Latest / The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi / Mayor Blangiardi on fallen fire fighter Fiala, illegal fireworks on O'ahu, and the 2025 Inauguration Ceremony

Transcript

Mayor Blangiardi on fallen fire fighter Fiala, illegal fireworks on O'ahu, and the 2025 Inauguration Ceremony · The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi

0:14
Welcome to the One Oahu podcast.
0:17
I'm your host, Brandi Higa, and today is Thursday, January 9th, 2025.
0:21
Our first episode of the One Oahu podcast.
0:24
In 2025, we're back with Mayor Rick Blangiardi.
0:28
And mayor, you mentioned this in your inauguration speech.
0:30
It's difficult to say, happy new Year.
0:32
When we started the year in such a tragic way, the fireworks incident in Salt Lake,
0:35
and then not just this week, a building fire in McCully.
0:39
Mayor, you were there at the hospital.
0:41
As we learned of the death of one of our own, Honolulu firefighter, Jeff Fiala.
0:46
If you could just speak to this incident.
0:47
Well, you know, both incidents are still very numbing.
0:50
And in that spirit of what you said,
0:52
yes, this is that time of the year where we we embark on a new year.
0:56
And certainly in this particular case, for us on a personal basis as a team.
1:00
The beginning of our second term
1:01
and our duty as them, our hopes, our dreams, all of that is right there.
1:06
But boy, this has been an incredible start.
1:09
You know, was sort of the way the year ended in the way it started,
1:11
because that whole incident in Salt Lake happened,
1:14
you know, within minutes of it actually being midnight.
1:17
And so it's just that, you know, we can talk about that.
1:20
But you asked me about the hospital.
1:21
That was extremely sad.
1:23
You know, I mean, the reality of a young man losing his life.
1:27
His parents, they're his twin brother was there.
1:30
His young wife was there all in shock.
1:33
A lot of firemen came,
1:35
and then later, the crew that actually was at the scene came
1:38
as well, while trying to give emotional support,
1:41
you know, losing one in the line of duty like that.
1:44
And there were four others that were injured
1:45
and they were up at Queens. They stayed overnight.
1:47
They're going to be fine.
1:48
But this was a three alarm fire.
1:50
And this was a really dangerous fire, obviously.
1:53
And, you know,
1:56
you just turned on January 3rd, 25.
1:59
So he was really young.
2:00
He'd been the department for a year and a half.
2:03
And, his father kept saying he loved being a fireman.
2:06
He was so proud to be a fireman. And,
2:09
you know, it was one of those gut wrenching experiences
2:12
that I find myself now in this job with, with these kind of horrors.
2:16
And you're up there and you get close and personal and it's
2:19
it is gut wrenching because you it's not that you feel impotent.
2:23
It's it's just what do you say?
2:25
What do you do that can bring any kind of consolation?
2:29
Yet you very much want to do that.
2:31
You want to make people feel a little bit better and so,
2:35
our thoughts and prayers, look, you know, we're now had four people die
2:38
as a result of the Salt Lake incident, five deaths in total.
2:42
But there are other people, and I'm not going to get into the details,
2:46
but they are literally fighting for their lives, both here and on the mainland.
2:50
Those are the burn victims.
2:51
They were really badly injured.
2:54
And so we'll see.
2:57
So it's kind of gruesome.
2:58
And I'm actually expecting, that perhaps
3:02
more will will pass because the prognosis
3:05
and the conversations I have medical people is it's really tough.
3:08
We hope it doesn't happen, but they're really in a fight for their lives.
3:11
So it's been an
3:13
awful way to begin to begin the new year.
3:17
And we'll just keep everybody in our thoughts and prayers.
3:19
You mentioned how difficult it is with you in this role as mayor.
3:23
What were your conversations
3:24
like this past week at the hospital with Chief Colonial?
3:27
Well, you know, we talked very much about the role of leadership
3:31
and, and, and his having to be strong.
3:34
And, and I think it comes naturally for him.
3:36
I think he's a natural leader.
3:38
But these are the hours.
3:39
These are those moments when you, you feel that, you know,
3:43
it's it's one thing to have a title and go through
3:45
and do the administrative things and make decisions.
3:48
But when you get into the moments like this,
3:51
that you it's a different dimension of leadership.
