Having trouble with comments? And Im wondering two things: One, when you make an answer to Colin, Oh i dont really want to look at that. Theyve been involved in politics. Would you impose a minimum wage of, say, $20 an hour for across-the-board, or for the hospitality industry, or something like that? Were currently 22,000 units short on Oahu. He lost in the Democratic primary on August 13, 2022. His mother suffered from mental illness and Keith was brought up by various relatives until he moved in with a friend whose father, Bert T. Kobayashi Jr., became Keith's hnai father. 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. Who planned it badly? Theres no debate about that, in probably some things will have to be cut. The mayoral candidate joins 100 supporters during a sign-waving outing in East Oahu. #7-500 he is one of famous business executive and politician with the age 55 years old group. We have lost trust with the public. So the rail project right now, its a major step. It was 1995 when Amemiya first crossed paths with the woman who would become his life partner. We plan on helping him merge morals and values. Keith, part of short-term rental enforcement is obviously the Department of Planning and Permitting, which has been bogged down on both the planning and permitting sides for years. Keith Amemiya, thank you so much for your time. On his campaign. Now, of course, we have to balance it with the needs and the capability of the employer, and especially with COVID hitting us, we need to look at whats fair. We have to get away from fuel dependency by continuing to invest in green infrastructure and multi-modal transportation. So, none of those incidents that you mentioned were brought to our attention. Some of them are quiet, working-class. Chad, why dont you go ahead and start. Utilizing creative tax credits to incentivize companies to relocate to Hawaii, we can generate much needed revenue. 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. Prior to this pandemic crisis, the city was in pretty good financial shape. Its a tough situation, its like the pandemic, we havent really faced that in our lifetime or even before, and we need to just work together. We need to do what we can to help them economically. 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. Well, one issue I want to undertake and start from day one is to increase the affordable housing inventory in Hawaii. Well, theres no good place for homeless people to stay, but Chinatown is not one of the places we should focus on. Whats your Plan B for the rail system? Name on ballot: Keith Amemiya Running for: Lieutenant Governor Political party: Democrat Campaign website: amemiyaforlg.com/ Current occupation: Executive Director, Central Pacific Bank. You know for some reason, I thought I might be asked that today, and I have the answer. 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. I worked with high school principals, local businesses, and community leaders, including Carissa Moore and Marcus Mariota, to distribute over 20,000 meals at schools to ensure our keiki and their families were fed. Honolulu, HI 96813 Keith Amemiya is 56 years old today because Keith's birthday is on 09/01/1965. 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. 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. I cant think of one off hand. A clear, number one, we didnt flip it for a profit even though we could have done so. Keith we wanted to change a little bit of direction and get to know a little bit more personal side, a side that a lot of people don't know about. Weve somehow lost our way. 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 . Let me ask though, other candidates in the race have been making a lot of accusations about fraud, corruption, contractor, even theft from the system. The state needs to also improve the quality of womens wellness and LGBTQIA+ healthcare services on the neighbor islands. Give us something different, something that would bring down the number of tourists, other than Airbnbs and get you this high spending tourist you keep talking about it. I know theres a federal investigation ongoing, and lets see where it takes us. Chief Ballard said that HPD cant be compared to police departments on the mainland, that she doesnt believe theres a systemic problem particularly involving racism, perhaps violence and misconduct. ", "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!! Or did you change anything? Theyre frustrated with the length of time it takes to approve permits in that department. Obviously, I cant speak for the current administration, and what theyre gonna do from now to the end of the year, but we need to have a balance, like in all things in life, and if the hotels need a tax break, and the city can make it work on their end, and we should look at it. Hawaiis cost of living is hurting our families and communities. 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. Copyright 2023 StarAdvertiser.com. 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. 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. All our focus is on COVID right now, were taking a hit budget-wise, but this is the biggest problem of our lifetime. 500 Ala Moana Blvd. What was your connection to that project? You know, I never held it against her. The overturning of Roe v. Wade is a tragic blow to a womans right to choose and has dangerous implications to other civil rights and freedoms in our country. Its increasing even more as a pandemic lasts, so we need to do more partnerships, collaborations with non-profit agencies that are equipped to handle those kinds of situations. The mayor has appointed some two new people, and well see whether they do a good job. 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. Both have lots of bodies, both have lots of money. I have the experience to lead organizations. I had to work multiple jobs bussing tables, working as a legal messenger and unloading shipping containers for a trucking company. And thats what I intend to do as mayor. We need to look at maybe elongating the financing of the rail project, but we need to finish the rail project. Keith, Mayor (Kirk) Caldwell just signed the latest city budget. Lack of collaboration, partisan divide, pettiness, you name it. 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. The stories found here discuss the Financial issues and challenges unique to our island home. from the William S. Richardson School of Law. In the primary, former U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district Colleen Hanabusa, former state senator John Carroll, and former mayor of Honolulu Mufi Hannemann were eliminated along with many other candidates. It sounds a little bit like unicorns and rainbows to me, but what happens if that doesnt work? Lack of political will. Executive Director, Central Pacific Bank Foundation. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. We are grateful for their assistance., Homelessness is a crisis affecting every community in the state, and substance abuse is one of the leading causes, said Amemiya. I feel that people who have the power to affect change should do so, and we need to do what we can to make life better for them. Keith Amemiya: Moral Leader - YouTube A 1st time Candidate.Keith Amemiya is running for Mayor!Keith is committed to Moral Leadership! 