Mayor Kenoi and his cabinet meet with you, listen to you, answer your questions and respond to your concerns. He has kept his promise to listen and be open to the diverse voices and points of view of residents across the island.

Connecting With Community

Mayor Kenoi schedules meetings across the island to give residents an opportunity to discuss their concerns.

The mayor launched a series of 23 talk-story sessions during his first year in office with his cabinet, gathering with the community in cafeterias and meeting halls throughout the districts. And that was just the beginning.

Those meetings helped to connect residents with government. In 2010, they were followed by another series of public meetings across the island to brief communities on the tough choices that had to be made to balance the budget, including public worker furloughs. In 2011, Mayor Kenoi again went on the road to explain his plans for shrinking the size and cost of government, and continuing to make government more efficient and responsive.

“Reaching out to our communities and making sure all interests and viewpoints are represented is critical as we work together to navigate one of the most difficult economic environments in our history.”

- Mayor Billy Kenoi

Access to Government

Facilities in West Hawaii help save residents money and travel time with more county services accessible closer to home.

In another major community outreach initiative, Mayor Kenoi established for the first time in Hawai‘i County a fully staffed Office of the Mayor in West Hawai‘i, creating better access to government officials and services for West Hawai‘i residents who have long felt cut off from the center of government in Hilo. The mayor and his staff work from West Hawai’i for part of each week to be sure they are available to serve Kona and Kohala.

Island-wide Representation

Hawaii County Deputy Managing Director, West Hawaii's Wally Lau

Mayor Kenoi also balanced his cabinet appointments to be sure West Hawai’i is properly represented, including the appointments of Deputy Managing Director Wally Lau and West Hawai’i Executive Assistant Bobby Command. Mayor Kenoi provided West Hawai’i leadership in key departments, including Warren Lee in Department of Public Works; Margaret Masunaga in the Planning Department; Bob Fitzgerald in the Department of Parks & Recreation; Steve Arnett in the Office of Housing and Community Development; and Laverne Omori in the Department of Research & Development.

• Successfully lobbied for two years at the state Legislature to preserve our island’s fair share of the Transient Accommodations Tax, saving county taxpayers nearly $36 million.
• Successfully negotated to stop school impact fees from being proposed as a special tax on West Hawai’i residents by the state Department of Education.
• Proposed tough new reforms to the County’s Code of Ethics.
• Restored West Hawai’i Cabinet meetings.
• Hosted more than 400 participants at the Mayor’s “2010 Health Care Conference: Building a Healthier Future Together” to encourage creative thinking and planning for a healthier Hawai’i.