3:54
And so and I think he knows that he's I think he's instinctively
3:58
he's a pure leader.
3:59
It's one of the things I love about Chief Howard.
4:01
So Jason's really solid too.
4:03
But but he's in that alpha position
4:07
and I could tell he knew the moment he was in.
4:10
So, you know, what we talked about was, you know,
4:14
getting in front of the cameras and, and what we should say
4:18
and not say, especially since we knew that a lot of family had not been notified.
4:23
Yet. So, you know,
4:26
was stuff like that, but it was, you know, it was a conversation.
4:30
It was the most serious.
4:31
It was the kind of conversation you have
4:32
when something so awful happen and you're dealing with it in the moment.
4:36
In this particular case, she knew he had to be strong for his men, strong
4:40
for the young man's family, and also, I think, strong for the community.
4:44
And how he stood tall and and told everybody what had happened. So,
4:50
these are those defining moments that challenge you
4:52
from a leadership standpoint.
4:54
There's no textbook on it.
4:56
You just, you know, you pray you don't have to be in those moments.
4:59
But when they come, you do the best you can.
5:02
I was very proud of chief how he was a rock.
5:04
I could see all the guys coming over to him, checking in with him and whatever.
5:07
And it was,
5:08
you know, I've said it before, our fire department is a really incredible,
5:13
buttoned down group of men and women that really have their act together.
5:16
They're really you know, I think part of it
5:18
is because they live together in firehouses, too.
5:20
And there's a camaraderie and a bond and and,
5:22
of course, the legacy of the fire department,
5:25
they're all proud to be a member of that as well.
5:27
There's all that going for it.
5:29
So when the when someone dies in the line of duty
5:32
like this, it's a really a big deal.
5:35
Balancing that strength and leadership with empathy and,
5:39
you know, I'm not a parent. I know that you are.
5:41
So what was that conversation like with his parents?
5:45
You know, you want to talk about being at a loss for words, right?
5:48
What do you say to his mother? And she was very quick.
5:50
She embraced me and hugged me and hugged me for a while.
5:53
And she just said, I'm oh my God.
5:55
I'm just I'm so shocked, you know? And I.
5:58
And what do you say in a moment like that?
5:59
You're hugging a mother who probably two hours earlier was home watching TV
6:04
or just had dinner and was in a situation, you know, life was okay.
6:08
And suddenly her 25 year old son, who is happy to have a twin brother,
6:13
she raised twin boys.
6:14
And I've always had a lot of talk about being a parent.
6:16
If I had a lot of admiration for people who raise twins, that's no small deal.
6:21
I don't know what his brother does, but his brother's a really physical
6:24
looking guy, too.
6:25
And they were twins and so, I mean, I could see the anguish on his face.
6:30
The father, I mean, it just you're there,
6:32
you want to be there, but you almost wish you weren't because it's so painful.
6:36
And you just try to just be emotionally
6:39
supportive and and let them say what they want to say.
6:42
And his dad just kept telling me
6:44
how much he loved being a father and how proud he was.
6:45
He became part of the fire department a year and a half ago, and he's just he's
6:49
been beaming as a young guy.
6:51
What a great career for him and a great wife, his young wife, their two,
6:55
I'm sure, really excited about the career choice
6:58
and even getting into the department and passing and everything and all cut
7:02
way too short, way too fast.
7:05
You mentioned this, but this was just days less than a week
7:08
after dozens of firefighters, other first responders rushed toward danger.
7:12
Yeah, to help in that Alemanno fireworks blast.
7:16
Earlier this week, we
7:17
learned about just the latest victim, that three year old, some time has passed.
7:21
But does their frustration still linger for that one?
7:24
Oh, yeah.
7:25
Big time.
7:26
In fact, you know, we've been, negotiated a negotiation.
7:29
We've been speaking with we're going to be looking at some stuff,
7:34
some technologies that they're using in other ports,
7:37
to, to detect there's different things out there.
7:40
Now, this is going to be, first of all, this is an ongoing saga.
7:43
Hopefully nobody else dies.
7:45
If they should, it'll be a reminder.
7:46
But these people suffering the hospitals are going to be in there for a long time.
7:50
We owe it to them, their families.
7:51
We owe it to this community to do everything we can
7:54
to minimize aerial, illegal aerial fireworks.
