from the William S. Richardson School of Law. 500 Ala Moana Blvd. The mayoral candidate joins 100 supporters during a sign-waving outing in East Oahu. To him, it was just another way of giving back to the community while also paying homage to the family who took him in and taught him, among other things, how to be plucky and stand on his own two feet. 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? Were looking at in just a few decades or less, with even just a few feet of sea level rise, those being inundated, and that means roads are gonna be falling to the sea. Its everyones failure. By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. Theres only a few hundred shelter beds available at any one time, so in the meantime, when there is this immediate situation, would you continue enforcement? 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. Japanese in Hawaii are the state's second-largest ethnic group, and Amemiya would have been the first mayor of Honolulu of Japanese ancestry. I got to meet a lot of people. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. I do believe that whenever Hawaii has an opportunity to be the worlds leader in a field, when we can further the discovery of our universe, and when we can create more high paying jobs on Hawaii Island, we need to strongly consider it. 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. Because from what I see, youve been a director of a non-profit and you work at an insurance company, but youve got no direct experience in government, no direct experience in a for-profit business. Can I ask, you talk about this failure of government. Honolulu, HI 96813 The mayor has appointed some two new people, and well see whether they do a good job. 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. You showed your cards there. And there were a certain amount of units for working-class or middle-class and below families. 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. Yes, Im frustrated like everyone else at the rail progress thus far. Thats the way we can get out of this. Theres no debate about that, in probably some things will have to be cut. I wanna look at vacant positions.' ", "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!! I know there are challenges. 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. Dutifully, Amemiya accepted the Kobayashis decision even though at the time, he had no idea what it took to be a young, responsible adult with everything resting on his shoulders. We need to do more proactive engagement with the community. I dont know, I have to think about it. And Im proud to say that weve had multiple Olympians from Hawaii because of girls wrestling being a high school sport. I think thats something that should be done, not only in the police department, but in all city departments throughout the city government. We need them to succeed. I think that was clear to everyone that thats too many tourists. He's trying to convince voters it's his biggest strength. You need to surround yourself with honorable, decent people who always do the right thing. All rights reserved, https://www.cpb.bank/resources/2021/february/cpb-foundation-appoints-keith-amemiya-executive-director-awards-100-000-grant-to-the-salvation-army-hawaiian-pacific-islands, Copyright 2022, Central Pacific Bank. 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. Are you gonna tell a hotel, Hey, you gotta move a mile inland, or 500 feet. What are you gonna do about that? 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. He also served as Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. They have failed to deliver a true living wage or paid family leave. We need to provide more services. Since 2007, he has donated $63,400 to local and state political campaigns, according to state data. Amemiya, 54, has until the Aug. 8 primary to convince Oahu voters that he deserves to lead the city into the next decade. We plan on helping him merge morals and values. While their stays are at best only over the summers and school breaks, these student-athletes are no doubt appreciative of the generosity demonstrated by the Amemiyas. It was 1995 when Amemiya first crossed paths with the woman who would become his life partner. The state needs to work with the counties to ensure zoning regulations help support development for residential housing. Keith, what's your favorite song and why? Im sorry. he is one of famous business executive and politician with the age 55 years old group. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Do you have that same confidence? 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. 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. His leadership is proving invaluable to hit the ground running, forging a bright path forward beyond the current pandemic and continuing our mission of supporting Hawaii communities.. I dont have to point out that most of our infrastructure, including the tourism sector and Waikiki, including the downtown business area, the Honolulu International Airport, these sewage treatments plants, the power plants all of that is on the coast. So I prefer looking at that area first, and I also wanna look at technology and being more efficient. The mailer also claims Amemiya illegally purchased an apartment meant for low-income buyers at the 801 South Street condominiums. Ive been able to bring people together, Ive been able to collaborate, and Ive been able to find solutions through team work. 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. He definitely wasnt trying to impress me, says Bonny, chuckling at the memory. 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. You need to lead by example. Thats a huge amount. Amemiya earned his BBA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and received his J.D. I also have a strong relationship with the legislature. My family was having some problems and I was taken in by my best friends family. Is it really almost done? 