Blangiardi wins primary race for Honolulu Mayor

Political newcomer Rick Blangiardi took first place in the primary election for Honolulu Mayor, in a field of 15 candidates, include Keith Amemiya, who finished second, former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, City Councilwoman Kym Pine and former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann. Blangiardi and Amemiya will advance to the general election in November.

Blangiardi won the largest share of the vote and was first in all but 8 State House districts, a strong showing, especially considering being heavily outspent by Amemiya.

The final election printout showed Blangiardi in firstr with 25.2%, Amemiya with 20.0%, Hanabusa with 18.2%, Pine with 14.5% and Hannemann with 9.8%.

Blangiardi, a first-time candidate, campaigned as a pragmatic outsider with a track record for successfully managing big enterprises. The former Hawaii News Now general manager rejected criticism that he wasn’t qualified to run the city.

“The mayor is the CEO of the city,” he said in a June interview with Civil Beat. “It is about managing – managing people, decision-making.”