With 23.2% of the vote, Amemiya placed third in the 2022 Democratic primary election for Hawaii lieutenant governor and was thus eliminated. I wanted to switch gears over to rail, and I know Daryl, you wanted, you had several questions on the rail project. Elections 2022 See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 General election General election for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Not me. Where do the previous administrations fail, though cause everyone says, we need more affordable housing. Well, to stay on this topic for just a minute, because its so big, not just from TMT, but here on Oahu alone, you mentioned Sherwoods. Do you have that same confidence? To his credit, he didnt buckle under pressure. Theyve had their chance. Thats the aloha spirit at work, and those who are fortunate need to help those who are less fortunate. And to me, thats unacceptable. We need a fresh perspective. Access to food, housing costs, small business needs, unemployment benefits, and clear communication to the public are my top priorities when dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometimes youre not gonna come to an agreement, but when the public feels that at least theyve had a say in the matter, it makes life a lot easier now to add to that. That I care about the community, Thats four. Are you the candidate thats going to end homelessness on Oahu once and for all? Mayoral candidate @keithamemiya joins me to discuss all of the issues we as a community are dealing with in the unprecedented time. Homelessness Mental He. Well, to be blunt, we need to do what we can to get money into their hands, whether its federal money, state money, or county money, CARES Act money, in particular. If a developer, for instance, followed the law, they did reach out to people such as the Kahuku windfarm. I think I saw a recent study that showed that most people in Hawaii lived within several miles of their place of work. It was rushed, it was ill-planned, and its been a source of frustration for everyone, but were almost done, as I said. Now granted, I had a lot of help with that, but it was through my initiative to do that, and Im proud of giving girls more opportunities. Keith, the so-called sweeping of homeless encampments has been a pretty controversial element of Mayor Caldwells response to un-sheltered homelessness. MARK GALACGAC PHOTO. When I served on the commission, Chief Kealoha wasnt the chief and I wasnt involved in the selection of Chief Kealoha. Were gonna talk about it, we wanna hear your view points. Our neighborhoods were being altered, the character of them and the nature of them, and a lot of my friends who lived in areas from Kaimuki to Pearl City to Kailua complained about the proliferation of tourists living right next door to them in residential neighborhoods. I wonder, What got them to that point. I think of my own mom, who has mental illness and was on the brink of homelessness many times, if not for her family and friends. Keith brings a wealth of knowledge, relationships and experience to CPB Foundation, said Catherine Ngo, Chair, CPB Foundation. Stopping it actually makes a situation worse again. Im hoping theres another infusion, but in the interim, we need to use our resources in the non-profit industry. The additional space at the Hawaii State Hospital is a start, but we need long-term treatment facilities for our communities that dont require someone to hurt another person before they receive care. So that, number one, will create more efficiency. All rights reserved, Central Pacific Bank Business Debit Mastercard, See All Central Pacific Investment Services. Senior Vice-President Island Holdings, Inc. Keith Amemiya is an attorney and the Senior Vice-President of Island Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Island Insurance and four other local subsidiaries. We need to find a different place for them. It clearly is, and we need to take action now. Amemiya's campaign web site says he and his wife purchased a. But if you did have to cut, what would you look at? With the pandemic, we have a lot of people unemployed, and its not just housing thats a problem. And number two, we didnt rent it out as a vacation rental or Airbnb unit. Im not against all vacation rentals. The prices of housing, gas, food, and other essentials are skyrocketing. Yes, Im frustrated like everyone else at the rail progress thus far. I dont wanna say somethings gonna be cut until we know the true situation in terms of the citys finances a year from now. You say that you want to restore trust in government. One of the cornerstones of his campaign addresses Honolulus severe housing deficit, which he says is 22,000 units short of demand. To fix this issue, hes vowed to curb activities such as illegal vacation rentals, which he argues increases the cost of housing. Relatives & Associates. So I dont wanna speculate. Together with families across the state, we have worked to solve chronic problems for the past few decades, including increasing funding in our rural communities and creating equal access to sports for women and girls. We know how it worked out, now Sherwoods is finally off the table, but it seemed like people were listening and reaching out in the community. Theres enough checks and balances in DPP and the permitting process, where if you approve a permit, as long as you have the enforcement and compliance mechanism after, I think well be okay, because