I even worked the weekends as a handyman to help pay my way through college at the University of Hawaii and law school afterward.. I created a separate girls golf as a sport. We have to get away from fuel dependency by continuing to invest in green infrastructure and multi-modal transportation. The same can be said for using the states commercial and industrial holdings as potential sites for technology companies in the biotechnology and innovative technology sectors. Its not good to have a homeless person living on the sidewalk, but the solution to that is more affordable housing, more mental health treatment, more drug abuse treatment. We need to identify state lands that make sense for housing our communities. The seeds the Kobayashis had planted in their hnai son had begun to bear good fruit; the first signs of his gritty can-do, not cant-do attitude were firmly taking root. My roots are deepest in education, having served as the Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, Executive Administrator and Secretary of the University of Hawaiis Board of Regents, and as a State of Hawaii Board of Education Member. Did you ever stand up for a young female athletes while you were there? My top spending priorities will be for affordable housing and reducing the cost of living for our residents. When I joined the HHSAA, I saw glaring inequity that our female student athletes were having less opportunities to compete in sports. The green passport, I believe Ive heard that term used. Coordination of evidence-based and research-driven practices for community-wide testing and vaccinations. We need their workers back on the payroll. And people only started to protest when they actually saw the bulldozers come in, and at that time, the mayor, perhaps expressing some tone deafness on his part, did not want to stop the project. 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. The lieutenant governors office is an office of opportunity. I strongly support diversifying our local economy, and driving tourism in a more regenerative direction. Those things do take time, though. Where do the previous administrations fail, though cause everyone says, we need more affordable housing. Elections 2022 See also: Hawaii gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 General election General election for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii 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. he is one of famous business executive and politician with the age 55 years old group. The real property tax assessments in the upcoming year, we cant assume or shouldnt assume that theyre gonna go down significantly. As a teenager, it must have been particularly difficult, you know, cause we all have difficult relationships with our moms, and I just wondered, did it take a long time to forgive her? We have to get the cost of living under control too many of our families and friends are already having to leave every year. After graduating from Punahou in 1983, Amemiya studied finance and law at the University of Hawaii at Mnoa, where he earned his degrees. So, I empathize with other families who have to deal with that, and I think we need to do more as a society to address it and not just sweep it under the rug. I mean, it sounds like its been a chronic problem for many years. Keith has got a good skill-set when it comes to dealing with people and making connections with them, observes wife Bonny. Copyright 2021, Central Pacific Bank. Amemiya testified before a federal grand jury Thursday. Do you have that same confidence? Keith, when was the last time you changed your mind about something important? A huge shot in the arm for your campaign, but also it seems to it also comes with strings attached. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portrayed guileless, wounded war heroes. Thats what mayors do, thats what leaders do, is find solutions to very difficult situations. He also intends to push for more affordable housing projects around Oahu, and lobby the private sector to develop additional residences within the urban core. While they taught me how to be generous, compassionate and loving, they also showed me the value of hard work and that I could do things on my own.. And its something that never goes away. Keith Amemiya, thank you so much for your time. Homelessness is a complicated problem, as we all know. 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. Im a firm believer, when I was on the commission 10 years ago, Im a firm believer now, that any effective oversight body, especially one involving the police and law enforcement, needs transparency and accountability. I need to show voters that Im running to be mayor for the right reason, he continues. Well, Airbnbs were primarily used by people who were trying to avoid Everybody says the same thing. in Philosophy at Colgate University. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 13, 2022. 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. And in particular, because after that project was completed, many units changed hands and at higher prices. This is a paid advertisement. Her work seeks to hold the government accountable for how it spends money and makes decisions that affect people's lives. 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. Access and information to ensure that peoples basic needs are met, such as food and housing. Hawaiis cost of living is hurting our families and communities. Everywhere I go, people say that we need change. So the rail project right now, its a major step. Given that youre a first time candidate, have you read through it and familiarized yourself with city finances? In one of your flyers, you said: Political leaders have failed our people, that leadership of the past did not work. Youre talking about the failure to communicate with communities. I mean, theyre all lumped together and its huge, huge concerns, and theyre lumped together and they both have the same solution. Keith Amemiya, Honolulu Mayoral Candidate: Well, Im running for mayor because we need change. Does that influence you that, Oh, Ive gotta make sure UPW and HGEA are happy?' Are you the candidate thats going to end homelessness on Oahu once and for all? For the very determined Keith Amemiya, the seeds of his disposition were planted the day hnai parents Bert and Harriet Kobayashi sat him down for a heart-to-heart discussion about his future. So I dont think we need to cut any other departments while were improving the quality of service at DPP. And I dont know if those two are fully being utilized under the current constraints of the commission. Especially during these difficult economic times, its critical that they have the resources needed to continue their important work in helping people get back on their feet.. It sounds a little bit like unicorns and rainbows to me, but what happens if that doesnt work? Their oldest son, Chris, was my best friend. The Jazz said Hundley died at his home in the Phoenix area. Now, of course, Im willing to work with everyone, whether they be Republican, Independent, Aloha Aina party or whatever other party thats out there. Each of those interviews were recorded, and the videos are available at the top of this story and on all of Hawaii News Now's streaming platforms. And as mayor, I will work with everyone. The current administration, the city is undergoing a climate action plan. You need to get input, and when you get input early on from everybody, you hear the different viewpoints, you modify the proposal. [2] Im running for lieutenant governor because Im concerned for Hawaiis future. Or did you change anything? All rights reserved. 