Its pretty powerful people that are very well connected, and very entrenched, you might even say, Are you really your own man, or are other people pushing you to take this job? 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. They tout the wrong kind of experience. On his campaign. We need to dedicate significant funds to subsidize the cost of infrastructure development for affordable housing developers. We need to provide more services. Were also coming out of a remarkable situation, the police chief convicted, his wife, the former deputy prosecutor, theres a loss of confidence in the part of the citizens, the City and County of Honolulu, whether they can trust an HPD officer. The prices of housing, gas, food, and other essentials are skyrocketing. It was rushed, it was ill-planned, and its been a source of frustration for everyone, but were almost done, as I said. Particularly at a time when youre trying to maybe cut bureaucracy, which I know is another thing that you have proposed. He prefers to tout his accomplishments as a statewide leader, which includes years of public service as executive director of Hawaii High School Athletic Association and executive administrator to the Board of Regents at University of Hawaii. How do you get a change in the economic type of person coming to Hawaii? I view my lack of direct experience in politics as a plus. I mean, it sounds like its been a chronic problem for many years. I got to meet a lot of people. Im sorry. Theyre experienced in leaving their office to run for another office during the term that theyre sitting in office. Hmmmmmmm. We met, we first met when I was running high school sports, and weve kept in contact since. Thats the only way we can get out of this, that we have to help each other. It taught me that its a difficult problem, there are not enough services for mentally ill people. 500 Ala Moana Blvd. Yet, Amemiya apparently did well enough over time to convince her that he was the one. What did that experience teach you about mental illness that other people could learn from, and how will it affect your ability to deal with the terrible mental illness problems we have in this city? Theyre tired of the same old politicians running for office and making the same type of decisions that arent improving the lives of working-class families. I also think we need to enforce and make a stronger ethics commission. And the general public as well. Its a important viable alternative means of transportation for us on this island. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portrayed guileless, wounded war heroes. Its worked in other cities, and I can;t see why it wont work in urban Honolulu. What do you for them? Anyone who lives in those areas have an expectation that there will be tourist as their neighbors. They treated me like one of their own children. Its the number one issue here as well, based on my feedback from constituents. 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. There were no sparks during their initial encounter, in which they initially found themselves working on opposite sides of a lawsuit. 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. Everywhere I go, people say that we need change. Commissioner, right, you actually ran that back under Mayor Hannemann, if I remember correctly, Hannemann. Amemiya will manage strategic planning, programs, and operations for CPB Foundation. I think my career has shown that. 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. I've been an executive in several areas in the private sector,. We just wanted to launch into the questions for this job interview. And Im in favor of that. I have the experience to lead organizations. 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. Keith, in your latest television commercial, you talk about your family, and you also remind viewers that youre a Democrat. ", "Amemiya announces run for Honolulu mayor", "Former Honolulu mayoral candidate Keith Amemiya hired to lead Central Pacific Bank Foundation", "Keith Amemiya Hawaii High School Athletic Association Executive Director", "Business executive throws his name in the race for Honolulu mayor", "Kokua Council to host online debate between Honolulu mayoral candidates Keith Amemiya, Rick Blangiardi", "Honolulu Mayor: Blangiardi And Amemiya Advance To Runoff", "Voters set up runoff for mayor between political newcomers: Blangiardi and Amemiya", "Amemiya picks up mayoral endorsement from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz", "AFL-CIO announces endorsement for Amemiya in mayoral campaign", "Four more Honolulu City Council members endorse Amemiya for mayor", "HGEA endorses Keith Amemiya for Honolulu mayor", "Keith Amemiya named executive director of Central Pacific Bank Foundation", "CPB Foundation Appoints Keith Amemiya Executive Director, Awards $100,000 Grant to The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keith_Amemiya&oldid=1125280749, Candidates in the 2020 United States elections, Candidates in the 2022 United States elections, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 3 December 2022, at 05:23. Amemiya is the son of former Hawaii Attorney General Ronald Amemiya. Thats not fair to people who follow the law. 