With primary election fast approaching, Blangiardi rivals lack funds for significant campaigns

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - One of the three people challenging Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi is accusing him of being a bully. The mayor says he’s leadership style includes taking strong stands.

With Hawaii’s primary election in less than two weeks, Blangiardi’s opponents have not built competitive campaigns to challenge him. On Monday, Blangiardi slipped his own ballot into a yellow drop box at Honolulu Hale to show how easy it is to vote in a mail-in election.

With three opponents, none with the money to mount a serious campaign, he sees the soft opposition as affirmation of his record. “It was a great compliment to the administration, to our team we brought in,” he said. “I really like to believe that people can see the work we’re doing and seeing things manifest in many ways.”

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According to fundraising reports for the period that ended June 30, Blangiardi has raised $2.2 million in the four years since his winning office. He’s spent about $1.7 million — half a million of that to repay what he loaned his first campaign.

The fundraising is one target for his best known rival, long-time city hall activist and Realtor Choon James.

“I am 100% independent,” she said.

“I have not received a single penny from rail lobbyists, from developers, from bankers.”

James’ latest campaign spending report showed her with less than $300 in her fund, although she said she’s planning to spend $10,000 of her own money.

Two other candidates, Karl Dicks and Duke Bourgoin, didn’t report any spending at all.

Dicks told Hawaii News Now he’s running because he has some good ideas, but doesn’t feel he has a chance of winning. “I haven’t spent at all because first of all it would be a waste of money,” Dicks said. “Our election system is so messed up and so corrupt. I have been fighting that for four years, more than four years.”

Blangiardi credits taking his cabinet out for multiple town hall meetings across Oahu with building closer ties with communities, but James says his conduct at the meetings have alarmed some voters.

“I’m really surprised that that is the constant unsolicited comment that I hear, especially from men, who keep saying that he’s a bully,” she said.

Blangiardi disagreed.

“Wow, I, you know, I don’t think of myself as a bully. I never have,” he said.

“I’ve had a strong personality because it’s centered in the challenge of leadership, in the sense of responsibility that I own each and every day in this job.”

James has been a rail critic for years and disagrees with the mayor’s claim to have brought the project under control. James also says more needs to be done to keep property taxes from going up with the property value.

“We need to place a property tax cap on our kupuna, our kamaaina families who have lived in their home, owner occupants, in their homes for over 20 years,” she said.

“Because it makes no sense for us to be pumping a lot of money into affordable housing on one end and then pricing out our kamaaina families on the other end, with higher and higher property taxes.”

Blangiardi says he’s tackling the cost of living by emphasizing affordable housing and speeding up permits for new housing. “Clearly, we’ve been in a housing crisis for decades. We’re working our way through that.”

He added, “We’re doing a lot of unprecedented things.”

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