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10 WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE: PANOS PREVEDOUROS

The UH professor stirred up the race for mayor with his focus on rail transit

STORY SUMMARY | READ THE FULL STORY

In a daily countdown, the Star-Bulletin is profiling 10 people who have made a difference in Hawaii during the past year.

These are people who worked in any field - community service, education, politics, law, labor, medicine, science, business, sports, entertainment, the arts - to make a difference. Some fought controversial battles in public.

All that matters is that each, to the one, had a devotion to their cause that made a profound impact on Hawaii.



FULL STORY >>

By Laurie Au

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 24, 2008

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Panos Prevedouros was the unlikely mayoral candidate.

He had no political experience. No name recognition. And, perhaps most importantly, no money.

THE HONOREES

This year's choices:

Monday:

Manti Te'o, Punahou football star

Yesterday:

Christina Hemming, Maui activist

Yet this well-respected, quirky University of Hawaii at Manoa engineering professor challenged powerful incumbent Mayor Mufi Hannemann, changing the race and shaping much of the campaign around the city's controversial $4 billion rail transit project.

"He was a fresh face who was a very serious candidate for mayor," said Neal Milner, a UH political scientist. "You don't get that very often - a face that's new who's also a fairly serious candidate for a high elected office in Hawaii."

Prevedouros was reluctant to run for mayor. He had a baby boy due in November with his fiancee and would be forced to put his career at UH on hold during the campaign. But a small but vocal group called Stop Rail Now was gaining publicity, and needed a candidate. The group eventually persuaded Prevedouros to run in early July.

"Before Panos, there was no one," said Sen. Sam Slom (R, Diamond Head-Hawaii Kai). "I was a part of a group that approached Panos and he said absolutely no. We kept working on it from the standpoint that the issues he was very knowledgeable about were the issues facing the City and County. In the end, that's what got him to say reluctantly that he would run."

Prevedouros, known for his staunch opposition against the elevated rail system backed by Hannemann, was soon labeled as a one-issue candidate. But others weren't so quick to brush him off, including Gov. Linda Lingle.

"It may be one issue, but it's one very big issue," Lingle said in July.

Soon after, City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi entered the mayor's race, becoming the greater threat against Hannemann.

On the campaign trail, the two remained mostly cordial - almost supportive of each other - as they continually criticized Hannemann, particularly on the 20-mile rail system from Kapolei to Ala Moana.

In the Sept. 20 primary election, it was clear throughout the night that Prevedouros had no chance of becoming mayor. He conceded the race after getting just 17.2 percent of the vote.

While Prevedouros ultimately failed in his bid for mayor, his role in the race perhaps helped stop Hannemann from getting the more than 50 percent needed to win re-election outright in the primary.

Prevedouros later joined Kobayashi's campaign as a "senior adviser for infrastructure," a role that had little impact in the end, but kept forcing rail transit as the main issue for the mayor's race.

"He really did help to frame the discussion about mass transit," Milner said.

"His position was not the position that won out, but I think he brought a fair amount of people to think about alternatives. He raised issues that are going to come back regardless of what side you are on on mass transit."

Panos Prevedouros was the unlikely mayoral candidate.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Panos Prevedouros’ discussion on the city’s controversial $4 billion rail transit project became his calling card in his bid for mayor.

He had no political experience. No name recognition. And, perhaps most importantly, no money.

THE HONOREES

This year's choices:

Monday:

Manti Te'o, Punahou football star

Yesterday:

Christina Hemming, Maui activist
Yet this well-respected, quirky University of Hawaii at Manoa engineering professor challenged powerful incumbent Mayor Mufi Hannemann, changing the race and shaping much of the campaign around the city's controversial $4 billion rail transit project.

"He was a fresh face who was a very serious candidate for mayor," said Neal Milner, a UH political scientist. "You don't get that very often - a face that's new who's also a fairly serious candidate for a high elected office in Hawaii."

Prevedouros was reluctant to run for mayor. He had a baby boy due in November with his fiancee and would be forced to put his career at UH on hold during the campaign. But a small but vocal group called Stop Rail Now was gaining publicity, and needed a candidate. The group eventually persuaded Prevedouros to run in early July.

"Before Panos, there was no one," said Sen. Sam Slom (R, Diamond Head-Hawaii Kai). "I was a part of a group that approached Panos and he said absolutely no. We kept working on it from the standpoint that the issues he was very knowledgeable about were the issues facing the City and County. In the end, that's what got him to say reluctantly that he would run."

Prevedouros, known for his staunch opposition against the elevated rail system backed by Hannemann, was soon labeled as a one-issue candidate. But others weren't so quick to brush him off, including Gov. Linda Lingle.

"It may be one issue, but it's one very big issue," Lingle said in July.

Soon after, City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi entered the mayor's race, becoming the greater threat against Hannemann.

On the campaign trail, the two remained mostly cordial - almost supportive of each other - as they continually criticized Hannemann, particularly on the 20-mile rail system from Kapolei to Ala Moana.

In the Sept. 20 primary election, it was clear throughout the night that Prevedouros had no chance of becoming mayor. He conceded the race after getting just 17.2 percent of the vote.

While Prevedouros ultimately failed in his bid for mayor, his role in the race perhaps helped stop Hannemann from getting the more than 50 percent needed to win re-election outright in the primary.

Prevedouros later joined Kobayashi's campaign as a "senior adviser for infrastructure," a role that had little impact in the end, but kept forcing rail transit as the main issue for the mayor's race.

"He really did help to frame the discussion about mass transit," Milner said.

"His position was not the position that won out, but I think he brought a fair amount of people to think about alternatives. He raised issues that are going to come back regardless of what side you are on on mass transit."

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