#Hawaii County Mayor

North Kona Councilman Holeka Goro Inaba will serve as council chairman for the 2024-26 term, and Hilo Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi will serve as vice chairman.

University of Hawai‘i political science professor says it’s essentially a choice between a steady approach to county government or a less conventional but untested approach, with the appeal of each depending on whether voters think their needs are being met by incumbent Mitch Roth’s administration or if they’re ready to take a chance and go a new direction with challenger Kimo Alameda.

So far, 43,923 ballots have been received out of the 112,872 ballots that were issued.

AARP Hawai‘i and Na Leo TV are hosting an event with the top four Hawai‘i County mayoral candidates tonight in Hilo, while the Waimea Community Association invites people to a “speed dating” forum Thursday with primary candidates in several races.

Tupa‘i is among several candidates hoping to unseat the incumbent, Mayor Mitch Roth who won the election against former Mayor Harry Kim in 2020.

Kobayashi is the manager of the SCP Hilo hotel and owner of the Keaukaha General Store. She also serves holds leadership positions in several community organizations.

Kimo Alameda, who has been lead of the Hawai‘i Island Fentanyl Task Force and vice president of business development for Hawai‘i Island Community Health Center since 2022, will share his thoughts about stepping away from those roles and his mayoral run during a press conference July 12.

The goal of Friday’s “Settle The Score” rally and sign-waving event was not just to raise awareness about a recent rash of school violence and bullying, but to also open people’s eyes to the hard reality that keiki everywhere face the same kind of injustice and start the conversation about about how the community can come together to make Big Island schools and those beyond safer.

The Kino‘ole Street resurfacing project is just the beginning for roadway upgrades in Downtown Hilo on the Big Island.

“This is the first group from La Serena in our almost 30-year sister city relationship to ever visit Hawai’i,” said Jane Clement, Hawai’i County’s Sister City protocol officer.

The Kona and Puna Action Committees are responsible for implementing resident-driven solutions from the development plans that positively transform their communities in partnership with a network of businesses, non-profits and community leaders.

The Waipiʻo Valley’s Emergency Road Closure advisory committee will consist of 13 individuals, representing various community sectors.

“Once we open the road, we don’t want to go back to the same issue we had for the past 20 years.” — Mayor Mitch Roth

Funding for COVID-19 testing of trans-Pacific and interisland arrivals to the Big Island is likely to decrease sharply in December, meaning changes to current policies could prove imminent in the short-term.

In with the new.

There’s a new man in charge on the Big Island. 

Hawai‘i County will welcome in a new mayor in the upcoming term. 

The Primary Election will be held on Aug. 8, 2020.

The state has counted 34 positive cases on the Big Island.

Epidemiologists aren’t the only scientists that see potential problems with Kim’s plan, and humans aren’t the only living species that could be negatively impacted by it.