University of Hawai'i engineering professor Panos Prevedouros announced his candidacy for mayor of the City and County of Honolulu at a news conference today at Honolulu Hale.

"I'm delighted to be doing this," said Prevedouros. "I think that it's important to have an alternative choice — to give people the choice."

Prevedouros is a well-known critic of the city's plan to build a rail-based mass transit system, but he said his focus will be on infrastructure.

"This city is deteriorating in front of our eyes," he said. "We need to work collectively and we need to fix it."

He called for stepped-up recycling efforts and for more spending on city roads.

Prevedouros is among a number of candidates challenging incumbent Mayor Mufi Hannemann.