Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 10, 1 October 2020 — AMEMIYA, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AMEMIYA,

, KEIĪH

© info@amemiyaformayor.com www.keithamemiya.com AGE: 55 OCCUPATION: Attorney WHERE DID YOU GROW UP: Hawai'i Kai, ū'ahu SCHOOL[S) ATTENDED: University of Hawai'i at Mānoa - Bachelors of Business Administration - 1988; University of Hawai'i at Mānoa - Richardson School of Law - Juris Doctor Degree - 1991 CURRENT RESIDENCE: Pauoa, O'ahu

1 ] The need for communication and transparency between government and the pubtic has never been greater. As Mayor, I will immediately estab1ish the Office of Community Engagement to elevate key community issues, give attention in a time1y manner, seek feedback before City projects begin, and instil1 a renewed sense of trust in City government. This office will also work c1ose1y with neighborhood boards and Hawaiian Civic C1ubs to more accurate1y address key issues. In my time as Executive Director of the Hawai'i High Schoo1 Athletic Association, I aiso saw firsthand the disparate funding and programming in vu1nerable eommunities, particularly those with large populations of Native Hawaiians. Under my direction, we combined access to needed medicai and social services in conjunction with renewed athletics programs that resulted in improvements across the board for students at these schoois. I have always been committed to addressing the needs and concerns of our Native Hawaiian and Pacific lslander communities, and I intend to do the same as Mayor. Climate change wili a1so continue to be the challenge of our lifetimes, and the data predicts that our vulnerable communities will experience the greatest impacts. I will implement the Climate Action Plan within our first 100 days, giving particu1ar emphasis to equitable climate so1utions. As stewards of this 'āina for over 2,000 years, Native Hawaiians have insight and best practices for how to mālama our island, and I hope to work together to ensure the City is investing in these programs. We ean begin by incorporating e1ements of the 'Āina Aloha Eeonomie Futures Huliau Action Agenda and work with community members to deve1op and implement key proposais that align City and community goals. 2 ] My work with Kahauiki ViUage, whieh houses over 140 previously houseiess fami1ies, made an important impression on me personal1y. If we're going to tackle the houselessness problem on O'ahu, we need to address the laek of affordable housing so our strugg1ing families ean survive. I've been listening to the people, and I put forward a Housing for All Plan that would enable the City to 1ower housing costs by (1) enforcing iUegal vacation rentai laws; (2) imposing an empty homes tax; and (3) incentivizing truly affordable housing development. The City ean also (1) ieverage partnerships to build affordabie rentals; (2) support eommunal and shared housing models, such as Kahauiki Viilage; and (3) partner with the state to provide access to mental health and/or substance use disorder support services. Our unsheitered persons who suffer from debilitating mentai heaith issues are often the most visible with the fewest options. The City ean heip them into appropriate residential care settings, not shuffle them between providers, jaii, and the streets. 3 ) My Recovery Plan for a Healthy Honoiulu focuses on investing in our people, economy, and environment. Our leaders have allowed Oahu's residents to shoulder the burden of 10 million visitors for too long. We need to support ioeal entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners by providing funding, applied research opportunities, access to markets, and piaces to connect and incubate ideas. We should invest City resources into technology opportunities where the City ean reduce waste, eliminate greenhouse gases, and improve efficiencies. Retraining our workforce ean help us pivot away from a dependence on tourism and create a more resilient future. The City's Work Hawai'i program ean be a ieader in leveraging existing relationships with the UH System, apprenticeship programs, and career training programs to expand opportunities for career pathways, including potentiai on-the-job training funding to support empioyers as they invest in new talent.