The Honolulu Advertiser and KGMB9 News will hold a debate on Sept. 9 with top candidates for Honolulu mayor.

"Campaign 2008: Honolulu Mayor — The Debate," will be broadcast from the Hawaii Theatre, in front of a live audience. In addition to questions from a panel of journalists and analysts, residents will have the opportunity to question the candidates on important issues of the day.

The 90-minute debate will be divided into segments devoted to rail, the economy, development and other issues.

Three major candidates will run for mayor in the Sept. 20 primary, including incumbent Mufi Hannemann.

Hannemann, 54, was elected in 2004 and has since dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to fixing roads and sewers. He said he would continue that work if re-elected.

Since his election, Hannemann has pushed for construction of a $3.7 billion fixed guideway mass transit system, saying it will offer another transportation option.

Among his challengers are City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi and University of Hawai'i professor Panos Prevedouros.

Kobayashi, 71, served in the state Legislature from 1980 to 1994, when she ran unsuccessfully against Mayor Jeremy Harris. Serving on the City Council since 2002, she supports a fixed guideway system but says it should not be steel wheels on steel tracks as the city is proposing, but rubber wheels on concrete.

Prevedouros, 47, has 18 years experience in academics as a professor of traffic and transportation engineering. He is opposed to rail transit and instead supports building new high-occupancy lanes, including toll roads, and using engineering to improve existing roads.

The election for mayor is a nonpartisan race, and can be won outright in the primary by the candidate who receives more than half the vote. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff in the general election on Nov. 4.

The Advertiser/KGMB9 debate will begin at 6:30 p.m., and in addition to the live broadcast coverage, will be available via video streaming at Honolulu Advertiser.com.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

The Advertiser will feature live coverage of the Democratic National Convention by government reporter Derrick DePledge and political columnist and blogger Jerry Burris. The team will be in Denver for all convention events, culminating with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday.

Beginning in Sunday's print and online editions, look for a Hawai'i perspective on convention news from the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field.

For breaking news reports, Burris' blog and video reports from KGMB9, go to www.honoluluadvertiser.com.