Scout’s Honor
The Aloha Council, Boy Scouts of America honors Mayor Mufi Hannemann as its Distinguished Citizen of 2009. Pictured clockwise from center are good Scouts Hannemann, Alexander Coker, Natahli Mills, Kekoa Farleigh, Eric Rivera, Mark Ishizu, Ko’olina Mills and Brandon Holmes. Fast-forward 55 years and the kid with the odd moniker - Muliufi Francis Hannemann - is making a name for himself. He is the mayor of the nation’s 13th-largest city, tackles tough issues and thrives on leading a multi-cultural citizenry to the promise of tomorrow.
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ed and ingrained with values, knowledge and experience we need in our community,” Hannemann says. “If they keep to the ideals of being a good Scout, then we will have done a perfect job of ushering in the next generation of leaders and good citizens.”
That mission of igniting the best potential in people and a municipality is what gets him up, excited about his job, every morning.
“(Wife) Gail describes me as a kindergartener going off to school for the first time,” he says.
Hannemann is Honolulu’s first native-born mayor in four decades. He is the first American Samoan to be elected mayor of a major U.S. city. He is the first American Samoan to graduate from Harvard University.
Breaking through barriers is nothing new to him. Friends say he has always been a highly motivated, much focused individual who aspires to be an all-star player.
“I’ve always believed that if you want to make a difference in people’s lives, one should go into public service,” he states. “It’s not a lucrative profession, not one for which you will win high praise and honors all the time. But it is a noble calling. Very few people gravitate to it because of the immense challenges. It is its own reward.
“Another fundamental reason why I’m in government is that we in Hawaii tend to sell ourselves short
of what we are capable of contributing to mankind. We have a tendency to go to the back of the room or have a fear of articulating our dreams. We now have two individuals sitting in the highest offices in the land. One is U.S President Obama and the other is Hawaii’s own U.S. Senator Inouye. We have shown we are capable of national acclaim and greatness.”
Yet Hannemann admits that “every year, the challenges of government get more difficult and problems seem more intense. “
It’s probably like being three points down in the last quarter of a basketball game with seconds on the clock. In an instant, the true measure of one’s excellence is tested. Do you pass the ball to someone else or make the winning play yourself?
On a number of fronts- from major city issues to the direction of his political career-Hannemann must rally to the call. Like a good Scout, he is either building fires or putting them out.
It helps to have the support of colleagues, caring citizens, influencers in the local and national network, as well as power players like senior U.S. Sen. Inouye. For instance, does he have Inouye’s word as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee to get $1-billion for Honolulu’s rail transit project?
The answer came the night of the Boy Scout’s dinner.
Inouye smiled and declared publicly, “Francis, that’s a promise.”
Golfers: Be Prepared!
Want to support Boy Scouts of Hawaii but can’t find the time between doing good deeds and golfing with your buddies? Have we got a deal for you! There are two - count them, two - golf tournaments coming up, and golfers are needed for both.
The 39th annual Admiral Chick Clarey Memorial “Swing a Club for Scouting” tees off Tuesday, Sept. 29, at Honolulu Country Club.Individual players or teams are welcome,according to tournament chairman Alvin Tanaka. Check-in is 10 a.m., followed by putting contest and lunch. Shotgun start at noon.
For the ultimate challenge of extreme golf, there’s the 15th annual “101 Holes of Golf"on Friday,Oct.16,at Makaha Valley Country Club (East Course).Individual golfers or teams can test their skills in the most challenging contest in Hawaii, according to co-chairs Russ Saiki and Franklin Tokioka.
Hundred-and-one holes of golf is equivalent to five rounds, a 9-hole round plus two more holes.Time-wise, it’s about 13 hours. Tougher, they say, than a triathlon and race up Haleakala.
Be a good scout.Register today at 595-6366 or www.alohacouncilbsa.org.
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