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. We need their workers back on the payroll. Keith Amemiya is on Facebook. We need to build more affordable housing. Other cities have pivoted to make themselves attractive to production companies and have reaped the benefits. I mean, I cant blame it all on government. 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 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. Hmmmmmmm. And I think you also need to have a zero tolerance for corruption. [19], Amemiya met his wife, Bonny (ne Suzui), in 1995 when she was the CFO of a local fast food chain. I had an office in the downtown area and it just wasnt a good environment for the homeless or the Chinatown merchants and shop-goers. What are you gonna do about this very fundamental problem? Now, criminality, I dont know, Im not willing to say that. Keith Amemiya is 56 years old today because Keith's birthday is on 09/01/1965. Keith Amemiya, Honolulu Mayoral Candidate: Well, Im running for mayor because we need change. The city had approximately $200,000,000 in reserve in the prior fiscal year. HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Keith Amemiya knows a lack of political experience could be his biggest weakness. And I think the Galapagos Islands and other tourist locals (use them). MARK GALACGAC PHOTO. Theyre part of the problem. ThinkTech Hawaii streams live on the Internet from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Hawaii time most weekdays, then we stream our earlier shows all night long. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. Both situations, theyre not good. I wanted to switch gears over to rail, and I know Daryl, you wanted, you had several questions on the rail project. I think hes very gifted in that way. We just lost Loretta Sheehan, we just lost Steve Levinson, highly critical about the commission not really having oversight over (the Honolulu Police Department). This is a paid advertisement. The state needs to take an active role in increasing the supply of housing for middle- and low-income residents. Number one, the police chief is already doing it, looking into whether chokeholds should be altered or eliminated altogether. Well, theres a couple of other ways. 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. Telephone: 808-529-4747, Big Island mayor remembers Hilo couple fatally stabbed, Ron Menor, longtime Hawaii politician, dies at 67, Girl, 17, critically injured in vehicle crash in Hawaii Kai, Passengers video captures last moments before Nepal crash, Police search for suspects after visitor robbed in Kaneohe, Ascending Spyros Chakas named National Player of the Week, Hawaiian Home Lands seeks extension to spending deadline, Community contest announced to resolve name beef, Jan. 13, 2018: Hawaii officials send out false alert about incoming missile. What would you do to help them, either by creating jobs or otherwise helping people who are really vulnerable right now, in very big numbers? 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? How do you get a change in the economic type of person coming to Hawaii? And there was certainly cultures of looking the other way for domestic violence, there was favoritism among police officers. 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. Weve somehow lost our way. Keith, you know, whenever we mention illegal vacation rentals, we always have people call us and say whether theyre illegal or not, they need that income from that house or from that room in their house to supplement their income because our cost of living is so bad. You need to get input, and when you get input early on from everybody, you hear the different viewpoints, you modify the proposal. There are far more resources available to the homeless in the Iwilei area, which is fairly close by, and we need to do what we can to divert them to that area. A huge shot in the arm for your campaign, but also it seems to it also comes with strings attached. I know his wife, Dawn Ige, because she was a former public school vice principal. You know, I never held it against her. We have heard in the middle of this pandemic from behavioral health specialists that they are deeply concerned that depression will get worse, domestic violence, all of these other issues will get worse because of the pandemic. I have a good relationship with Governor Ige. Yet, Amemiya apparently did well enough over time to convince her that he was the one. Prior to his candidacy for Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Amemiya was Senior Vice President of Island Holdings, Inc. the parent company of Island Insurance, Atlas Insurance Agency, Tradewind Capital Group, IC International, and Pacxa. In terms of fundraising, he has spearheaded many successful multi-million dollar campaigns statewide, including to save Junior Varsity sports in our public schools, the construction of Roosevelt High Schools new football field and track, and the creation of middle school sports programs in the most impoverished areas in the state. 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. I cant think of one off hand. PHOTOS COURTESY KEITH AMEMIYA. With the pandemic, we have a lot of people unemployed, and its not just housing thats a problem. [20][21], American business executive and politician, 2022 Hawaii lieutenant gubernatorial election, "New TV Spots Promote Keith Amemiya's Democratic Roots", "Keith Amemiya: Political Outsider Or Establishment Insider? Having trouble with comments? Over time, yes, you realized something was amiss with her. And its more prevalent than people who think or want admit. Ban fundraising during the legislative session The state needs to also improve the quality of womens wellness and LGBTQIA+ healthcare services on the neighbor islands. By surrounding himself with a trusted campaign staff that is as resolute as he is, this first-time political candidate has positioned himself as a favorite in the upcoming Honolulu mayoral race. This advertisement is published with the approval and authority of the candidate. If he fails to receive an outright majority of votes but still finishes among the top two candidates in the primary election, hell then have one more