7:58
Honestly, you know,
8:00
last year, not this past year.
8:02
Last year, as we went into the holiday season, we had the Lahaina
8:06
wildfire is a seminal moment.
8:08
Unbelievable. Still to this day. Chilling.
8:10
I still can't comprehend. The line is gone.
8:13
And then we had our own wildfire. Mililani.
8:16
Even though it didn't damage any a buddy's homes or anything,
8:20
that was a harrowing experience, which our fire department
8:23
excelled at working with the military, and it was all done in the air.
8:26
We had,
8:27
you know, we had Blackhawks and Chinooks dropping thousands
8:31
and thousands of gallons of water. It was good.
8:33
They can change it.
8:34
But we had we had the Maui and then we had that.
8:37
And so in October, I believe it was and we went to the holidays
8:40
begging people, you know, not to use it to no avail.
8:45
And then and then this year,
8:49
even though we went through the whole thing
8:50
when we vetoed the fireworks bill, and that fireworks
8:53
bill had nothing to do with aerial fireworks, had to do it other things.
8:56
So I might say that, but we had a lot of conversation
8:59
about fireworks
9:00
and the danger and all of that, and we just weren't going to add to it
9:04
with something as seemingly benign as, you know, sparklers
9:07
and fountains and stuff like that.
9:09
But we said, no, the risk of water.
9:11
We had a lot of conversation and even got a lot of publicity.
9:14
It was in, you know, all kinds of media,
9:17
just calling attention to just how dangerous this stuff is.
9:20
And this year, you know, we sent some of the video to these
9:24
people, were talking to the handle,
9:25
these different ports back in New York and Baltimore.
9:29
And they actually respond, I talked to I was talking to them
9:32
and they they said that they have never seen anything like that.
9:36
Not and, you know, it's one thing to watch, you know, professional
9:40
fireworks display in Washington, DC or, you know, even in New York.
9:44
And that's done, like, you know, in the harbor and tug boats.
9:48
But this was in residential neighborhoods and, you know, and going off incredible.
9:53
I mean, the visitor on that, we wasn't just on the West Side.
9:56
I was looking at the East side, too,
9:58
and even, you know, and all around Korea was everywhere. So,
10:03
we people have to be responsible.
10:05
I mean, that there's real danger here and and this tragedy,
10:10
this needs to be a wake up call.
10:11
I know it sounds almost cliche,
10:14
but you want to scream it from the from the top of your lungs.
10:17
Come on.
10:18
We you know,
10:21
I've been told by some of the medical people, and unfortunately,
10:23
I did look at some of the pictures I wish they had because it was so gruesome.
10:27
They should take a look at this.
10:28
These people are going to be changed forever.
10:31
This is not you go in, the house will come out maybe two months later.
10:33
These people, any of them who live their lives are changed forever.
10:37
And people who have family members and babies who weren't hurt
10:40
or whatever are all scarred forever as well.
10:42
This this thing is
10:43
a lot more than just a body count of those people in the burn centers.
10:47
This is and I don't know what else, how many more people we,
10:50
these innocent people on.
10:52
You know, like I said,
10:54
in my state of the city, you know, New Year's
10:56
Eve is supposed to be a time of joy and it's devastation, you know?
10:59
And it's turned out the New Year's Eve has become a dangerous night for us.
11:02
You know, and and we shouldn't be doing that to ourselves.
11:06
The common sense would say we don't do that to ourselves.
11:09
So we're going to look at confiscation
11:11
techniques and stuff and see what we can do there.
11:13
And I talked to the government.
11:14
Maybe we need to be putting on the aerial firework shows.
11:17
You know, it's controlled out in the water,
11:21
you know, and just give people a place to go to enjoy.
11:25
I, I'm not against fireworks.
11:28
The concept of them, you know, look, as a kid growing up in my generation,
11:31
the 4th of July was always a big, you know, all of that, right?
11:34
For all of us.
11:36
But I think we've got to take a different approach as a community
11:39
because honestly, this was really tragic for.
11:45
You mentioned your inauguration speech.
11:47
That ceremony was held last week.
11:48
We'll get to that speech in just a minute.
11:50
But I want to get some of your takeaways from the opening act.
