#don horner

[honolulu-politics]

Horner, Okinaga: Rail Will Be 'Ugly'

"The concrete is ugly, no question about that."

No, that's not a critic talking about rail snaking along the waterfront, blocking view planes. That's from Carrie Okinaga, chair of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board.

Okinaga and Finance Chair Don Horner, at Civil Beat headquarters for an editorial board meeting Thursday, are realistic about what the elevated rail line will look like to those on the ground.

"Now if you ask me aesthetically is it going to be attractive? No. And you can quote me on that. No. And neither are freeways. I think we've done the best we can to mitigate that risk," Horner said. "I wouldn't want to see a fixed guideway of this size going into Waikiki, into our tourist centers, personally."

"When you're under it, concrete is going to be 10 yards wide on the track and then a little bit over 16 yards at the train stations," Okinaga said. "But when you're on the train and you're looking out at Pearl Harbor, I mean talk about a view, right?"

[honolulu-politics]

HART On Schedule For Hiring New Chief

Leaders of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board say they're on schedule and expect to be able to hire a permanent executive director and CEO within weeks.

Board Chair Carrie Okinaga and Finance Chair Don Horner, at Civil Beat headquarters for an editorial board Thursday afternoon, would only confirm that the process is still operating on the timeline set up months ago. They declined to go into detail, saying it was a personnel matter.

The recruitment plan produced for HART by Krauthamer and Associates called for the headhunter to give the board a list of up to 12 candidates for review on Feb. 1 or Feb. 2, and for the board to identify either four or six finalists for in-person interviews.

From Feb. 15-17 — that's next week — the finalists will arrive in Honolulu for interviews with the HART board and a tour of the city and the route. Names of finalists will not be revealed. After that, a contract will be negotiated.

The selected candidate will be unveiled on March 1 and voted on — in public — by the HART board. His or her start date is yet to be determined.

Current Interim Executive Director/CEO Toru Hamayasu is a candidate for the permanent job, though it's not clear if he's survived into the list of the final four or six. The salary for the new chief is expected to be between $175,000 and $450,000, depending on their experience.

[honolulu-politics]

Honolulu Rail's 'Bells and Whistles'?

Just published to Civil Beat: a story about how Honolulu's rail planners might spend any money left over after building the system, if there is any.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Finance Chair Don Horner said cost savings or unexpected revenues would allow the board to consider "bells and whistles" beyond what's currently in the scope of the project.

That's things like the fare gate system we wrote about earlier or, if the financial picture looks really good, maybe an extension someday to Waikiki or the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Read more here: Money In The Bank Or 'Bells and Whistles' If Honolulu Rail Costs Less?

[civilbeatbusiness]

Harrison to take over from Horner as CEO of First Hawaiian Bank

Bob Harrison will become chief executive officer of First Hawaiian Bank on Jan. 1 when Don Horner retires after seven years at the helm of Hawaii’s largest bank.

The transition to Harrison, 51, who became First Hawaiian’s president and chief operating officer on Dec. 1, 2009, follows the path that Horner, 60, took when he succeeded Walter Dods Jr. as CEO in 2004.

Horner will remain chairman of the bank, while Ray Ono, the bank’s vice chairman and chief banking officer, will become COO, the bank said Tuesday in a news release.

– Pacific Business News

[civilbeatbusiness]

Don Horner: First Hawaiian Bank CEO, Board of Education Chairman, Single Father

Don Horner is just as you expected, only completely different

Donald Horner has a saying:"When life hands you challenges, you have two choices - you can be bitter, or you can be better."

He's chosen to be better.

The CEO of First Hawaiian Bank is both exactly and not at all like what you'd expect. He's intelligent, conscientious, loyal and personable – everything you'd want in a banker whose job is to protect your money. But this especially private man also came from unexpectedly humble beginnings, didn't aspire to greatness while young, lost his father at age 12 and is now a devoted single father raising two teenage boys.

While there is talk that the 60-year-old Horner is winding down a 33-year career at FHB, he's made no formal retirement announcement. However, he is fully engaged as chairman of the state's new, appointed Board of Education, which could become his greatest professional challenge. Horner was also selected by Mayor Peter Carlisle to serve as one of the 10 members of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit, which will guide the biggest construction project in the state's history. He also sits on six nonprofit boards, teaches Bible study once a week, sent his oldest son off to college in Texas this summer and is building his retirement home on the North Shore. All that, and Horner insists that his life is stress free.

"I may cause stress, but I don't feel stressed," he says, with a chuckle. "I feel privileged to be able to work and serve and do my part, so I choose not to let small things stress me out."

– Hawaii Business Magazine