opportunity to sell the public on his message of change before the Nov. 3 general election runoff. How would that work? I mean, it sounds like its been a chronic problem for many years. Shes engaged me to help run various projects, including increasing breakfast participation by low-income students in our public school state-wide. Reviews. Our future generations have been overlooked for far too long, and we need to build our future for them. I've been an executive in several areas in the private sector,. Im always optimistic, and I truly believe in my heart that we can get through this economic crisis and be better than ever.. These days, Amemiya is working harder than ever, pushing himself as if the future of the city is at stake. And for years, Keith Amemiya has been a generous donor to the political campaigns of Hawaii's power players. All our focus is on COVID right now, were taking a hit budget-wise, but this is the biggest problem of our lifetime. Speaking of fairness, what about for the hotels that have been essentially not able to operate for months what about giving them a tax break on property taxes? 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. [18], Amemiya's biological parents divorced when he was 10 years old, and he was raised afterward by a friend's family. Yes, its a non-partisan race, but almost everybody I come across asks me what party I belong to. 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. 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 view my lack of direct experience in politics as a plus. In the near-term, abortion rights will be protected in our state, but we need to work to strengthen these rights at the state level, such as ensuring greater access for medical abortions across all islands and creating opportunities for others from outside the state to access medical services here. Amemiya is the son of former Hawaii Attorney General Ronald Amemiya. There are shelter beds available, we need to get the homeless people to the shelter. What would you do as mayor to try to curb that? Its a important viable alternative means of transportation for us on this island. Clearly that wasn't enough, and that's an ongoing issue, and I'm glad that steps are being finally made to level the playing field for girls in terms of the sports facilities that they need and deserve. I read through it, but to be honest, I cant memorize it line by line. Build water and infrastructure capacity, where appropriate, to incentivize development of housing local families can afford. Finally passing into law a true living wage and paid family leave. [2] You got two plum endorsements recently: HGEA, the white collar public workers union, and UPW, the blue collar public workers unions. Why my dad is a great leader | Keith Amemiya for Honolulu . Keith Amemiya, Honolulu Mayoral Candidate: Right, well, I have a lot of broad-based experience, especially for the job of mayor. Keith, one of the major contributors here to the carbon, to our carbon footprint, is road transportation. We have to get away from fuel dependency by continuing to invest in green infrastructure and multi-modal transportation. I believe Hawaii is too dependent on tourism as its primary economic driver and pre-pandemic levels of tourism put a strain on our island resources. Ive been an executive in several areas in the private sector, the public sector, the non-profit sector. But is it really almost done? 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. In listening to communities across the state, I believe that first and foremost, the people of Hawaii deserve someone they can trust and who will passionately fight for their interests. Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz developed a team to pursue federal funding, something we should reconstitute to secure the billions needed for our state. The Amemiyas already own a Nuuanu home and Keith Amemiya is a senior vice president of Island Holdings Inc--not exactly the target buyer for affordable units. Theyre more productive, theyre healthier, they have more time for their families, so any time you can raise the wage, Im in favor of it. I created girls water polo, I created girls judo, I created girls wrestling. [2], Since January 2021, Amemiya has served as executive director of the Central Pacific Bank Foundation. Good fruit always comes from good trees. The guest is Keith Amemiya. Thats my intent. There were no sparks during their initial encounter, in which they initially found themselves working on opposite sides of a lawsuit. Given that youre a first time candidate, have you read through it and familiarized yourself with city finances? Anyone who lives in those areas have an expectation that there will be tourist as their neighbors. Waimanalo, were telling you, you you need to show up at Pope Elementary cafeteria this Thursday night. CPB Foundations support allows us to provide a comprehensive continuum of substance abuse treatment services for those in our community most in need. The ethics commission should have more enforcement powers. The couple married in 1996, and three years later welcomed their only child, Christopher (named after Amemiyas best friend), into their world. I think thats a great opportunity to look at retooling the jobs that they did, modernizing the jobs that they did and making it more efficient. Yes, I did, and thats one of my proudest achievements. Additionally, state government operates in silos much too often. It was 1995 when Amemiya first crossed paths with the woman who would become his life partner. We still own the unit, were renting it out to a local family who cant afford to buy a unit of their own in town, but wanted to live in town and are renting from us. 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. This is the biggest problem of our lifetime claims Amemiya illegally purchased an apartment meant for low-income keith amemiya mother the. Something was amiss with her infrastructure capacity, where appropriate, to incentivize development of housing for middle- and residents. 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