Kirk Caldwell

Kirk William Caldwell (born September 4, 1952) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii, from 2013 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Caldwell also held the position of acting mayor in 2010 following the resignation of Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Kirk Caldwell
13th and 14th Mayor of Honolulu
In office
January 2, 2013  January 2, 2021
Preceded byPeter Carlisle
Succeeded byRick Blangiardi
In office
July 20, 2010  October 11, 2010
Acting
Preceded byMufi Hannemann
Succeeded byPeter Carlisle
Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives
from the 24th district
In office
January 16, 2002  January 15, 2008
Succeeded byIsaac Choy
Personal details
Born
Kirk William Caldwell

(1952-09-04) September 4, 1952
Waipahu, Hawaii, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Donna Tanoue
Children1
EducationTufts University (BA, MA)
University of Hawaii, Manoa (JD)

Career

Caldwell represented the 24th Representative District in the Hawaii State House of Representatives of the Hawaii State Legislature from 2002 to 2008, serving as the House Majority Leader between 2007 and 2008. He left the race for reelection to the House of Representatives to run for City Council in Honolulu. Caldwell was unable to run for council as he had not formally withdrawn from the election for the House of Representatives.[1]

On July 20, 2010, Caldwell assumed the position of interim mayor after Mufi Hannemann resigned to compete in the 2010 Hawaii gubernatorial election. Caldwell held the office of mayor until a special election was held to determine a permanent successor.[2]

Caldwell served as the acting mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii's capital and largest city, during the tsunami evacuation in the absence of Mayor Hannemann following the 2010 Chile earthquake.

Caldwell lost to former Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Peter Carlisle in the 2010 special mayoral election.[3]

Caldwell ran a successful campaign in the 2012 Honolulu mayoral election.[4] He finished second in the primary election, ahead of incumbent mayor Carlisle.[5] He faced former Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano in the 2012 election on November 6, 2012, and won the election by 7.8%.[6]

Caldwell narrowly won reelection on November 8, 2016, after facing a runoff with former Republican congressman Charles Djou, 52.2% to 47.8%.[7] Though both candidates supported the municipal rail project, cost overruns were an issue, as well as Caldwell's alleged interference with the Ethics Commission. Labor group support was split between the pair.[8]

In June 2018, Caldwell responded to an increasing homeless population by having legislation crafted to outlaw living in parks, sleeping and resting on sidewalks, and obstructing sidewalks with personal possessions, combined with aggressive referrals to shelters. The city had made similar efforts that resulted in a win for homeless advocates at the cost of a half million dollars.[9]

Personal

His wife, Donna Tanoue, was chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from 1998 to 2001. They have one child, a daughter named Maya.

References

  1. Au, Laurie (January 1, 2009). "Mayor picks Caldwell to be his top deputy". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
  2. "Hannemann officially in race for governor's mansion". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 20, 2010.
  3. B. J. Reyes (September 18, 2010). "Carlisle wins Honolulu mayor's race". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  4. "Honolulu Mayoral Election 2012". Honolulu Civil Beat. 2012-02-26. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
  5. "Primary Election 2012 - State of Hawaii - Final Summary Report" (PDF). State of Hawaii, Office of Elections. August 12, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  6. "Mayor, City and County of Honolulu election results". Hawaii News Now. November 6, 2012.
  7. Honolulu, Hawaii Mayor: Results: Kirk Caldwell Leads, New York Times, November 10, 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  8. Mayor Kirk Caldwell Re-Elected Over Charles Djou, Honolulu Civil Beat, Chad Blair, November 8, 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  9. [Caldwell Wants To Make Sit-Lie Ban Islandwide At All Hours The existing bans for sidewalks in business areas are insufficient to address public homelessness...], Honolulu Civil Beat, Courtney Teague, June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mufi Hannemann
Mayor of Honolulu
Acting

2010
Succeeded by
Peter Carlisle
Preceded by
Peter Carlisle
Mayor of Honolulu
2013–2021
Succeeded by
Rick Blangiardi
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