Dr. Kimo Alameda defeats incumbent Mitch Roth for Hawaiʻi Island mayor

Promising change and transparency, Dr. Kimo Alameda’s message resonated with voters who gave him 51.2% of the vote to upset incumbent Mitch Roth for Hawaiʻi Island mayor.

Alameda received 35,577 votes to Rothʻs 30,717 ( 44.2%), according to the Hawaiʻi election printout at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, which did not change after the second printout.

There also were 3,183 ballots with blank votes for mayor and 47 over votes.

Alameda, 54, spent 15 years at the state Department of Health as a mental health specialist and later as an administrator.  In 2019, Alameda became the CEO of Bay Clinic Health Center and helped manage its merger during the pandemic to form the new Hawaii Island Community Health Center, or HICHC.

Most recently, Alameda was head of the Hawaii Island Fentanyl Task Force when he decided to run for mayor. 

When he announced his candidacy in January, Alameda noted that change needed to happen more quickly and Roth’s administration has been slow to address issues regarding public safety, mental health and affordable housing.

“It was a long race and a long campaign. We started early, so we could cultivate a team of volunteers who only joined me after they saw my vision and believed in me as a leader,” Alameda said. “Seeing their volunteerism manifest itself into a well-oiled machine was incredible and I think that energy can easily transfer as mayor.”

Roth, 59, was elected mayor in 2020 and brought years of public service and administrative experience to the job stemming from his long career as a Hawai’i County prosecuting attorney.

Since becoming mayor, Roth has made his priorities clear as he works toward making Hawai’i County a sustainable place where families can afford to stay with ample housing and job opportunities. 

It was a long night as both candidates waited for the results.

To help pass the time during his campaign party, Roth led a few games with keiki and a raffle for his supporters.

“Itʻs definitely hard to not have some results especially since it involves my job,” said Alexey Katko, who works in the mayorʻs office. “I am thankful for the time I have spent working here but I really hope to see if I will get more time. Any results would help me get more sleep tonight.”

Alameda held his campaign party at Nani Mau Gardens, which promised to stay open until the first results rolled in.

“One year of full on campaigning has taught me a lot, mostly about bringing people together,” Alameda said. “I had to up my game and get so many volunteers and supporters on board to see the possibilities on the Big Island. I believe I did that and could do it even more so as mayor.”

During the primary election, Roth received the most votes with 18,446, followed by Alameda with 13,454 votes, Breeani Kobayashi with 9,907 votes and Seaula Jr. Tupai with 5,882 votes.

In the run-off, Alameda was able to gain votes from Kobayashi and Tupai voters, bringing him from 26.6% of the vote to 51.2%.

“Receiving around two-thirds of the votes for Kobayashi and Tupai was a huge boost and made the difference,” Alameda said. “I think many people have seen me in the community, especially during COVID-19 and with the surge in fentanyl overdoses, and saw how I like to actively make tangible, visible change. I think people need to see things happening to gain more trust in local government.”

Roth could not be reached for comment as of 12:30 p.m., however, he wrote a message to Hawaiʻi County on his official Facebook page.

“Mahalo to Hawai’i Island for this opportunity to serve you, serving as Mayor for this community has been the honor of a lifetime,” he wrote. “As we transition, we will work hard everyday and continue to give Hawai’i County the best.”

Newly re-elected councilman Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder said he felt like Roth did a good job and kept his campaign promises.

“I’m interested in seeing how the Alameda administration goes,” Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder said, adding he found the Roth administration good to work with and will miss the staff if they go.

Moving forward, the councilman said he’s looking forward to seeing what switches.

In the next two to three months, the mayor elect will have to nominate department heads, which will be approved or disapproved by the county council.

Along with developing his team of like-minded individuals ready to work, one of the first things Alameda plans to do as mayor is to look at the countyʻs budget.

“At some point, I will meet with all the departments and staff and let them know Iʻm open to their ideas of what works and what doesn’t,” Alameda said. “Then I would formulate a six-month plan with each department where we tackle ʻlow hanging fruitʻ to make the most visible impact possible.”

During his campaign, Alameda said that as mayor his administration would focus on the “almost homeless,” those kūpuna living paycheck to paycheck and the foster children aging out of the system with no place to go. He also will focus on mental health issues.

Alameda also thinks regenerative tourism is a good model for the county, but as mayor, he said he will explore attracting different types of visitors and cater toward sports and health tourism. 

As mayor, Alameda plans to communicate everything that is happening in the county through the media and have greater transparency through open budgets, public disclosures, online portals and live streaming meetings.

Alameda also promised to make change happen quickly, focus on solutions and use his experience of working in the community to bring more private and public relationships to the table.