Mahalo for your support.
Aloha.
Throughout this campaign I’ve said that it was a privilege just to run for mayor, and now it is an honor to be elected and be able to serve you as mayor.
This was my first election ever, and I couldn’t have accomplished this alone.
I want to thank my wife Karen, my son Ryan, and my entire family for their support.
Mahalo to the incredible team of volunteers and supporters who worked together throughout the past nine months. I’ve been overwhelmed
Rick’s Roadmap to Recovery
Read Rick’s “First 90 Days” plan to help Honolulu navigate the challenges we face in the new year ahead.
Rick’s Top Priorities As Mayor
Rebuilding Honolulu’s economy after COVID-19.
This will be my single highest priority as Mayor. I bring a lifetime of successful experience working turnaround challenges, and rebuilding failing businesses. We need clear, decisive leadership to restore confidence and get more and more people back to work.
Stronger action to help the homeless.
This includes a “tough love” approach to street enforcement, but also means we need to build treatment and housing facilities for the drug addicted and mentally ill, who truly can’t take care of themselves. And we need more community partnerships to aid and house families. No one should ever be penalized for being poor.
Get real on rail.
I believe in the goals of rail transit, but we need a total reality check on the actual costs to complete the full route. This is not the time for wishful thinking or empty promises, and I will not raise property taxes for the sake of the project. HART must be 100% accountable and stop wasting money.
Fast-tracking housing projects locals can afford.
We need responsible development, but our old approach to creating affordable housing is not working. I will streamline the planning and permitting process to save time and money for builders, and get construction underwayfaster.
Neighborhood safety and First Responders.
Our sense of security in our community has changed dramatically, following an alarming rise in neighborhood crime. I will support and fund our first responders: police, firefighters and ocean safety officers, so they can do their jobs to protect us all.
Testimonials & Endorsements
University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly
“The UHPA feels strongly that Rick can best meet the needs not only for Honolulu but for the faculty of the University of Hawai‘i as well.”
– Christian Fern, UHPA’s Executive Director
Meet Rick.
Born with a gift to inspire others, Rick Blangiardi has dedicated his life to mentoring athletes, journalists, and young people. From locker rooms to board rooms, Rick’s passionate leadership has brought out the best in people for 50 years.
An inspiring and highly effective leader, his passion is infectious to everyone he engages. His ability to drive positive change by bringing out the best in people is his trademark.
A Familiar Face.
Rick has been a familiar face on television as General Manager of Hawaii News Now, KGMB and KHNL. His Local Connections editorials have stimulated needed community conversation, and spurred action on critical issues facing our islands. He put a spotlight on the plight of Hawai‘i’s homeless, Honolulu’s rail transit, and helped raise awareness in the battle against domestic violence and sexual abuse. He also shared Hawai‘i with the world, like the 2017 homecoming of Hokule‘a when millions watched across the globe on television, web and mobile platforms across the globe.
The Early Years.
Rick grew up in a working-class Boston family, that moved to Honolulu in 1965 when his dad was transferred to be a machinist at Pearl Harbor. Rick played football at the University of Hawai‘i Manoa, and after graduation, he spent seven years as a college football coach, the last five of those at UH.
As a new young father, he made the financial decision to leave football in 1977 and began selling commercials for KGMB. He found his calling in television, going on to found KHNL, bring live UH sports into living rooms statewide, and attract attention from mainland broadcast corporations.
A Successful Career.
After successful assignments in Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, Rick became president of Telemundo, America’s second-largest Hispanic network, which he led to even greater success (even though Rick doesn’t speak Spanish.) But Rick’s heart was still in Hawai‘i, and he returned home in 2002 to create Hawaii News Now, where he encouraged a culture of service in the workplace and made community the foundation of his leadership.
Community, Service, Family.
Rick has served as President for the Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America, Chair of the Hawai‘i Chamber of Commerce, President of Na Koa, Trustee for the Hawai‘i Public Schools Foundation, Board Member for the YMCA of Honolulu, the American Red Cross, and the Hawai‘i Food Bank, and has earned numerous honors for his leadership and service to his community.
Rick has led a life of uncompromising service to Hawai‘i, his colleagues and especially his family. He has two sons, a daughter, and five grandchildren. Rick lives in Honolulu with his wife Karen Chang.
Women For Rick
Women from across Oahu share why they’re voting for Rick
The FAQs on the Issues.
Many of my formative leadership experiences were earned as a UH football player and coach. As a coach I learned how to inspire teamwork, empower my players, and ultimately bring out the highest performance from every person, all in service to our larger team goals.
My subsequent 43 years in the broadcast industry afforded me great leadership experiences involving such teams, in highly complex organizations, through extremely tough situations in a wide variety of geographic and economic climates. My position at Hawaii News Now provided me a unique vantage point to see the difficult challenges facing our community on a daily basis, the very real needs of our local people, and the mounting concerns and pressures of working individuals and their families.
If elected, I am ready to bring my lifetime of leadership experience – as well as my deep love and gratitude for my home – to serve you as your Mayor.”
Homelessness is another critical priority, and while our per-capita homeless population is high, the actual number of homeless is addressable if we focus on long-term strategies and solutions. The so-called “compassionate disruption” approach only moves the problem in circles to other neighborhoods and parks and then back again.
We must create more affordable housing in all price ranges. I believe everyone deserves to have a decent roof over their heads, so it is imperative we find a workable answer as we allow developers to build. We need development, but the current formula for requiring developers to build affordable housing is not working. I strongly believe government must step in and help. As Mayor, I will work with the State, other county leaders and the private sector to address and help solve these issues. We must also work to streamline the permitting process, saving time and expenses for builders and getting new construction underway faster.
Public safety should always be paramount for any Mayor. But recently, our sense of feeling safe in our community has changed dramatically, both as a result of COVID-19’s impact and, prior to that, an alarming rise in neighborhood crime. We need to support and fund our police and firefighters so they can do their jobs to protect us all. As Mayor, I will wholeheartedly support our first responders.
Finally, we must improve and modernize city management at every level. We should be adapting best practices from business to make government work as effectively as in the private sector. We have great people working for the City and County; how can we help them perform their jobs better and more efficiently?”
If it’s going to cost $2 billion more than HART and the City are currently saying – and frankly I think it probably will – then let’s get the real number on the table, and figure out what to do about it. But I can tell you: there are no easy answers or quick fixes.
As your Mayor, I will assess all the hard facts about rail, then move forward with full transparency. I am not interested in pointing fingers, but I firmly believe everyone must be accountable.”
Living paycheck to paycheck creates enormous strain on individuals and families, and when so many people have to work multiple jobs just to survive, our entire community suffers, including the neglect of health care they can’t afford. Moreover, we are losing Hawaii residents – including many of our brightest young minds – to other states when it becomes impossible to find a pathway to a decent life here.”
Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, this is even more important, and it’s critical that the federal government assist employers to provide financial incentives and support to do so.”
I believe we need a “whole-of-government” approach, ensuring that all city departments, agencies, and employees are aligned in our common goal of reducing emissions, encouraging sustainable lifestyles and working together with our business community to transition to greener practices. I will work with scientists, environmental experts, and state and federal officials to make Honolulu the green city that it must become today, tomorrow and for future generations.”