2025 Mayor's Luncheon

Luncheon with Mayor Alameda and the Hawaiʻi County Leadership on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at the Westin Hapuna Beach Resort.

Mayor Alameda provided valuable insights into the county’s priorities, especially those impacting West Hawaiʻi. This year’s theme: Building Relationships--focusing on networking with intention!

Business Expo conducted inside the ballroom before and after the luncheon. Members are able to exhibit, showcase their services, generate leads, and build meaningful relationships with the West Hawaiʻi business community.

Sold-Out Crowd Hears from Mayor Kimo Alameda, Hawai‘i County

Leadership at Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

KAILUA-KONA— The Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce (KKCC) recently welcomed Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda to its annual Mayor’s Luncheon to hear about the county’s priorities, especially those impacting West Hawai‘i. Mayor Alameda was joined by eight members of his administration who served as panelists to answer questions from KKCC’s Government Affairs Committee at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort.

Wendy Laros, KKCC president and CEO, told the 270 attendees that the theme for the gathering was Building Relationships. “At the heart of this event is the belief that we are all in this together—businesses, government, and community members working toward a stronger, more prosperous future,” she detailed. “Building relationships is key to meeting challenges, solving problems, cultivating opportunities, and ensuring that Hawai‘i Island thrives.”

The event was sponsored by ALTRES, American Savings Bank, Goodfellow Bros., Hawai‘i Community Federal Credit Union, KTA Super Stores, and Waikoloa Plaza. The event also included a KKCC Business Expo with 13 exhibitors and a lunch showcasing locally sourced ingredients.

Mayor Alameda opened his remarks by admitting “Kona folks have said we need geographic equity.” The mayor emphasized he immediately showed some love for Kona by having his mayoral installation in Keauhou, believing “it’s about us—we the Big Island—not east or west, not about separate communities.”

The 14^th Hawai‘i County mayor explained how his administration was set up in pods that work on similar or connecting challenges and that the team is a “jelling of old and new” staff. He believes in keeping dialogue and communication open, having town halls, and posting activity updates on social media. The Mayor pointed out he is not a patient person and wants things accomplished quickly. “We had a 100-day plan when we started and have completed 87 [of 100] things,” he grinned.

Addressing the expensive commercial parking scenario in downtown Kailua-Kona, the Mayor announced he will attend a Kona community meeting on April 12 at Hale Hālāwai to get community input. His suggestion is to make Ali‘i Drive a one-way thoroughfare, allowing parking on one side of the road. Regarding the deteriorated blacktop and damaged restrooms at the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area, Alameda said improvements are in the works starting with paving.  

Sharing his views, Alameda said, “We have got to be more proactive in cracking down on illegal vacation rentals and supporting our hotels.” He wants to examine ways to develop housing and “building permits have got to be faster.”

Regarding the county’s budget, Alameda detailed there’s $937M coming in as revenue with the lion’s share used for payroll and operations. That leaves $50M to spend on capital improvement projects. He emphasized the necessity “to live within our means.” He cited the immediate need to establish plans for a mandatory $300M major rehabilitation project for the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant—one of his campaign promises— as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given a deadline. “We have to show due diligence,” the Mayor added regarding projects that can still be done. “They need love more than money,” he emphasized. Concluding, he says “So we embrace community support and challenge you to be involved. Let’s stay connected.”

Jacqui Hoover, chair of KKCC’s Government Affairs Committee, introduced the Hawai‘i County panelists: Mayor Alameda; Bill Brilhante, managing director; Merrick Nishimoto, deputy managing director based in Kona; Kehau Costa, housing administrator; Jeff Darrow, planning director; Clayton Honma, parks and recreation director; Benson Medina, research and development (R&D) director; Hugh Ono, public works director; Kazuo Todd, fire chief.

“We’re honored to host this important panel discussion, which brings together County leadership to address issues that matter most to our members: tourism, housing, infrastructure, water, public safety, and more.”

Regarding tourism, Benson Medina says the emphasis for the state’s number one economic driver is to manage tourism responsibility, with a structure to offer today’s travelers with meaningful learning experiences. Due to budgetary constraints, the department head noted partnerships with businesses are needed to offer great experiences. Medina added that attracting Japanese travelers has been a challenge, and R&D is considering organizing a hula festival on the island's west side. “The Japanese love hula; there are more people registered for hula there than here,” he detailed.

Jeff Darrow said new implementations to help ease the lengthy building permit process include a short form assessment done by staff for non-complicated jobs and a new method of handling permit projects. “Before a permit is rejected, staff are to get a supervisor to see if there’s any way to avoid a rejection as that really bogs down the process,” explained Darrow.

Water development is a top priority of KKCC, and Merrick Nishimoto was questioned about developing, maintaining, and protecting freshwater resources in West Hawai‘i, including the North Kona Ota Well. He explained that well development is regulated by the state’s Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), a division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR), and the county “has no authority over the permitting of wells. “We can be a voice; we are huge advocates for well development, so we will push to get permits happening,” Merrick assured attendees. He added that the county’s Department of Water Supply has met with new CWRM leadership, and the mayor can also advocate in discussions with Governor Josh Green.

Concerning the state law requiring the mandatory conversion of all cesspools to septic systems or a sewer line by 2050, Bill Brilhante said there are many “needs” for that to happen, including land space and homeowner resources. “We’ve formulated a cesspool conversion task force to present a plan so the burden won’t fall on the backs of our community’s wallets,” the managing director shared. “The Mayor is pro-active in addressing this and the county hopes to get federal and state help.”

Kehau Costa gave updates on affordable/workforce housing, saying two new projects include leasing the 100-unit Kauhale I Ke Kula Uka at the top of Hinalani Street in Kona and the 144-unit Na Hale Makoa in Waikoloa Village. Kukuiola Village, the homeless emergency shelter on Kealakehe Parkway, is going out to bid.

Addressing the frequency of the homeless in county parks, Clayton Honma admitted this is an islandwide problem. He shared park security employees are being trained by community policing staff and enforcement policy has been set. Rules are also getting posted up in parks as the goal is to keep the parks safe.

Regarding fire mitigation resources, Fire Chief Kazuo Todd emphasized citizens can play a significant role. “You can be part of the solution by looking at how to protect your house and neighborhood while not contributing to the problem.” He suggested keeping landscaping away from houses and removing flammable clutter from buildings. He added the department has info to share on how to be fire-safe. Citing recent tragic urban fires such as Lahaina, he noted extreme weather conditions can fuel an unstoppable fire no matter the amount of firefighting resources.

Before and after the luncheon, attendees browsed among the KKCC Business Expo booths. Those who visited at least half the exhibitors earned one of two chances for two-night stay with daily breakfast for two at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort. The lucky winners were Amy Feeley-Austin and Maureen Datta. Participating exhibitors included AirMedCare Network | Hawai‘i Life Flight, CU Hawai‘i Federal Credit Union, Hawai‘i Community College Palamanui-University of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Community Federal Credit Union, Hawai'i Keiki Museum, HFS Federal Credit Union, Jack's Diving Locker, Keauhou Shopping Center, KKCC Young Professionals Committee, Manta Pacific Research Foundation, Mystic Manta LLC, Waiola Direct Care and expo sponsor Sustainable Island Products.

About KKCC: Established in 1968, the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization with 460 member businesses, organizations, and individuals representing a variety of industries in the Kona and Kohala districts on the west side of Hawai‘i Island. The mission is to provide leadership and advocacy for a successful business environment in West Hawai‘i. For more information, visit www.kona-kohala.com or contact info@kona-kohala.com and (808) 329-1758