Despite the challenging economy, Mayor Billy Kenoi launched initiatives in his first years in office to ease traffic congestion in Kona, improve public safety and provide new recreational opportunities in Puna, expand bus service across the island, and much more. Bookmark this and the Island News page to keep up-to-date on the progress the county is making on these and many other initiatives by Mayor Kenoi’s administration.

Achievements of the Administration

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Mayor Billy Kenoi    •   2008   -   2012

HAWAI`I   COUNTY,   HAWAI`I

• Began construction on the Ane Keohokalole Highway or Mid-Level Road in Kona on March 30, 2010.

• Proposed tough new Ethics reforms.

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• Helped secure more than $115 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds that are still flowing into the County of Hawai’i.

• Continued to provide $1.5 million in county funding to non-profit agencies that help our our children, the elderly and needy persons in our County.

• Launched the Furlough Fridays program to help island families struggling to find child care when the state closed public schools.

Free Islandwide Bus Continues

• Maintained free or low-cost island-wide bus service in Hawai’i County, and dramatically expanded bus routes around the island.

• Purchased 151 acres of oceanfront property in North Kohala known as Kaiholena North for preservation as open space.

• Did more with less taxes. Hawai’i County collects less in property taxes today than it did when Mayor Kenoi took office in 2008.

• Reduced the size and cost of government. The Kenoi administration reduced county spending, and reduced the number of county workers on the payroll, making government more efficient and more affordable.

• Acquired a $945,000 grant to help purchase 10.61 acres within the Pa`o`o Aupua`a, North Kohala, with matching funds from the County’s Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation fund.

• Brought government to the people by taking cabinet members to dozens of talk-story sessions around the County to answer questions and discuss concerns directly with residents.

• Opened the Mamalahoa Bypass seven days a week to ease commuter traffic in Kona.

Margaret Masunaga, Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, Ester Imamura, Wally Lau, Fred Cachola

• Balanced cabinet appointments to ensure West Hawai’i is properly represented.

• Committed to work from West Hawai’i for part of each week to ensure our administration is available to serve Kona and Kohala.

• Made 1,739 acres of county-owned lands at Kapulena available for community-based agriculture, school-based agriculture projects, commercial production, ranching and other uses.

• Began construction on a transitional housing project at Kaloko.

• Built the first model homes for the Waikoloa workforce housing project.

• Staged the first county-wide tsunami warning drill on January 27, 2009 to test our response to the threat of a tsunami. This training helped prepare our first responders to successfully and safely respond to actual tsunami events on May 30, 2010 and March 11, 2011, when our island was threatened by tsunamis generated by earthquakes in Chile and Japan.

Fire House opened in Pahoa

• Opened new police and fire stations in Pahoa, to help guarantee that Puna receives top-quality  public safety services.

• Worked with tourism officials to encourage new direct flights to Kona, efforts that paid off with the Alaska Airlines’ flights from Oakland and San Jose that bring 56,000 additional airline seats per year  to Kona.

• Lobbied for direct flights to Hilo, working with the visitor industry to encourage Continental Airlines to offer direct flights to Hilo from Los Angeles and San Francisco. These are the first direct flights to Hilo in decades.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visit Kona

• Hosted Their Majesties the Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan during their first visit to the Island of Hawaii in July 2009.

• Completed the first emergency homeless shelter in West Hawai’i, a $1.77 million facility with 31 beds for single adults. This project was completed on time and under budget.