11:53
The entertainment, the video night, Noah Thompson,
11:56
all of that pomp and circumstance for your night.
11:58
While I was really proud of you, first of all, I walked in the auditorium
12:01
and my daughter was there, who shocked me because she lives in Seattle.
12:05
She's a mother of four.
12:06
Didn't have to.
12:08
I just sent her in the afternoon the like, thinking that she was home in Seattle
12:12
and they were going to watch it.
12:13
So she was there.
12:14
But boy, from the opening act, those kids, the homeless,
12:17
the little girls and boys
12:18
and I was sitting in the front row, so I was literally inches away from them
12:22
being able to see up close and personal their faces.
12:25
And they're just, they're just could feel their rhythm there.
12:28
They executed so beautifully.
12:30
And then everything that went on that night, I mean, and
12:35
they were all really, really good.
12:36
I mean, to have both my Noah Thompson and Henry Kapono,
12:41
you know, basically performing.
12:43
Henry played a couple of songs, said some really nice words.
12:46
I love the fact he chose friends in Good Times.
12:48
It was the same songs, but same songs I'd hope he would do.
12:52
And I know it's just such a great storyteller.
12:54
He doesn't speak very often, and he went up there
12:56
with all his humility in his own way.
12:57
So I don't really know much about leadership because he delivers
13:01
a speech to have everybody with their mouth open, you know?
13:04
And I remember getting up there, I said, okay, do that.
13:07
You know.
13:08
Yeah, I'll give you that.
13:10
I know you're one of the best leaders the state has ever seen, you know?
13:14
And so it's such an honor to have him there.
13:16
I mean, even our blessing from Kahu Cordell Kekoa was,
13:20
as I said, made it just perfect.
13:21
I just felt, I really want to thank the comms team, of which you're a part of.
13:26
You guys orchestrated Ryan Wilson, you put together an incredible video.
13:30
I mean, it's really a very proud moment, but honestly,
13:35
it was for me to realize.
13:37
And where we are in this moment in a very positive way
13:41
of how much we've done over the last four years to get to a place, you know,
13:47
where, as I talked about that night, it's going to be about execution.
13:50
It's about what we expect and demand from ourselves.
13:53
And with the public's demanding, we know what we need to do.
13:55
We want to exceed their expectations, is about deliverables.
13:59
And so the thing about this, compared to four years
14:02
ago, was four years ago is very subdued because we get sworn in during Covid.
14:07
But knowing the team we have now and all the work that's gone into studying
14:11
problems, developing solutions, knowing the capability of this team
14:16
really spring loaded to execute, we're already beginning
14:19
to do that on all the tough stuff, the big challenges.
14:25
Is exciting to me.
14:26
This is if this was half time, it'd be like being there at halftime.
14:29
So, okay, we played pretty well in the first half,
14:32
but these guys are champions
14:33
and they got to go out there and just you know, and that's how I feel.
14:36
I feel like
14:38
I hope that when it's all said and done, as I said
14:41
in my speech, that we will fulfill the promises we've made.
14:44
But I think beyond that, I think we're doing stuff that's the stuff of legacy.
14:48
And I don't mind
14:48
talking about that with humility, because I want us to be that different.
14:52
I want our team to be that good.
14:54
I want us to make that kind of contribution.
14:56
I talked the other night about, you know,
14:59
politics is, you know, part performance and,
15:04
part practicality.
15:05
And you know, and the practicality part is what I'm interested in.
15:08
It's about the doing and making things happen.
15:11
And I want that to be a hallmark of our administration.
15:13
I want to we know that we make good decisions, smart decisions
15:17
for the greater good of this community, and we delivered on them.
15:20
I feel very strongly about that, and I know we're going to do that.
15:22
That's very exciting.
15:23
Then it came time to give your actual inauguration speech.
15:27
Yeah.
15:27
What was your tone, the message you were trying to convey there?
15:31
Well, you know, it was interesting.
15:33
Let me just jump for so we finish the speech
15:36
and I'll go back to the speech.
15:37
Okay.
15:37
And really, since you didn't talk about policies,
15:40
I said that wasn't the point of tonight's speech.
15:43
And the reason why I asked in the way we orchestrated the people in attendance,
15:47
even though I knew it was being televised live, was I wanted to be a team meeting.