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. After graduating from Punahou in 1983, Amemiya studied finance and law at the University of Hawaii at Mnoa, where he earned his degrees. My family was having some problems and I was taken in by my best friends family. Are you gonna tell a hotel, Hey, you gotta move a mile inland, or 500 feet. What are you gonna do about that? And they have a lottery system, if Im not mistaken, where not everyone can get a car even if they want to. Amemiya is the son of former Hawaii Attorney General Ronald Amemiya. 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. Keith Amemiya is on Facebook. Is it really almost done? Its been disastrous from before construction. Amemiya donated thousands to Mayor Kirk Caldwell's political campaigns. We need to look at all those options, and COVID has kinda taught us that maybe not everyone has to work in the office everyday. Essentially, they told him that although they had welcomed him into their home and raised him since his early teenage years, he the childhood buddy of their son Christopher and someone whom Bert had frequently coached in youth sports leagues needed to learn to stand on his own. Waimanalo, were telling you, you you need to show up at Pope Elementary cafeteria this Thursday night. 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? There within these hubs, he envisions a city within a city thats full of housing, retail outlets, grocery stores, restaurants and entertainment all within a walkable, bikeable distance of the rail station, and where we can decrease our reliance on cars., During the early stages of the COVID-19 shutdown, Amemiya helped organize delivery of 14,000 meals at Palolo and Kauluwela elementary schools. Keith, speaking about Governor Ige, obviously, one of the things the mayor will have to do is work closely with the governor and with the legislature, particularly now, in the recovery from COVID. In supporting my mother and her challenges with mental health, I have seen firsthand the lack of resources needed for individuals and families. Keith, I wanted to go back on the mental health issue. Thats the only way we can get out of this, that we have to help each other. I think my career has shown that. Well, it was clearly incompetence. 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. [19], In February 2021, Amemiya was appointed as executive director of Central Pacific Bank Foundation. I dont wanna say somethings gonna be cut until we know the true situation in terms of the citys finances a year from now. First up, we need to tackle our affordable housing crisis. Who planned it badly? Reaching out to the public, you need to make sure the public knows. All rights reserved. Well, we need to get out of our cars and car pool. The mayor has appointed some two new people, and well see whether they do a good job. High cost of living is the number one concern I hear from working class families across Oahu, and I was the first, and Im the only candidate to have a housing-for-all plan. So my wife and I built, bought a unit in 801 South Street, and to be clear, there was a certain percentage of units made available through the open public or general public. Well, theres no good place for homeless people to stay, but Chinatown is not one of the places we should focus on. So I dont wanna speculate. At the time, he was a young civil litigation attorney and Bonny (formerly Suzui) was the CFO of a local fast food chain. So, none of those incidents that you mentioned were brought to our attention. We should get homeless out of Chinatown. Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz developed a team to pursue federal funding, something we should reconstitute to secure the billions needed for our state. Keith, what would you propose to do about the homeless situation, specifically in Chinatown, because (the Institute for Human Services) tried to create a facility there that failed because of push back by the business community. Require legislators to follow sunshine laws. At the time, he was a young civil litigation attorney and Bonny (formerly Suzui) was the CFO of a local fast food chain. But if you did have to cut, what would you look at? Would you continue that practice. As a longtime advocate thats been involved with several projects to address homelessness, Im pleased to announce the $100,000 grant to The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Divisions highly successful ATS program. Can I ask, you talk about this failure of government. I had to work multiple jobs bussing tables, working as a legal messenger and unloading shipping containers for a trucking company. Ban fundraising during the legislative session Court Records. Whats your relationship like with Governor Ige, and how would you approach working with the state on our recovery? Over time, yes, you realized something was amiss with her. Of course, those ordinary days figure to be history if Amemiya finds a new home at Honolulu Hale. Number one is crack down on the illegal vacation rentals; theres too many out there. Weve somehow lost our way. Im hoping theres another infusion, but in the interim, we need to use our resources in the non-profit industry. So let me follow up on this too. So in the meantime, would you continue sweeps? I've been an executive in several areas in the private sector,. Were currently 22,000 units short on Oahu. What would you do as mayor to try to curb that? The power of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor can be used to coordinate and work between state agencies, convene working groups for departments working on housing issues, and streamline existing processes. We have become far too reliant upon waiting for our Congressional delegation to bring home resources, when most states and counties are proactively applying for funds. Copyright MidWeek | All rights reserved. When you say that rail was ill-planned, who do you blame for that? 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. We need to automate, first and foremost. And I think the Galapagos Islands and other tourist locals (use them). Would that supersede the role of neighborhood boards, or whats the added value there? Many of them were struggling. You have a heart condition, you go to the doctor. A clear, number one, we didnt flip it for a profit even though we could have done so. I know the state Senate and House leadership. No, not the law, so much. Lack of political will. Well, Id like to think that my hallmark, my background, is based on trust and integrity. Werent you part of that same culture, and how are you different from the commission that basically screwed it up? This Endless What do you for them? Fortunately for him, he isnt laboring alone. How would that work? I created girls water polo, I created girls judo, I created girls wrestling. "I'm running for. I will continue enforcement as long as we find more shelter beds. Amemiya will manage strategic planning, programs, and operations for CPB Foundation. We need to restore trust in government. 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. If I could follow up, both on Mahea and Daryls point, some people said, Wheres this guy coming from?' One of the things about working class people we hear, with the hotel workers, for example, one job should be enough, and calling for better wages. Its a comprehensive plan that seeks to aggressively reduce the housing vacancy or housing inventory shortage that we have right now. Would you impose a minimum wage of, say, $20 an hour for across-the-board, or for the hospitality industry, or something like that? Many of them had to make hard choices, whether its to pay the rent or pay their car bill, whether its pay their medical bill or food on the table or even choose to stay here and struggle or move away from family and friends to the mainland to find lower cost of living. The couple married in 1996, and three years later welcomed their only child, Christopher (named after Amemiyas best friend), into their world. 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. 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keith amemiya mother