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. Keith, when was the last time you changed your mind about something important? BUSINESS BANKING Beyond the Basics is a blog dedicated to nancial literacy in Hawaii. 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. Now, in terms of the project, you are talking about, transit-oriented development is one area where we can utilize to build more housing. Build water and infrastructure capacity, where appropriate, to incentivize development of housing local families can afford. PHOTOS COURTESY KEITH AMEMIYA. We need their workers back on the payroll. I have the experience to bring solutions to problems. During his 12 years with HHSAA, for example, he successfully persuaded many risk-averse principals and athletic directors to launch a second state championship division for the so-called smaller schools. It was a move that not only brought in more money for the state, but also increased the level of excitement for prep sports exponentially. Well, that was a lot more than three words. While critics like to point out his lack of political experience, Amemiya takes pride in his outsider status, viewing it as an argument against the status quo. The public needs to pay attention more, too. 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.. Its been disastrous from before construction. I go back to just the federal subsidy, we received a loan thats $800,000,000. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. And the names you hear are Kirk Caldwell, the current mayor, or people with the last name Amemiya working for the administration, or former Attorney General, Colbert Matsumoto, Duane Kurisu. With executive leadership experience in both the public and private sector, Amemiya has unique insight to the multitude of issues facing Hawaii, coupled with the ingenuity to forge impactful solutions through public-private partnerships. Are you the candidate thats going to end homelessness on Oahu once and for all? If you dont show up, dont complain later.. Well, first, they were breaking the law, and thats not right. You deal with broad constituencies, you deal with every community. I hear from everyone in the construction industry, the development industry, even the home improvement industry, people who wanna build an extension to their house. So I think if you cut down on that, itll help the over-tourism that we all felt. Its focused on three areas: number one, focus on housing for Oahu residents and not out-of-state residents; number two, eliminating the variables that increase the cost of housing in Hawaii, like about 8,000 illegal vacation rentals that are still in existence on the island; and then third, we need to take steps to make it easier to develop affordable housing in the urban core, whether thats the city creating more sewage infrastructure, more water infrastructure, allowing more density, you know, speeding up the building permit process. All rights reserved. Well, by all accounts, they rushed it. A clear, number one, we didnt flip it for a profit even though we could have done so. 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. Its important for a mayor to lead by example, and right now the public has little trust in government and political leaders, says Amemiya. Keith Amemiya is on Facebook. Theres a case where that issue, the development put in the ball field and the parking lot and tear down all the trees had actually been in the works for years and years and years. And Im proud to say that weve had multiple Olympians from Hawaii because of girls wrestling being a high school sport. 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. Inspired by the example set by his hnai family following his biological parents divorce when he was 10, Amemiya has graciously opened up his home to neighbor island athletes over the past two decades. So Im in support of that. Are you gonna tell a hotel, Hey, you gotta move a mile inland, or 500 feet. What are you gonna do about that? Yes, its a non-partisan race, but almost everybody I come across asks me what party I belong to. He is the Chairman of the Board for two of the subsidiaries, Atlas Insurance Agency and Pacxa (IT company). 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. We need to restore trust in government. Little wonder why so many of his supporters believe that in a city ripe for a leader who can galvanize the masses, Amemiya represents their best hope. 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? Did you ever stand up for a young female athletes while you were there? I read through it, but to be honest, I cant memorize it line by line. But in regular neighborhoods, quote unquote, clearly Im against them. The green passport, I believe Ive heard that term used. Amemiya, 54, has made the story of his upbringing a central part of his campaign. No, not the law, so much. Thats what mayors do, thats what leaders do, is find solutions to very difficult situations. It would also create a diverse field of new local jobs that pay competitively in industries to help keep our young people in Hawaii and create more remote working opportunities so workers can spend more time with their families rather than on the road. 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. 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