15:52
I wanted to be about my interpretation of the oath
15:55
we had taken together and how I wanted to see that manifest.
15:59
It wasn't about specifics.
16:01
Those are going to be there will address those in the state of the city.
16:04
So my my tone was precisely that.
16:06
It was talking to the team about expectations, about promises
16:11
we made, about our capability, about, you know, the fact that,
16:16
you know, leadership is a journey and
16:19
and change is tough, but there's nothing that we can't overcome together.
16:23
I talked about that.
16:24
And I you know, I actually drew down on a poem from Rudyard Kipling.
16:27
I've always loved, you know, and from the law of the jungle,
16:33
because it gives you an insight to how I think.
16:35
But, you know, the strength is the strength of the pack is in the wolf,
16:39
and the strength of the wolf is in the pack, you know, and,
16:43
you know, each of us is strong, but together we're unbreakable.
16:47
It's very powerful.
16:49
And that's, you know, and so I drive, I derive my inspiration from our team.
16:54
I do I tell people that all the time.
16:56
I mean, I get energized and excited about seeing people do really good work.
17:00
And at the same time, I have to play my position.
17:03
And so I understand the role of leadership in this regard.
17:06
And now, especially going into it, I think back about all that I didn't know.
17:09
I still don't know a lot
17:11
when I started this job and how that felt in the kind of overwhelming,
17:16
because it was so different than the four plus decades
17:19
I had spent my prior life, in media and professional life.
17:25
And now what I feel like I do know, especially what I know
17:28
in this team and the plans we've made, it's a whole different set.
17:32
So I wanted to convey that to them.
17:34
I wanted to convey in my tone a sense of confidence, a sense of challenge,
17:39
a sense of the fact that I told them the next four years will not be easy.
17:43
I wouldn't want it any other way.
17:44
But this team is up for that. And also the sense of challenge.
17:47
I said that at the end they said there's there's nothing that we can't do.
17:51
There's no that this team at this point in time.
17:53
And I want people thinking that way.
17:55
And I think
17:55
any time you've been on a great team, that's exactly what it does for you
17:58
in any field of endeavor. Could be any sport, even.
18:00
But even in professional life, when you're part of an organization
18:04
where everybody is pushing themselves to do their best work,
18:07
which is our responsibility here, if we do that,
18:11
this may not make us all rich, but this could be
18:14
the most gratifying work of our lives, and for that matter,
18:17
the kind of work we're doing right now that helps the place we all live in.
18:21
And I mean, it's it's it's good stuff.
18:23
It's just really it doesn't feel like work.
18:26
And I want them to feel I want them to feel that sense
18:28
of responsibility, that ownership of we need to deliver
18:32
and and then the confidence that we're going to help each other.
18:36
And I also want to acknowledge them.
18:37
I told them one of the things I really love about this team
18:39
is they work together. Nobody looks for the credit.
18:42
I've seen that time and time again.
18:43
I saw it, I saw it, you know, even with the
18:46
with the with the firemen the other night and the support that went on. But,
18:52
but I like that.
18:53
And I said to them, that's the essence of teamwork, you know,
18:55
and you know,
18:57
and I've seen the attribution to a number of different people about,
18:59
you know,
19:00
the essence of teamwork is that when you know,
19:02
great things can happen, when nobody cares who gets the credit.
19:05
So I don't know who really said that.
19:07
I do like that because it makes a lot of sense.
19:10
I do that coming into the city.
19:12
People talk to about, oh, it's in silos and, you know, and all the other stuff.
19:15
We've knocked down all those walls and I'm proud of that.
19:18
So, you know, we're we have momentum and that's and that's what I talked about.
19:22
We had momentum and was one of the really good things
19:24
about the fact we were able to win in the primary.
19:26
We did take our eye off the ball, which I talked about.
19:29
I want to remind you of that. We are focused.
19:31
We know the problems. We know the challenges.
19:33
We know the solutions we're trying to deliver.
19:35
I feel really good.
19:36
So that was that talk was about that talk was about,
19:38
okay, you we know where we are.
19:40
We know who we are. And now it's time.
19:45
Bill, 59, was recently sent to your desk for approval
19:47
by the City council as it relates to film studio facilities here on Oahu.
19:52
I signed it.
19:53
Why does that matter to you.
19:54
As big time? Because it's really good for Hawaii.
