Frank Fasi
Encyclopedia
Frank Francis Fasi was a United States
politician
having the distinction as the longest serving Mayor of Honolulu
in Honolulu
, Hawaii
. He also served as a territorial senator and member of the Honolulu City Council
. A perennial candidate for Hawaii offices, Fasi was popularly credited for having built the foundations on which Honolulu now thrives as one of the largest modern municipalities in the nation.
, to Sicilian
immigrants Carmelo and Josephine Lupo Fasi. Carmelo owned an ice business, and Frank began working for his father at age 11. An athletic youth, he finished 7th out of class of 476 in high school, and graduated from Trinity College
where he had been a history major on an academic scholarship.
Fasi tried to join the United States Marine Corps
after graduation from Trinity. The Marines turned him down because of his color blindness
. Going back for a second try, he hired a friend to take the eye test for him, and Frank Fasi became a Marine. He served in the Pacific Theatre of World War II and was briefly stationed on Kauai
. He was discharged as a First Lieutenant
in Boston, Massachusetts in 1946, and immediately returned to Hawaii.
Fasi settled in Honolulu where he became an entrepreneur, opening his own contracting, building demolition and salvage company.
. His term was cut short when Hawaii 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.
After losing his 2004 bid for the office of mayor, Fasi, then 84 years old, announced that he would not run for office again.
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 defeated Anderson in the 1984 election, returning to Honolulu Hale once again and serving as mayor through 1994, when he resigned to seek the Hawaii governorship.
In all, Fasi served 22 years as the mayor of Honolulu, the longest cumulative tenure of any Honolulu mayor.
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 Hawaii
against Patricia F. Saiki and Benjamin J. Cayetano. Dr. John Craven ran against Fasi in the Primary. Fasi lost but his party lives on as the Aloha Āina Party of Hawaii
with which it merged in 1997.
, and established TheBus, 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. Fasi popularized a local hand gesture called the shaka when he ordered it to become the city's signature logo and printed on all city signs and publications.
He is also credited with transforming the Capitol District
by bulldozing massive parking structures near the Hawaii State Capitol
, Iolani Palace and Kawaiahao Church to create large parcels of green space known as the Honolulu Civic Center. He also created a central office building for many of the city's departments.
In recognition of his service to Honolulu, Mayor Mufi Hannemann
renamed both the Civic Center and the Municipal Building in July 2006. In order to do so, the Honolulu City Council amended its charter with the passage of Bill 76 (2005) CD 1, FD 1, which bypassed a ban on naming city and county sites in honor of living persons. The Mayor Frank F. Fasi Civic Center and Mayor Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building now stand as memorials to him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
having the distinction as the longest serving Mayor of Honolulu
Mayor of Honolulu
The Mayor of Honolulu is the chief executive officer of the City and County of Honolulu and considered the third most powerful official in the U.S. state of Hawaii, behind the Governor of Hawaii and the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii...
in Honolulu
Honolulu County, Hawaii
The City and County of Honolulu is a consolidated city–county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The municipality and county includes both the urban district of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He also served as a territorial senator and member of the Honolulu City Council
Honolulu City Council
The Honolulu City Council is the legislative branch of the City & County of Honolulu and is considered the second most powerful parliamentary body in the State of Hawaii, following the Hawaii State Legislature...
. A perennial candidate for Hawaii offices, Fasi was popularly credited for having built the foundations on which Honolulu now thrives as one of the largest modern municipalities in the nation.
Early years
Frank Francis Fasi was born on 27 August 1920 in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, to Sicilian
Sicilian
Sicily is an autonomous Italian island. The adjectival form Sicilian can also refer to:* Sicilian language* Sicilian Baroque, baroque architecture in 17th & 18th centuries on Sicily...
immigrants Carmelo and Josephine Lupo Fasi. Carmelo owned an ice business, and Frank began working for his father at age 11. An athletic youth, he finished 7th out of class of 476 in high school, and graduated from Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
where he had been a history major on an academic scholarship.
Fasi tried to join the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
after graduation from Trinity. The Marines turned him down because of his color blindness
Color blindness
Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired...
. Going back for a second try, he hired a friend to take the eye test for him, and Frank Fasi became a Marine. He served in the Pacific Theatre of World War II and was briefly stationed on Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
. He was discharged as a First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in Boston, Massachusetts in 1946, and immediately returned to Hawaii.
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 HawaiiTerritory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
. His term was cut short when Hawaii 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
Honolulu City Council
The Honolulu City Council is the legislative branch of the City & County of Honolulu and is considered the second most powerful parliamentary body in the State of Hawaii, following the Hawaii State Legislature...
where he served as a councilman through 1968.
