Frank Fasi
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Frank Fasi, formally Frank Francis Fasi (born August 27, 1920) is an American politician best known as the former Mayor of the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii. He was also a former territorial senator, city councilman, and perennial candidate since his retirement from Honolulu Hale. He served the State of Hawai'i in the United States since 1958. He is popularly credited as having built the foundations on which the City & County of Honolulu now thrives as one of the largest and one of the most modern municipalities of the United States.
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Early Years
Fasi was born on 27 August 1920 in Hartford, Connecticut, where he eventually attended Trinity College. Following the Japanese attack on Honolulu on 7 December 1941, Fasi enlisted in the United States Marine Corps through which he served in the Pacific Theater. After ending his tour of duty in 1944, Fasi settled in Honolulu where he became an entrepreneur, opening his own contracting, building demolition and salvage company.
Political Career
In 1958, Fasi entered into politics winning his first race to represent his district in the senate of the Territory of Hawai'i. His term was cut short when Hawai'i achieved statehood and the territorial legislature was dissolved in 1959. After returning to his business, Fasi once again ran for office in 1965 winning a seat on the Honolulu City Council where he served as a councilman through 1968.
| Year | Race | Election | Party | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Territorial Senator | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1965 | Honolulu City Councilman | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1967 | Honolulu City Councilman | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1968 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1972 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1974 | Governor of Hawaii | Primary | Democrat | Lost to George R. Ariyoshi (D) |
| 1976 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1978 | Governor of Hawaii | Primary | Democrat | Lost to George R. Ariyoshi (D) |
| 1980 | Mayor of Honolulu | Primary | Democrat | Lost to Eileen Anderson (D) |
| 1982 | Governor of Hawaii | General | Independent Democrat | Lost to George R. Ariyoshi (D) |
| 1984 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Republican | Won |
| 1988 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Republican | Won |
| 1992 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Republican | Won |
| 1994 | Governor of Hawaii | General | Best | Lost to Benjamin J. Cayetano (D) |
| 1996 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Nonpartisan | Lost to Jeremy Harris (N-P) |
| 2000 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Nonpartisan | Lost to Jeremy Harris (N-P) |
| 2003 | Congress 2nd District | Special | Nonpartisan | Lost to Ed Case (D) |
| 2004 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Nonpartisan | Lost to Mufi Hannemann (N-P) |
After losing his 2004 bid for the office of mayor, Fasi, then 84 years old, announced that he would not run for office again.
Mayor of Honolulu
By the late 1960s, Fasi had gained a colorful reputation. The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspapers were using the words "firebrand," "trailblazer" and "maverick" to describe him. In 1969, Fasi was elected Mayor of Honolulu and served through 1981 when he was defeated for the first time for re-election by Eileen Anderson. He staged a comeback and returned to Honolulu Hale once again, serving as mayor through 1994.
Best Party
Fasi rose through the ranks of the Democratic Party in his early years. In 1984, he was persuaded by D. G. Anderson to quit and join the Republican Party. He rose through the Republican Party ranks with ease. In 1994, both parties pushed him away in favor of younger, more popular candidates. In retaliation, Fasi established the Best Party of Hawaii and ran for Governor of Hawai'i against Patricia F. Saiki and Benjamin J. Cayetano. Fasi lost but his party lives on as the Aloha Aina Party of Hawaii with which it merged in 1997.
Legacy
Much of Honolulu today is riddled with reminders of Honolulu's Fasi Era. He demolished the Honolulu Stadium and built the Aloha Stadium, opened the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, and established "The Bus," the national award-winning public transportation system. Fasi also invented and built the Satellite City Hall system, established one of the nation's largest elected neighborhood board systems, and pushed for the construction of the H-POWER waste-to-energy plant.
Fasi created the popular Summer Fun recreational program for children and the annual Honolulu City Lights winter festival. He is also credited with transforming the Capitol District by bulldozing massive parking structures near the Hawai'i State Capitol, Iolani Palace and Kawaiahao Church to create large parcels of green space now known as the Honolulu Civic Center.
Fasi popularized a local hand guesture called the shaka when he ordered it to become the city's signature logo and printed on all city signs and publications.
External Links
- Aloha Stadium (http://www.alohastadium.hawaii.gov/)
- City & County of Honolulu (http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/)
- Neal S. Blaisdell Center (http://www.blaisdellcenter.com/)
- The Bus (http://www.thebus.org/)