19:56
It's a good piece of business.
19:57
You know, we we think we can more than double down
20:00
and it's going to create incredible good career jobs.
20:03
Hawaii.
20:04
It's it's a clean business.
20:07
In fact, we get to put it out at the, what's the world's campus?
20:11
36 acres out there.
20:12
And we build these film studios.
20:14
I mean, it's, we could be competitive with any city in the world.
20:17
I mean, short of Hollywood or whatever, but, I mean, from a destination
20:20
standpoint, other things we could do here and what that represents,
20:24
we've done a really good job over the years with just one film studio,
20:29
doing almost a half $1 billion a year in business, but actually
20:32
turning away a lot of business because we just didn't have that capacity.
20:36
And I've been out there, I've seen, you know, I've gone to major
20:39
film studios and been on the lots and walked in them.
20:42
I've seen them operate off the fascinating.
20:44
We can do that out here.
20:46
In fact, when I was at Amazon last year in Los Angeles, I walked in.
20:49
The first three guys I met were from Hawaii, and they were all senior
20:52
guys there. And they all say, bro, you know,
20:55
we miss home.
20:56
We would be there if we could do this.
20:58
We can't do this here. It's really good.
21:00
And so we're here.
21:01
But we'd rather be there back home, that kind of stuff.
21:06
Content is not going away.
21:08
I mean, I just, you know, last week I watched the Golden Globe Awards
21:11
and all the different stuff that's out there
21:13
and with streaming services now, and there's all kinds of stuff,
21:16
and we have such an incredible location here.
21:18
And in fact, it's an exotic location, too.
21:20
In some ways, I think one of the
21:22
I think it was talking to the guys at Disney
21:24
and they were telling me about,
21:25
you know, you have the best jungles in the world in Hawaii,
21:28
and we could shoot anything and not have to go to like,
21:30
something like,
21:31
which state in the United States would be in Hawaii
21:33
and in the technology that they have and the things that they can
21:36
then shoot and replicate in a film studio, but stay here on location,
21:40
all that stuff, it's we have so much to offer that way.
21:44
And, and we've been in the business.
21:46
We had a lot of first run shows here, you know,
21:48
but we could take the business to a whole different level.
21:50
And so all that I heard four years ago, in the midst of Covid, when tourism
21:54
was shut down about diversifying the economy, what are we doing?
21:57
I said, look,
21:58
I don't know if we have that bandwidth because of what it really takes
22:01
to diversify
22:02
an economy realistically, is knowing that we were the only ones experiencing Covid.
22:06
But we can certainly
22:07
build on existing businesses we have, and it wasn't just in film,
22:11
you know, the health care industry, agriculture,
22:13
you know, I mean, tourism, what a lot of it's happening with,
22:17
with respect to clean energy and different things, whether it's, you know,
22:21
regenerative tourism or the cultural aspect to other things, is
22:24
doing different jobs there to make the visitor experience
22:28
even that much better, all kinds of stuff like that.
22:30
And we just need to
22:32
make these things happen.
22:33
So this film series thing I'm excited about, because I think it will
22:36
actually also transform what's the house campus.
22:40
And if we can negotiate effectively with these guys,
22:42
get them to build some dorms out there, there's no reason
22:44
why kids could be coming to study here to go to film schools.
22:48
Like our kids go up there, they go to film schools.
22:50
In addition to what do we create for our local kids?
22:52
So, I'm excited about that.
22:55
The potential of this business, though, has been there forever.
22:58
Yeah.
22:58
And now that this is signed under your administration,
23:00
you know, I only wish someone like Georgette
23:01
Diemer could see something like this come to fruition.
23:03
But it's been talked about for years.
23:06
And for you, the countdown for four years started.
23:08
Yeah. Right.
23:09
So is that enough time or talk about the future I want.
23:12
I want to break down before I leave office and they throw me out.
23:15
You know, I really want to apply for a red shirt.
23:18
You get a red shirt, you hear all you watch all these kids come here.
23:21
Covid. Yeah. Yeah. By Covid. Yeah.
23:23
We need more time.
23:24
But I think we I think we can really, are having a meeting tomorrow.
23:28
I think, another one and I've asked not.
23:32
It's just past.
