What would a future generation of Hawaii say about you in three words? And Im in favor of that. Not me. Keith, Mayor (Kirk) Caldwell just signed the latest city budget. If a developer, for instance, followed the law, they did reach out to people such as the Kahuku windfarm. You need to get input, and when you get input early on from everybody, you hear the different viewpoints, you modify the proposal. 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. The stories found here discuss the Financial issues and challenges unique to our island home. He also served as Executive Director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. Im not afraid to say Im a Democrat and I stand for the democratic ideals.' he is one of famous business executive and politician with the age 55 years old group. It is important that we come from a place in these discussions of knowing and respecting that wahi pana. And Im wondering two things: One, when you make an answer to Colin, Oh i dont really want to look at that. Well, I take that back, its homelessness and the high cost of living, high-cost housing. We need to have someone who will bring people together to find solutions to it and just build more affordable housing. Both have lots of bodies, both have lots of money. I know their issues. Over time, yes, you realized something was amiss with her. We need to do all of that, because housing is in short supply on the island. That is a big reason we have a higher cost of living. Its a dangerous mix. They didnt have to, we werent blood relatives. Executive Director, Central Pacific Bank Foundation. 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. 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. [7] Before running for elected office, he was the senior vice president of Island Holdings, Inc., starting in 2012, and executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association from 1998 to 2010. What have they done wrong? 500 Ala Moana Blvd. Today, she serves as girls basketball coach at Molokai High. Im always optimistic, and I truly believe in my heart that we can get through this economic crisis and be better than ever.. 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. We have limited resources, so its imperative that the next mayor have a good relationship with our federal delegation, our state delegation and the City Council, and I intend to have a good relationship with all three. Im the only candidate for lieutenant governor who is not a career politician or a lobbyist and who has executive leadership experience leading large statewide organizations. I felt it was important to take a stand to show what party I belong to. But theres three other areas that I think should be, or know should be, reviewed as part of police reform, if you will. Its hard to make ends meet. We need to pivot towards a more multi-modal transportation system. 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. 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. To be honest, there's 15 candidates, I know some better than others, but I view myself in terms of the candidates I know, to be the most liberal. Many residents and business owners often and rightfully felt confused, fearful, and uncertain with restrictions and recovery plans. They married in 1996 and have a son. That may change by the time this interview airs, but I think people are crying out for restoring trust, for seeing in the George Floyd marches across the country. Weve somehow lost our way. But if not, were gonna have to look at making changes, whether its alterations to the rail station or the like. I view my lack of direct experience in politics as a plus. Vacation rentals were never intended for residential neighborhoods. I created girls water polo, I created girls judo, I created girls wrestling. With the pandemic, we have a lot of people unemployed, and its not just housing thats a problem. thats the closest I can get. I think my career has shown that. Keith calls Honolulu, HI, home. So that, number one, will create more efficiency. He's trying to convince voters it's his biggest strength. We just lost Loretta Sheehan, we just lost Steve Levinson, highly critical about the commission not really having oversight over (the Honolulu Police Department). 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. What are you gonna do about this very fundamental problem? Would you impose a minimum wage of, say, $20 an hour for across-the-board, or for the hospitality industry, or something like that? 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. 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. We need to change our mindset. 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. One of the very first guests to their home was former Molokai High standout Kalei Adolpho, who wound up starring in basketball and volleyball at University of Hawaii at Mnoa. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw firsthand the food insecurity that was caused when the schools shut down, and many families went without meals. I wanted to switch gears over to rail, and I know Daryl, you wanted, you had several questions on the rail project. Fortunately for him, he isnt laboring alone. The police were sent in, and now those windmills are going up, those wind farms. Okay, youre from the police commission. 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. You know, not all residential areas that are on the seashore are high-end residential areas. As one of Amemiyas first actions as Executive Director, CPB Foundation awarded The Salvation Army's Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division a $100,000 grant to support their Addiction Treatment Services (ATS) program located in Nuuanu. Ive led large statewide organizations. And for years, Keith Amemiya has been a generous donor to the political campaigns of Hawaii's power players. Well, by all accounts, they rushed it. I also have a strong relationship with the legislature. 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. All rights reserved, Central Pacific Bank Business Debit Mastercard, See All Central Pacific Investment Services. Young people are leaving our state in alarming numbers, and we cant attract and retain essential workers because Hawaii is simply not affordable. Waimanalo, were telling you, you you need to show up at Pope Elementary cafeteria this Thursday night. Keith, I wanted to talk about the movement at Mauna Kea, because it has sparked a movement on every island, especially here on Oahu. My plan to lower the cost of living consists of: Its worked in other cities, and I can;t see why it wont work in urban Honolulu. People need jobs, theyre gonna need money when the federal money starts running out. Would you require something like that as part of the permitting process, some kind of online forum for people that developers would have to go through, reach out to people really let people engage? Government in general, whether its federal, state or city, fair or not. BUSINESS BANKING Beyond the Basics is a blog dedicated to nancial literacy in Hawaii. We dont have the money to pay that back. Amemiya's campaign web site says he and his wife purchased a. bike to work, walk to work, catch the bus to work. We changed it a bit, and we have people dancing and singing to it. I dont know, Im just thinking out loud, and maybe the city will acquire that property for them, or the state, and that in turn will help find them a new house and pay for it. Additionally, state government operates in silos much too often. In 2020, ATS served 1,030 men and women, down from the previous year due to fewer available beds caused by critical funding cuts and COVID-related regulations, said Major Jeff Martin, Divisional Leader, The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division. Its governments failure in general. Its important for a mayor to lead by example, and right now the public has little trust in government and political leaders, says Amemiya. I know the Hawaii Community Foundation has been helping a lot, Aloha United Way has helped a lot, the Hawaii Foodbank, and just us as a citizenry, we always come through for each other. That I care about the community, Thats four. Can I ask, what was your involvement with the 801 South project? Eliminating taxes on food, medicine, diapers, and other essential products. Im very indebted to them for helping me. But I wouldnt rule anything off the table at this point. 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. Former Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz developed a team to pursue federal funding, something we should reconstitute to secure the billions needed for our state. We need to do what we can to help them economically. Paid for by Amemiya for Mayor, P.O. 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. 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. We have to wait and see. We need to find a different place for them. Are you gonna tell a hotel, Hey, you gotta move a mile inland, or 500 feet. What are you gonna do about that? Keith Amemiya, Honolulu Mayoral Candidate: Well, Im running for mayor because we need change. I mean, why not? Ive worked directly with communities on Oahu on an every-day basis. 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. 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