MAYOR HANNEMANN TO MEET WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA ON FRIDAY

Mayor Mufi Hannemann will meet with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden and several key members of the Obama administration in the White House on Friday.

“President Obama is providing the strong and effective leadership our nation needs to solve our economic problems, and I will continue to work closely with his administration to successfully implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” Mayor Hannemann said.

Mayor Hannemann will arrive at the White House at 8:00 a.m. Friday for breakfast, followed by a Cabinet meeting in the East Room with other mayors and Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

At 10:30 a.m., the mayors will meet in the East Room with President Obama and Vice President Biden.

At 12:30 p.m., Mayor Hannemann will attend a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting with USCM President and Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, U.S. Department of Energy Officer of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Director Gil Sperling, and U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Acting Director Tim Quinn.

Mayor Hannemann was invited to meet with President Obama as part of the US Conference of Mayors’ leadership team that created the MainStreet Economic Recovery plan, a comprehensive package of shovel-ready projects across the nation that will compliment President Obama’s efforts.

Mayor Hannemann worked tirelessly to support these initiatives, and previously traveled to Capitol Hill with Hawaii’s three Neighbor Island mayors to lobby Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other congressional leaders for support of the MainStreet Economic Recovery plan.

Mayor Hannemann commended Senator Inouye, who heeded the mayors’ call for money to come to the nation’s cities to stimulate economic recovery.

“We’re very grateful, and the support of Hawaii’s entire congressional delegation has been exemplary,” Mayor Hannemann said.

The mayor will depart for Washington following delivery of his fifth State of the City address at the Mission Memorial Auditorium tomorrow, in which he will outline his plans for Honolulu’s future and for addressing our economic challenges. The address will be broadcast live on Olelo Community Television, Channel 54, from 10 a.m. to 10:58 a.m. U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye and U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka are scheduled to attend, along with other leaders from government, business, labor and education.

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Media contact: Bill Brennan, Mayor’s Office, 527-6928