23:33
I've met with Georgia Skinner and Valia Constantino, who's our film commissioner,
23:38
and said, I need a blueprint now, what we're going to do,
23:39
and we'll be talking to Chris Lee.
23:41
How do we now start the next steps
23:43
and how we because we're going to have to work with the state.
23:45
We're going to need help from them.
23:47
But this is one of those collaborative things that,
23:50
I think we can make happen, and we just have to be more user friendly
23:54
and smart in how to go about this business with tax credits and whatever.
23:58
But I have every confidence that we can attract,
24:01
a minimum of $100 million investment, to come in and get this going.
24:06
In fact, I was just told recently,
24:09
asked if I would take a
24:10
meeting with Jason Momoa, but hasn't to say I because I.
24:14
We can start. Before I should all. Staff.
24:16
Okay. If you come. Yeah.
24:17
And because he wants to talk about doing more work, he's doing the work.
24:20
Is he just.
24:21
And I said I'd be happy to meet and listen to him and and reassure him.
24:25
But we want to do this stuff, you know and I just
24:27
that a lot of people, it's not just a guy like Jason.
24:30
It's a lot of people,
24:32
that, would like to do it.
24:34
Not, but not the least of which is
24:35
we have a first run show on Fox now for a second season renewal.
24:39
High surf out there and you know, and that's the ocean, you know, and.
24:42
And local people and local culture and. All that stuff.
24:45
So yeah.
24:46
Yeah we could take it to a different level.
24:47
This series that, Jason Momoa is doing about Hawaii in New Zealand,
24:53
this family, Game of Thrones money, and that's big money.
24:56
16, $17 million an episode.
24:59
This is the kind of stuff,
25:01
even though, as you just said, Brandy.
25:03
And look, I was in the media business.
25:04
I used to hear the same noises we could see.
25:07
We could never get out of the trenches if we could actually take this.
25:12
When I talk about changing the trajectory of the city and making big things
25:15
happen and bring this to fruition are a major contribution.
25:18
And that's just one of many.
25:20
That's why it's really exciting time right now.
25:22
There's so many big things that we can make happen, and we need to make happen.
25:26
New Year.
25:27
And we also have a new president over there at,
25:29
have you had a chance to meet the incoming president to talk.
25:31
About that president?
25:32
Why you going to talk about the US president? Good. That's good.
25:35
That's a better conversation. Larger conversation.
25:36
Like with.
25:37
Yeah, I, I had the opportunity to meet the president.
25:40
Hansel. Wendy. Hansel.
25:41
And I have to tell you, she exudes a couple of the qualities
25:43
I look for in people.
25:44
One, she came off as being very authentic.
25:47
Secondly, great energy.
25:48
But she's passionate about her job.
25:50
She said all the right things and introduced her
25:52
to a group of business leaders at the Bank of Hawaii earlier.
25:55
We're going to see her again.
25:56
In fact, she's going to come to my home for dinner.
25:58
Like I told her the other night, I'll say it again,
26:01
this is a huge leadership job in this state.
26:03
President of University of Hawaii. We need her to be a superstar.
26:06
We need a great president right now.
26:08
We're in those times.
26:10
It's a competitive situation where Hawaii needs to step up.
26:13
We've got to stop playing, not to lose and stop playing to win.
26:16
We have to be more aggressive on the front
26:18
with all that the university has to offer.
26:20
I'm not just talking about sports programs.
26:22
I'm talking across the board as a research institution, institution,
26:26
the quality, the faculty we have, the students and all of that other stuff.
26:30
We need to be what the University of Hawaii is capable of being.
26:34
But that takes drive from the top.
26:36
That takes a commitment to say, you know, where we're not going to get overwhelmed.
26:42
And I'll pick on Arizona
26:43
State for world for a moment because they get
26:45
they've gotten a tremendous amount of publicity
26:46
and the president's done a great job.
26:48
We need that kind of infusion of leadership and energy and direction,
26:53
because we are the University of the Pacific,
26:55
and there's a lot to be said about that.
26:57
And so the potential is enormous.
26:59
I told her I put mom on my cheerleading outfit.
27:01
Anything it would take to help her succeed.
27:04
I told the challenge, the community, we have to help her succeed.
27:07
And so,
27:09
she said all the right stuff.
27:10
I can see why they picked her.