| Year | Race | Election | Party | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Territorial Senator | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1965 | Honolulu City Council Honolulu City Council The Honolulu City Council is the legislative branch of the City & County of Honolulu and is considered the second most powerful parliamentary body in the State of Hawaii, following the Hawaii State Legislature... man |
General | Democrat | Won |
| 1967 | Honolulu City Councilman | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1968 | Mayor of Honolulu Mayor of Honolulu The Mayor of Honolulu is the chief executive officer of the City and County of Honolulu and considered the third most powerful official in the U.S. state of Hawaii, behind the Governor of Hawaii and the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii... |
General | Democrat | Won |
| 1972 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Democrat | Won |
| 1974 | Governor of Hawaii Governor of Hawaii The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state... |
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 Eileen Anderson Eileen Anderson is the first and so far only woman to serve as Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. She was in office from 1981 to 1985. A Democrat, Anderson served in various positions in the city and county and the state... (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 Jeremy Harris Jeremy Harris, born December 7, 1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, served as Mayor of Honolulu from 1994 to 2004. A biologist by training, Harris started his political career as a delegate to the 1978 Hawai'i State Constitutional Convention... (N-P) |
| 2000 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Nonpartisan | Lost to Jeremy Harris (N-P) |
| 2003 | Congress 2nd District | Special | Nonpartisan | Lost to Ed Case Ed Case Edward Espenett "Ed" Case is a Democratic politician and a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Case, a Blue Dog Democrat, first came to prominence in Hawaii as majority leader of the Hawaii State Legislature and for his campaign for Governor of Hawaii in 2002... (D) |
| 2004 | Mayor of Honolulu | General | Nonpartisan | Lost to Mufi Hannemann Mufi Hannemann Muliufi Francis "Mufi" Hannemann is an American politician. He is the former Mayor of Honolulu. Hannemann has served as a special assistant in Washington, D.C., with the Department of the Interior, where he was selected for a White House fellowship in the Reagan administration under Vice President... (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 AdvertiserHonolulu Advertiser
The Honolulu Advertiser was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions...
and Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii...
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
Eileen Anderson
Eileen Anderson is the first and so far only woman to serve as Mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. She was in office from 1981 to 1985. A Democrat, Anderson served in various positions in the city and county and the state...
. He staged a comeback and defeated Anderson in the 1984 election, returning to Honolulu Hale once again and serving as mayor through 1994, when he resigned to seek the Hawaii governorship.
In all, Fasi served 22 years as the mayor of Honolulu, the longest cumulative tenure of any Honolulu mayor.
Best Party
Fasi rose through the ranks of the Democratic Party in his early years. In 1984, he was persuaded by D. G. AndersonD. G. Anderson
Dominis Garrida Anderson , also popularly known as D.G. Anderson and Andy Anderson, is an American politician and businessman from Honolulu, Hawai'i....
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
Best Party of Hawaii
The Best Party of Hawaii was a legally recognized political party in the state of Hawaii in the United States, founded by Mayor of Honolulu Frank Fasi in order to run for Governor of Hawaii in 1994 against Democrat Benjamin J. Cayetano and Republican Pat Saiki...
and ran for Governor of Hawaii
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
against Patricia F. Saiki and Benjamin J. Cayetano. Dr. John Craven ran against Fasi in the Primary. Fasi lost but his party lives on as the Aloha Āina Party of Hawaii
Aloha Aina Party of Hawaii
The Aloha Aina Party of Hawaii is a political party of the state of Hawaii in the United States, founded by dance teacher Vickie Holt Takamine, and bolstered by a merger with former Honolulu mayor Frank Fasi's Best Party of Hawaii...
with which it merged in 1997.
Legacy
Much of Honolulu today retains reminders of Honolulu's Fasi Era. He opened the Neal S. Blaisdell CenterNeal S. Blaisdell Center
The Neal S. Blaisdell Center in downtown Honolulu, Honolulu CDP is a community center for the City & County of Honolulu. Constructed in 1964 on the historic Ward Estate and originally called the Hawaii International Center, the center was renamed after Mayor of Honolulu Neal S. Blaisdell...
, and established TheBus, 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
Waste-to-energy
Waste-to-energy or energy-from-waste is the process of creating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the incineration of waste source. WtE is a form of energy recovery...
plant.
Fasi created the popular Summer Fun recreational program for children and the annual Honolulu City Lights winter festival. Fasi popularized a local hand gesture called the shaka when he ordered it to become the city's signature logo and printed on all city signs and publications.
He is also credited with transforming the Capitol District
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
by bulldozing massive parking structures near the Hawaii State Capitol
Hawaii State Capitol
The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of Hawaii in the United States. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state...
, Iolani Palace and Kawaiahao Church to create large parcels of green space known as the Honolulu Civic Center. He also created a central office building for many of the city's departments.
In recognition of his service to Honolulu, Mayor Mufi Hannemann
Mufi Hannemann
Muliufi Francis "Mufi" Hannemann is an American politician. He is the former Mayor of Honolulu. Hannemann has served as a special assistant in Washington, D.C., with the Department of the Interior, where he was selected for a White House fellowship in the Reagan administration under Vice President...
renamed both the Civic Center and the Municipal Building in July 2006. In order to do so, the Honolulu City Council amended its charter with the passage of Bill 76 (2005) CD 1, FD 1, which bypassed a ban on naming city and county sites in honor of living persons. The Mayor Frank F. Fasi Civic Center and Mayor Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building now stand as memorials to him.
Organization membership
Frank Fasi was a member of the following organizations:- American LegionAmerican LegionThe American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
- Rotary InternationalRotary InternationalRotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
- Sigma NuSigma NuSigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...
- Veterans of Foreign WarsVeterans of Foreign WarsThe Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...