Hawai‘i County Mayor-elect Kimo Alameda announces first appointments

Hawai‘i County Mayor-elect Kimo Alameda has begun to assemble his administration following his win in the Nov. 5 general election.

According to a press release from Alameda’s office, the mayor-elect selected Bill Brilhante as Managing Director and Merrick Nishimoto as Deputy Managing Director. Both have held leadership positions in the county, with Brilhante previously serving as Human Resources Director and Nishimoto previously serving as Public Works Deputy Director.

Of his two selections, Alameda said Nishimoto and Brilhante have served under multiple county administrations and “bring a wealth of experience from the public and private sectors.”

“I know they will work tirelessly to bring positive change for the whole island.”

Alameda beat incumbent Mitch Roth with 52.8% of the vote, according to a third printout of results released by the Hawai‘i Office of Elections. In addition to making these appointments, Alameda has been returning emails from constituents and finalizing his 100-day plan.

Alameda and other elected county officials will be inaugurated on Dec. 2. Before the inauguration, he will be selecting other members of his cabinet, including department directors who are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Hawai‘i County Council.

These include the heads of the departments of Public Works; Environmental Management; Parks & Recreation; Planning; Research & Development; Office of Housing & Community Development; Finance; Information Technology; Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience; and Corporation Counsel. Other department administrators are either civil servants, elected, such as the Prosecuting Attorney, or appointed by a commission.

Brilhante, an attorney who resides in Hilo, was County Human Resources Director from September 2017 until June 2021 after serving as Human Resources Deputy Director from November 2016.

Born in Honoka‘a, Brilhante additionally served as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the County, was a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Hawai‘i, worked as a county firefighter, and was the Assistant Regional Counsel for the Social Security Administration in San Francisco.

Nishimoto is currently the Development Manager for the Hawai‘i Island Community Development Corporation. He resides in Kealakekua where he was born and raised.

Nishimoto previously worked in the Public Works Department for more than 12 years, serving in the positions of Civil Engineer and Deputy Director. He has more than 24 years of experience in project development, operations, and personnel management.

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.

Alameda said that existing department directors and staff in the Mayor’s Office may also be considered for positions. Anyone interested in applying for an appointed position should send their resume to connect@kimoformayor.com by Nov. 15.