2005 Keystone Award: Hon. Jeremy Harris

January 5, 2005 | Washington, D.C. The American Architectural foundation created the Keystone Award in 1998 to recognize outstanding design leadership from outside of the design profession. The 2005 AAF Keystone Award recipient is the Honorable Jeremy Harris, former mayor of Honolulu.

From 1994 – 2004, the Honorable Jeremy Harris was the eleventh mayor of the twelfth largest municipality in our nation and characterized as one of our nation’s most dynamic urban leaders. Born on December 7, 1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris says his life began when he came to Honolulu as a student more than thirty years ago. He earned two related undergraduate degrees in biology at the University of Hawaii and a Master’s Degree in Population and Environmental Biology, specializing in urban ecosystems, at the University of California at Irvine.

He began his professional career as an instructor at Kauai Community College, teaching oceanography and conducting reef walks and classes for keiki and kupuna. He also served as a Marine Advisor with the Sea Grant Program at the University of Hawaii.

Harris first ventured into politics as a delegate to the 1978 Hawaii Constitutional Convention. At the age of 29, he was elected to a seat on the Kauai County Council in 1979, and served as Council Chairman for two years. In 1984, he joined the Honolulu City and County government as Executive Assistant to the Mayor, and was soon promoted to Deputy Managing Director and then Managing Director. Harris holds the distinction of being the city’s longest serving Managing Director, having held that post from 1986 until 1994.

Upon the former Mayor’s resignation in July 1994, Harris became Acting Mayor of Honolulu. He was elected Mayor in a September 1994 Special Election and was re-elected in November 1996 and again for a second full term in September 2000.

In 1998, Harris executed the first city government reorganization in the history of Honolulu, streamlining operations and improving services. His administration has balanced the City’s budget through seven consecutive years of declining revenues and implemented major changes to land use planning – curtailing urban sprawl to preserve open spaces and prime agricultural lands. A current program, “21st Century Oahu: A Shared Vision for the Future” has involved thousands of citizens in every community around the island. Through this community-based “visioning” process, the people of Oahu determine the quality of life their children and future generations will enjoy in their neighborhoods. Public safety, environment, transportation, cultural and recreation projects are underway in each community. The visioning program, creating sustainable communities has won numerous awards.

The Harris Administration has guided numerous community identity and place-making programs. Most notable are the new Marine Education Center at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve – a unique and exciting facility designed to complement the Bay’s natural setting and educate users on the delicate ecosystem, and the revitalization of Waikiki – restoring the romance and charm of old Hawaii to the crown jewel of Hawaii’s visitor industry.

The Waikiki Revitalization project reflects Mayor Jeremy Harris’ ability to bring the private and public sector together in Design and Construction. This has been reflected in the physical restoration of the Natatorium, Queen’s Surf Beach, Kuhio Beach, Kapiolani Park Bandstand, historic light poles incorporating flower containers. Culture and the Arts – torch lighting ceremonies and hula performances every night at Kuhio Beach, weekend performances at the Bandstand and Brunch on the Beach where umbrellas, tables and chairs transform the Kapiolani Park into an outdoor café – all add to the revitalization of Waikiki.

The only person to be named Public Administrator of the Year two years running by the American Society of Public Administration, and during his tenure Honolulu has garnered numerous awards and honors. These include Governing magazine’s Top 10 list of best-administered cities; two-time selection of The Bus as North America’s best large transportation system, and Zero Population Growth’s top award as a “Kid Friendly City.” In addition, the Center for Digital Government ranked Honolulu first among the nation’s largest cities in the delivery of services using digital technology.

In recognition of his accomplishments, the American Institute of Architects awarded Harris an Honorary Affiliate Membership last year. The American Planning Association recently presented him the Distinguished Leadership Award for elected officials.

Mayor Harris is the founder and chair of the “Mayors’ Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit” first held in Honolulu in February 1999. Attended by 400 leaders from 19 countries and 118 cities in the Asia-Pacific region, the Summit was heralded as a milestone in Asia-Pacific environmental affairs with delegates voting to establish a permanent Secretariat in Honolulu for bi-annual conferences.

The second “Mayors’ Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit” was held in conjunction with the Asian Development Bank Conference in May 2001, and the third was held in May 2002. To further the City’s goals of positioning Honolulu as an Asia-Pacific center for technology and infrastructure development, Harris established the “Pacific Islands Environmental Symposium” and the historic “China-U.S. Conference of Mayors and Business Leaders”. He also established the Asia Pacific Urban Technology Institute and has served as the American National Chairman for the “Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce Presidents” since 1996.