Mayor to deliver State of City address today

Mar. 14—Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi will deliver his fourth State of the City address this evening from Mission Memorial Auditorium.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi will deliver his fourth State of the City address this evening from Mission Memorial Auditorium.

During his scheduled 50-minute speech, Blangiardi, nearing the end of his four-year mayoral term, might single out achievements his administration made in the past year to curb what he had referred to in his 2023 address as "wicked problems " facing Oahu.

Those problems include homelessness, lack of affordable housing, traffic congestion and overhauling the city Department of Planning and Permitting and its infamous building permit backlog.

Moreover, Blangiardi could highlight the city's latest operating budget—a proposed $3.63 billion spending plan for the 2025 fiscal year, which begins July 1—that his administration unveiled earlier this month.

The proposed budget, a 6.4 % increase over the city's current $3.41 billion operating budget, continues the mayor's priorities to build transit-oriented development projects, improve public infrastructure and core city services, and deal with the costs to run and maintain Honolulu's nearly $10 billion rail system, Skyline.

In June, the long overdue, over-budget rail line—the largest public works project in Hawaii's history—finally opened for passenger service from East Kapolei to Halawa. The next of three segments, which run past the airport, are anticipated to open by mid-2025.

Besides the operating budget, the Blangiardi administration submitted a $919 million capital improvement program—over $421.2 million less than the current $1.34 billion CIP—to fund park improvements and upgrade public buildings, including Honolulu Police Department facilities. Additionally, $162.2 million of that plan pays for improvements to bridges, roads, street lighting and other transportation-related projects, the city says.

And after officially announcing in February he would seek a second term as the city's top elected officer, Blangiardi, 77, might forecast his administration's goals beyond 2024.

But as to the actual specifics of tonight's State of the City address, it was mum's the word this week from the Mayor's Office.

"Appreciate the questions but we also don't want to give away too much before Thursday, " Scott Humber, the mayor's communications director, told the Hono ­lulu Star-Advertiser. "The mayor's top priorities will be headlined in the speech."

He added, "Every State of the City address is important whether you are going into an election year or not."

The mayor's address "holds significant importance because it sets the tone and direction for the city's future. It promotes accountability and serves as a platform to showcase the administration's achievements. The address is also one of the ways the mayor can communicate his vision to the public, " Humber said.

Meanwhile, City Council Chair Tommy Waters—who presides over the nine-­member panel that's just launched its review of the mayor's latest budget—is also among those eager to hear the address.

"I am looking forward to hearing the mayor's update on our city's progress toward fixing some of the long-standing issues we've faced and will continue to work on in strong partnership with the Council, " Waters told the Star-Advertiser. "Together, we've worked hard to increase the affordable housing inventory and address the associated problems that hinder our efforts to deliver more units, taken on the complex issues surrounding homelessness, endeavored to improve our infrastructure, processes and city services, and provided tax relief for our residents through the difficult times we've faced since COVID.

"I'm excited to hear about the progress that we've made in these areas and beyond, and look forward to continuing to work with the mayor and his team to effectively address the challenges we face in preparing our island home for the future, " Waters added.

The event will take place at 550 S. King St. Doors will close at 6 :10 p.m., all attendees will be asked to be seated at that time. The mayor's speech will begin at about 6 :35 p.m., the city says.

The State of the City address will be broadcast live on KHON, KHII, KGMB, KFVE, KIKU and Olelo 54. It will also be streamed live on Star-Advertiser website staradvertiser.com, and on the mayor's Facebook page and YouTube channel, the city says.

For more information about this event, visit Honolulu.gov or call 808-768-4141.