27:12
And off we go.
27:13
With a new president to start a new year.
27:16
Are you a New Year's resolution type of guy, or.
27:18
Used to be, you know, not.
27:20
For this year. Oh, my hair never came back.
27:22
I used to wish that my hair would grow back.
27:24
You know, a still 300 pound guy trying to live in a 200 pound body.
27:27
I don't know what's wrong with that.
27:29
I got all these crazy New Year things, you know, they just don't work for me.
27:32
So I'm actually, I did make a lot of resolutions.
27:35
I have a lot of just plan with you. Yeah.
27:38
How you work,
27:39
you start out, you use these moments in time is sort of benchmarks, right.
27:43
And you go along
27:44
and you know, and for me, it's just like we all compete against us. So.
27:48
So I think of it more like that.
27:49
You kind of challenge yourself.
27:51
There's an ad currently running on TV and they talk about people
27:54
make New Year's resolutions, and I even know like black, Black Friday,
27:58
there's a quote is Monday or something like two weeks after they talk about that.
28:02
I guess it's everybody quits like two weeks into it.
28:06
I don't want to do that.
28:07
I honestly, my, my biggest challenge and I'll be serious here, is
28:12
I just want to do this job better than it's been done.
28:16
Okay. That's.
28:17
And and I look for the opportunities to make a difference.
28:20
And I stay true to that.
28:22
And so every day for me, I wake up with the sense of purpose.
28:26
And you've heard me say it before, I think I said even the other night,
28:29
this job in summary for me is the challenge,
28:33
responsibility and privilege of a lifetime all rolled into one.
28:36
So you wake up every morning with that sense of purpose
28:39
and an incredible place on the planet.
28:41
A place that I've loved.
28:42
And strangely enough, it's loved me back and you just can't do enough for me.
28:46
So my challenge for me is to be better.
28:50
In my fifth year of being there than I was in the previous four.
28:54
As we
28:54
record this podcast episode, we're actually going over the budgeted time.
28:58
We're bleeding it to the next hour, and your next meeting is actually here.
29:01
And the director for the Department of Enterprise Services and Data Holifield.
29:05
Yeah, it's so we're there's a microphone right in front of you.
29:08
Do you know, what is your New Year's resolution?
29:10
So my New Year's resolution, there's several,
29:13
but for the city is to double all the revenue that I did this year.
29:18
That this bureau talks my language.
29:21
I don't like the way she talks.
29:22
Okay, I love it. Yeah.
29:24
That's it. Yeah.
29:25
That's great data.
29:26
Thank you. Yeah. She's doing a great job.
29:28
Seriously. Did I don't embarrass you?
29:30
We were doing a podcast. She's doing a great job.
29:32
I mean, she's she's already in a short amount of time.
29:34
I use the word almost revolutionized the culture and expectations
29:39
when it comes to things about not only revenue, but about customer
29:42
service and pride in the people who are working to provide those things.
29:46
It's doing a great job.
29:47
Yeah, I appreciate that so much for a lot.
29:49
True. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't for good.
29:52
I know that about you. Yeah,
29:54
well, Happy New Year director will hand them over to you in just a bit.
29:56
But mayor, this is the one or who podcast.
29:58
So for one final thought.
30:00
Well, look, there's been a very serious conference
30:02
conversation throughout, but also at the same time, hopefully,
30:06
as life goes on, more of excitement to, you know, as we we continue forward here,
30:10
I think we all should to are very grateful about where we live.
30:13
We all own a lot,
30:15
of responsibility and just, you know, keeping this place a great place to live.
30:20
And so I just, I just want to tell everybody this out there.
30:25
We take our work very seriously.
30:27
We we understand our responsibility.
30:29
And you can count on us as I said the other day, you can count on us to deliver.
30:34
My goal is to make sure the promises we've made.
30:37
For sure.
30:38
Mayor, thank you for your time.
30:40
You're welcome, director Holifield,
30:41
thank you for letting us take some of your time as well.
30:44
Thank you.
30:44
Brandon.
30:45
And next week, we'll sit down with the members of our Honolulu
30:48
Youth Commission.
30:49
Not sure what that is, what they do or who it's comprised of,
30:53
and you'll want to listen in next week right here on the One or Ahu podcast.
30:56
Until then, Aloha.