Birthday Pa'ina for Mufi
Mayor Mufi Hannemann celebrated his 54th birthday surrounded by more than 4,500 friends and supporters from across Oahu on Wednesday evening with a "Birthday Pa'ina" at the Blaisdell Center. The event was coordinated by the Hannemann Committee and planned by Campaign Chair Dean Okimoto and Lisa Kim. Honorary co-chairs for the event were Bennette Evangelista, Walter Dodds, Ruth Ono, and Danny Kaleikini.
Addressing his supporters, Mayor Hannemann touted his record of working diligently with his Cabinet, the City Council, the State Legislature and the Federal Government to achieve results for the people of the City and County of Honolulu. Mayor Hannemann pledged, "I promise you one thing again: I will make you proud, I will work hard each and every day, because my overall goal is to make Honolulu a better place to live, work, and raise our families."
Attending the Birthday Pa'ina were several prominent island political leaders, including City Councilmembers Todd Apo, Nestor Garcia, Gary Okino, and Rod Tam; State Senator Donna Mercado Kim; and State Representatives Corinne Ching, Marilyn Lee, David Ige, and Joey Manahan. Others in attendance were former Honolulu first lady Joyce Fasi, former Democratic Party Chair Brickwood Galuteria, Board of Education Chair Karen Knudsen, Senator Inouye's Chief of Staff Jennifer Sabas, and several neighborhood board chairs.
The stew-and-rice dinner featured booths from some of Honolulu's favorite restaurants, including Roy's Restaurant, Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch, and Crab, Side Street Inn, Kakaako Kitchen, Zaffron, Murphy's Bar and Grill, and Zippy's. Mayor Hannemann kicked off the evening's entertainment with a rousing rendition of The Temptation's Get Ready, with Fiji taking the stage later to headline the event.