there are professionals like architects and engineers looking at the plans as submitted. The stories found here discuss the Financial issues and challenges unique to our island home. And thats what I intend to do as mayor. It was good for me in the long run, says an appreciative Amemiya in assessing the Kobayashis impact on his life. Yeah, maybe because of COVID and less revenue and so forth, but they havent even found that (public-private partnership), that P3 person to take on or company to take on those last couple of miles to Ala Moana, as well as the 30-year operating. Most recently joining iHeart Media Honolulu as premiere sponsors of The Salvation Armys "Rescue Christmas" program - supporting their mission to provide help and hope to those most in need in Hawaii. Its worked in other cities, and I can;t see why it wont work in urban Honolulu. Summary. At a time when we could face a financial struggle in the city government, you mentioned building more infrastructure and allowing more density in the urban core for affordable housing? We're happy and proud to stand alongside you on this journey! I do know that it was a little higher than the prior year, its an ambitious budget, its an aggressive budget, and time will tell whether they can fulfill all the mandates in that budget. She was living independently, but clearly needed help. It keeps getting pushed back, and as you know, HART was hoping to open up that first segment this year. Why did you do that, when the office of mayor is non-partisan? Im for open communication, transparency, we need to make it easier for people to have their say, and technology has proven that you can do it. However, the Thirty Meter Telescope has seemingly become the tipping point for Native Hawaiian issues and concerns that have been ignored for far too long, and an example of how difficult it is to come back to the table once trust has been broken. Amemiya earned his BBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his J.D. I've been an executive in several areas in the private sector,. We talk with Keith about the reasons why he's running for lieutenan. Were not extremely close, but we know each other. But clearly the current systems not working, and when I ran high school sports in Hawaii, and it was obviously a state-wide organization, it sounds simple, but it worked, in my opinion very well. But the homeless situation continues to be terrible in Chinatown. He also served as Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. Both situations, theyre not good. Its important for a mayor to lead by example, and right now the public has little trust in government and political leaders, says Amemiya. Were on an island. Over the last ten years, the state legislature has failed on many of the issues that matter most to people in Hawaii affordable housing, homelessness, the cost of living, climate change, and protecting our environment. The couple married in 1996, and three years later welcomed their only child, Christopher (named after Amemiyas best friend), into their world. As part of his economic recovery package, Amemiya aims to lift residents out of the coronavirus crisis through continued testing, increased contact tracing and vigilant treatment, all the while calling for greater protection of Hawaiis environment and zero-emission transportation for a sustainable future. HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - With Hawaiis primary election getting closer by the day, the five leading candidates for Honolulu mayor sat down for an extensive, hour-long job interview with journalists from Hawaii News Now and Honolulu Civil Beat in an attempt to find out which candidate was most qualified for the citys top job. And if they submit shoddy plans, theyre gonna be held accountable in the long run and they wont be allowed to do business with the city. We can do other things, and maybe were gonna talk about Sunshine Law before this hour is over, but we need to get more meaningful engagement from the community, not just neighborhood board commission meetings. Ultimately, I hope we are able to find common ground through better land management and proceed with the TMT construction while ensuring that Native Hawaiian concerns are meaningfully addressed, as these concerns will otherwise continue to exist whether or not the telescope is built. Im open to that, and I know cities like Singapore place a huge fee or surcharge to even have the right to buy a car. I have no opinion on that. Umm, there must be some issue I changed my mind on, and I need to think about it a little more. Most importantly, we need to be pau with the reasons why no can and start getting it done. What are you gonna do about this very fundamental problem? The ATS program is a 66-bed licensed and accredited residential treatment facility for men and women offering confidential assessment, individualized treatment planning, private one-to-one counseling, group counseling sessions, cognitive restructuring, family education and counseling, alcohol and drug education, life skills seminars, HIV prevention and education, 12-step support services, drug testing, professionally prepared meals, and continuing care. Keith, this election is about future generations, our keiki. Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz developed a team to pursue federal funding, something we should reconstitute to secure the billions needed for our state. Given that youre a first time candidate, have you read through it and familiarized yourself with city finances? Ive been able to bring people together, Ive been able to collaborate, and Ive been able to find solutions through team work. Over time, yes, you realized something was amiss with her. Keith Amemiya has a new round of television commercials out this month for his Honolulu mayoral campaign and, in addition to being effective, they each close by declaring on screen that the. To remain at our site, click BACK. Both have lots of bodies, both have lots of money. With no candidate receiving an outright majority of the vote in the August 8 nonpartisan blanket primary, the top two finishers, Amemiya and Rick Blangiardi, advanced to a runoff on November 3. My understanding is that theyre nearly finished with it, and it is a road map, a guide map on how to address climate change in the next several decades. I also have a strong relationship with the legislature. And its important to work well with state government; we have a small state, where everyone knows each other. I think that was clear to everyone that thats too many tourists. During this pandemic, my campaign pivoted from campaigning for a while and provided meals to low income elementary school students, healthcare workers and domestic violence survivors, and their children. Theyre frustrated with the length of time it takes to approve permits in that department. Since 2007, he has donated $63,400 to local and state political campaigns, according to state data. Id rather look at cutting those positions, then positions held by live bodies, so to speak. The Amemiyas Christopher, Keith and Bonny currently call Pauoa home. So it is with Keith Amemiya, who, thanks to the lessons taught by his hnai parents and his years of public service, has grown into the next possible mayor of Honolulu. Thats no longer gonna happen. I mean, thats clear, given the overruns that rail has shown us from the start. Many people have made my life possible the way it is today, I feel fortunate, and we need to all pay it forward and we need to make the next generation better than we had it. There are many inspirational things happening in different parts of our community that can each help to build exciting opportunities for Hawaiis future. I dont like it, when people say that things cant be done. Reaching out to the public, you need to make sure the public knows. At least two of your competitors say that they dont need training wheels to be mayor. We need to restore trust in government. He defeated Keith Amemiya, 58.2% to 38.8%, in the November general election, and was sworn into office on January 2, 2021. We need to change our mindset. I got to meet a lot of people. They treated me like one of their own children. in Philosophy at Colgate University. It taught me that its a difficult problem, there are not enough services for mentally ill people. Additionally, he is credited with reuniting the Oahu public and private schools in football after 48 years of separation, a feat many thought was impossible. And for years, Keith Amemiya has been a generous donor to the political campaigns of Hawaii's power players. And there were a certain amount of units for working-class or middle-class and below families. And the general public as well. Keith, when was the last time you changed your mind about something important? Theyve been involved in politics. If the man who hopes to be Oahus mayor has learned anything in life, its that good deeds need to be reciprocated. Thats a function of poor communication between government and our citizenry, and thats something that I wanna emphasize as mayor. They dont want people with long-time experience in politics. He's trying to convince voters it's his biggest strength. They know that the job functions of many of their employees in HGEA need to be retooled, and so I look forward to working with both unions to make their workers jobs better and more efficient and beneficial to the taxpayers. But people say, Who told you to run? Its the number one issue here as well, based on my feedback from constituents. If theres a shortage of workers at DPP, lets look at outsourcing even more and focus more on compliance and enforcement on the back end. It wasnt evident if you saw her and spoke to her maybe one or two times. Theres no perfect police department, theres no perfect organization, so anything we can do to further instill trust in the public, is something that Im in favor of. [19], Amemiya met his wife, Bonny (ne Suzui), in 1995 when she was the CFO of a local fast food chain. ", "Musings from Manoa: Amemiya right man for top job", "Wishing a wonderful 55th birthday to our humble leader and friend, Keith, today from Team Amemiya!! We need new leadership. Shes engaged me to help run various projects, including increasing breakfast participation by low-income students in our public school state-wide. Keith Amemiya (born September 1, 1965)[2][3][4] is an American business executive and politician who ran in the 2020 Honolulu mayoral election,[5][6] and in 2022 for lieutenant governor of Hawaii. Contact & Personal Details. I have dedicated my career to public service by working directly in every community statewide throughout my career. The contracts were not as airtight as they could have been with the various developers and suppliers of the project, and it just was a mess from the beginning. Keith, if you're augmenting one department, like the Planning Department, what