugural holder	Joseph James Fern
Formation	1909
Website	Office of the Mayor

The mayor of Honolulu is the main leader of the City and County of Honolulu. This important job was created in 1900. The mayor is chosen by a vote from all eligible residents of Honolulu. They can serve for up to two four-year terms.

The mayor of Honolulu has a lot of power. They can choose and remove people who work in city government. They also have control over different city departments. The mayor can even say "no" to decisions made by the Honolulu City Council. They also have a big say in how the city's money, which is over $1 billion, is spent.

Honolulu Hale: The Mayor's Office
What the Mayor Does for Honolulu
- Helping the Mayor: The Managing Director
Honolulu's Role in the World
The First Lady of Honolulu
Who Has Been Mayor of Honolulu?
Other Important People in Honolulu Politics
More Information
See also

Honolulu Hale: The Mayor's Office

The mayor of Honolulu works from Honolulu Hale. This is the city's historic city hall building. It was built in 1928 and looks like a Spanish villa. You can find it in downtown Honolulu, near King and Punchbowl streets. Other city workers also have offices in buildings nearby.

What the Mayor Does for Honolulu

Every year, the mayor gives a "State of the City" speech. This happens in the courtyard of Honolulu Hale. In this speech, the mayor talks about their plans for the year. They also explain how the city's money will be used.

The mayor is in charge of many important public services. They oversee dozens of departments. These include the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, the Honolulu Fire Department, and the Honolulu Police Department. They also manage the Oʻahu Civil Defense Agency. Unlike mayors in most other U.S. cities, the Honolulu mayor does not manage schools. Schools in Hawaiʻi are run by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education.

Helping the Mayor: The Managing Director

The managing director of Honolulu helps the mayor with all these tasks. Their most important job is to act as mayor if the mayor is away or leaves office. Michael Formby is the current managing director.

Honolulu's Role in the World

Honolulu is sometimes called the "Geneva of the Pacific." This is because it's a key place for trade, politics, and learning in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Many international groups and meetings happen here. Honolulu also hosts large military exercises called RIMPAC. These exercises are led by the United States Pacific Command, which has its main office in Honolulu.

Because Honolulu is so important globally, its mayor often acts like a diplomat. This is different from most other U.S. mayors. The mayor of Honolulu leads several international groups of mayors. They also often host special international meetings.

The First Lady of Honolulu

In Hawaiʻi, the mayor's wife is given the special title "First Lady of Honolulu." This is a unique tradition. In most U.S. cities, this title is only for the wife of a state governor or the U.S. president. Honolulu gives this honor to the mayor's wife because of the mayor's many international duties. It's a special title, not a legal one.

Who Has Been Mayor of Honolulu?

The table below shows some of the people who have served as mayor of Honolulu.

No.	Name		Elected	Term in office
1	Joseph J. Fern (1872–1920)	Democratic	1908 1910 1912	January 4, 1909 – January 4, 1915 (lost re-election)
2	John C. Lane (1872–1958)	Republican	1914	January 4, 1915 – January 4, 1917 (lost re-election)
(1)	Joseph J. Fern (1872–1920)	Democratic	1916 1918	January 4, 1917 – February 20, 1920 (died in office)
3	John H. Wilson (1871–1956)	Democratic	1920 1922 1924	February 26, 1920 – January 2, 1927 (lost re-election)
4	Charles N. Arnold (1880–1929)	Republican	1926	January 2, 1927 – January 1, 1929 (lost re-election)
(3)	John H. Wilson (1871–1956)	Democratic	1928	January 1, 1929 – January 3, 1931 (lost re-election)
5	George F. Wright (1881–1938)	Republican	1930 1932 1934	January 3, 1931 – July 2, 1938 (died in office)
6	Charles Crane (1869–1958)	Republican	1938	July 15, 1938 – January 2, 1941 (lost re-election)
7	Lester Petrie (1878–1956)	Democratic	1940 1942 1944 1946	January 2, 1941 – January 2, 1949 (retired)
(3)	John H. Wilson (1871–1956)	Democratic	1948 1950 1952	January 2, 1949 – January 2, 1955 (lost re-election)
8	Neal Blaisdell (1902–1975)	Republican	1954 1956 1960 1964	January 2, 1955 – January 2, 1969 (retired)
9	Frank Fasi (1920–2010)	Democratic	1968 1972 1976	January 2, 1969 – January 2, 1981 (lost re-election)
10	Eileen Anderson (1928–2021)	Democratic	1980	January 2, 1981 – January 2, 1985 (lost re-election)
(9)	Frank Fasi (1920–2010)	Republican	1984 1988 1992	January 2, 1985 – September 17, 1994 (resigned)
11	Jeremy Harris (born 1950)	Democratic	1994 1996 2000	September 18, 1994 – January 2, 2005 (term limited)
12	Mufi Hannemann (born 1954)	Democratic	2004 2008	January 2, 2005 – July 20, 2010 (resigned)
–	Kirk Caldwell (born 1952)	Democratic	—	July 20, 2010 – October 11, 2010 (lost election)
13	Peter Carlisle (born 1952)	Independent	2010 sp	October 11, 2010 – January 2, 2013 (lost re-election)
14	Kirk Caldwell (born 1952)	Democratic	2012 2016	January 2, 2013 – January 2, 2021 (term limited)
15	Rick Blangiardi (born 1946)	Independent	2020	January 2, 2021 – present (incumbent)