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. I need to show voters that Im running to be mayor for the right reason, he continues. Commissioner, right, you actually ran that back under Mayor Hannemann, if I remember correctly, Hannemann. So I dont wanna speculate. He is the Chairman of the Board for two of the subsidiaries, Atlas Insurance Agency and Pacxa (IT company). So if theres a project where the developer engaged in honest, meaningful communication, followed the process and got approval, then yes, theres a point, government needs to enforce the law, of course. But the homeless situation continues to be terrible in Chinatown. Keith brings a wealth of knowledge, relationships and experience to CPB Foundation, said Catherine Ngo, Chair, CPB Foundation. So Ill do what I can. Amemiya, 54, has made the story of his upbringing a central part of his campaign. They provided a lifeline to me, they provided love, compassion, they provided structure to me, they proved to me that all it takes is one family or one person or set of people to show they care and it can uplift you and change your life trajectory. Keith Amemiya named executive director of Central Pacific Bank Foundation By Star-Advertiser Staff Feb. 27, 2021 COURTESY PHOTO Keith Amemiya Prev Next Central Pacific Bank Foundation has. Work with community organizations to go beyond just saying no and move into envisioning what we are willing and wanting to say yes to affordable housing in their communities. To remain at our site, click BACK. Reaching out to the public, you need to make sure the public knows. 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. We're happy and proud to stand alongside you on this journey! Everyone on Oahu thinks they need their own car, and that everyone else should ride the bus or walk, and we need to all do our part. Particularly at a time when youre trying to maybe cut bureaucracy, which I know is another thing that you have proposed. We met, we first met when I was running high school sports, and weve kept in contact since. 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. So to be clear, I wasn't there in 2018, and I don't think any of you are suggesting I was, so during my tenure, there were a lot of improvements to female athlete facilities. I even worked the weekends as a handyman to help pay my way through college at the University of Hawaii and law school afterward.. 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. So prior to that I was getting shuttled from relative to relative, and I was very close to the Kobayashi family. 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. Like they went to a neighborhood board, had it on the agenda, three people showed up, it got approved and they moved on. We need to dedicate significant funds to subsidize the cost of infrastructure development for affordable housing developers. 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. That is a big reason we have a higher cost of living. Theyre experienced in leaving their office to run for another office during the term that theyre sitting in office. Im having a hard time figuring out where the experience in your career Where did you get experience to deal with these issues? [19], Amemiya met his wife, Bonny (ne Suzui), in 1995 when she was the CFO of a local fast food chain. And there was certainly cultures of looking the other way for domestic violence, there was favoritism among police officers. [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? 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. Since 2007, he has donated $63,400 to local and state political campaigns, according to state data. I know his wife, Dawn Ige, because she was a former public school vice principal. Do you have that same confidence? So Im in support of that. 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. This is an economic situation changing by the week, changing by the month, its unprecedented. 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. Young people are leaving our state in alarming numbers, and we cant attract and retain essential workers because Hawaii is simply not affordable. He also served as Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. 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. 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. They want someone different, and they want someone new. I dont know, I have to think about it. Ive always believed that in order to move forward, you have to be willing to take calculated risks, he says, adding that hard work and perseverance have often won over his biggest critics. Tourism is one of our economic life-bloods, and we need to do what we can to work with these hotels to address the rising sea levels. Theres a lot of city employees that are retiring in the coming years. 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 also think we need to enforce and make a stronger ethics commission. The Jazz said Hundley died at his home in the Phoenix area. Can I ask, what was your involvement with the 801 South project? Yes, I do, its happened to me many times. At the time, he was a young civil litigation attorney and Bonny (formerly Suzui) was the CFO of a local fast food chain. 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. End financial conflicts of interest Did you ever stand up for a young female athletes while you were there? It is important that we come from a place in these discussions of knowing and respecting that wahi pana. I also believe we need to improve in the following areas: Clearer, more consistent communication to the public, with coordination from all levels of government and business and community leaders. We need to sharpen our pencil. But on the other hand, I also think of a mom and her child on a stroller walking along a sidewalk and being afraid or having to navigate around a homeless person. Thats what mayors do, thats what leaders do, is find solutions to very difficult situations. We changed it a bit, and we have people dancing and singing to it. What would a future generation of Hawaii say about you in three words? And they have a lottery system, if Im not mistaken, where not everyone can get a car even if they want to. Those things do take time, though. I strongly support diversifying our local economy, and driving tourism in a more regenerative direction. I would lose votes if I do that. We need to do all of that, because housing is in short supply on the island. 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. And if the developer pays for it, it gets passed on to the buyer of the house, and it wont be as affordable. 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. 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. 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? Why cant we have online submittal, or registering for testimony? I go back to just the federal subsidy, we received a loan thats $800,000,000. Keith Amemiya, thank you so much for coming here today. But theres three other areas that I think should be, or know should be, reviewed as part of police reform, if you will. Would you continue that practice. I wanted to switch gears over to rail, and I know Daryl, you wanted, you had several questions on the rail project. Thats not fair to people who follow the law. This pandemic has been horrible for many, many reasons, but if theres any by-product of it, its proven we can communicate pretty effectively without being face-to-face. Number one is crack down on the illegal vacation rentals; theres too many out there. Other names that Keith uses includes Keith Y Amemiya. 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. 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