department or other initiatives would you be willing to take away from to help balance the budget? The state needs to also improve the quality of womens wellness and LGBTQIA+ healthcare services on the neighbor islands. Those are three areas we can be successful in, but it takes political will, explains Amemiya. Being able to house our families is at the heart of our responsibility to ensure a basic quality of life for our communities. Yes, its gonna cost money to the city in terms of more sewage and more water infrastructure and the like, but I like to tell people, they ask me, How can we afford to? And I say, How can we afford not to? The longer we delay these tough decisions, the harder its gonna get to build more housing. I felt concerned for her. Full Transcript: Keith Amemiyas Interview, The five leading candidates for Honolulu Mayor sit down for an extensive job interview with six journalists from Hawaii News Now and Civil Beat, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, KHNLPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KGMBPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KFVEPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KSIXPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KOGGPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246. Hmmmmmmm. Finally passing into law a true living wage and paid family leave. Okay, youre from the police commission. He was born and raised in Windward O'ahu, where his maternal grandparents Whitney and Hannie Anderson, and mother and stepfather Kim and John Puchalski, raised him . Keith, Mayor (Kirk) Caldwell just signed the latest city budget. You showed your cards there. Thats my intent. Are you the most liberal candidate running from mayor? But I also think we can do things like focusing on higher end tourists, higher quality tourists, tourists that spend more money, as opposed to the bargain basement tourists that weve had that havent really added to our bottom line, so to speak, in terms of quality of life and revenue to our hotel workers. We cant afford to pay back over $800,000,000 in federal subsidies that weve already received for the rail project, and we also need to ensure that rail is completed, so that we can proceed with transit oriented development. Now if I can add to that, the pandemic has taught us that maybe everyone doesnt have to go to downtown to work, that maybe you can work from home, maybe we can have four-day work weeks across the board with rotating days off, so that traffic is spread out over the week. I was heavily involved in that project, it was a project involving the state, the city, the non-profit sector, and we were able to build, in rather short order, 150 homes housing 600 people, 150 families that were previously homeless, and there are plans in the works to build more of those. We need to empower principals to make decisions that are right for their students and communities and invest more in our schools and communities to truly support our next generations. Keith, in your latest television commercial, you talk about your family, and you also remind viewers that youre a Democrat. CPB Foundations support allows us to provide a comprehensive continuum of substance abuse treatment services for those in our community most in need. I go back to just the federal subsidy, we received a loan thats $800,000,000. Therefore, following graduation from Punahou School, he would be expected to fend for himself. And I have a lot of support on the grassroots. Everythings okay, weve heard you, youve had a chance to voice your concerns, but were moving ahead. Would you support that project? One of the more difficult parts was during my high school years. And the police commission has less power, duties and responsibilities than one would think, and given all the attention on police reform nationwide and here locally, I think its a great time to revisit that situation and see if the Commission can have more oversight and authority. Many people before me have helped me. It wouldnt make sense to force a $20 an hour minimum wage when companies will shut down because they cant afford to pay their workers, but I do favor a serious look at increasing wages for our front line workers. I mean, I cant blame it all on government. What we need now, more than ever, is not another career politician or lobbyist, but a true leader, who knows how to bring people together to get things done. Its doable, but let me add that another area where we can greatly increase housing inventory is through public-private partnerships. And Im proud to say that weve had multiple Olympians from Hawaii because of girls wrestling being a high school sport. But you also have to do your homework and show them on paper, and once you get a track record of success, then the next time you propose something, theyre more open to it.. Emphasize as mayor and we need to use our resources in the private sector.. Me to help those who are fortunate need to find a different place for them Hawaii Manoa!, this election is about future generations, our keiki can and start getting done... The heart of our community most in need all on government we a! Units short of demand for all where we can greatly increase housing inventory is through public-private partnerships for those our! Controversial element of mayor is non-partisan think I saw a recent study that showed that most people in lived! 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