In last address as mayor, Kawakami looks back on projects, partnerships across Kauaʻi

Kaua’i Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami delivered his eighth and final State of the County address on Wednesday afternoon, thanking the Garden Island community for its support over the past seven years and highlighting progress in housing, infrastructure and public safety during his administration.

The annual address was held virtually instead of in person because of expected stormy weather conditions across the island.

“This is something you don’t hear very often at public events — mahalo to all of you for not coming,” Kawakami said, adding that safety concerns prompted the county to shift the speech online.

Kawakami credited partnerships with state and federal leaders — including Gov. Josh Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation — as well as county workers and community volunteers.

Kawakami, who was first elected mayor in 2018, used his final address to outline progress he same the county made during his tenure in infrastructure, housing, fiscal management and community programs while emphasizing key priorities that guided his administration.

“Today, I want to talk about the waves our county has faced, the ones we have been riding
together, and the opportunities we see on the horizon,” he said. “When we stood in front of you years ago, we identified six keys to success.”

He said they were mobility, home connections, money, freedom and heart.

He said the county invested more than $67 million in road improvements during his two terms, resurfacing about 255 lane miles of county roads, with another 40 miles scheduled.

The county also modernized its public transportation system, adding features such as Wi-Fi, a mobile app and new payment technology.

“We focused on making public transportation more efficient and more appealing,” Kawakami said.

Housing affordability remained one of the administration’s central challenges. Kawakami said the county delivered hundreds of affordable homes and planned thousands more, including workforce housing units priced under $500,000 for teachers, firefighters and other local professionals.

Projects such as the Lima Ola development in ‘Ele’ele and the Ke Alaula supportive housing community in Līhuʻe have helped house nearly 100 families, he said.

Lima Ola, a complex eventually consisting of 550 affordable housing units comprised of both single-family and multi-family homes that will be both for rent and for sale. The project began as a vision from the late Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste and developed through the leadership of former Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Kawakami said years ago when it was finally getting off the ground. The majority of the units in the project have yet to be built.

On Wednesday, Kawakami said in his address: “We are in a housing crisis. Local families are being priced out, and our young people are wondering if they can build their futures here.”

The county also reduced its long-term retiree benefit liabilities by about $119 million, he said.
In addition, Kauaʻi shifted its tax structure so that hotel and resort properties, vacation rentals and investment properties contribute a larger share of tax revenue, while owner-occupied homes remain the lowest-taxed category.

The mayor said the county strengthened emergency management systems following a series of natural disasters, including floods, brushfires and landslides.

After the deadly 2023 wildfire in Lāhainā, Kauaʻi adopted what he described as the state’s first Wildland Urban Interface ordinance aimed at reducing wildfire risk in vulnerable communities. He also announced several new initiatives, including wildfire home assessments for residents beginning Aug. 1 and updated construction planning to include protective wildfire measures.

Kawakami also highlighted youth and community programs, including the expansion of the Kauaʻi Police Activities League and the planned opening of the Piʻikoi Youth Center and KPAL Sports.

He also recognized community members who contributed to island life, including the late Leināʻala Pavao-Jardin, a revered kumu hula who helped preserve Hawaiian cultural traditions.

In closing, Kawakami reflected on the challenges the island faced during his tenure, including the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, and credited residents for working together through those events.

Quoting former Hawaiʻi County Mayor Harry Kim, Kawakami said he hopes residents will remember his administration not just for projects completed but for the way it served the community.

“People may not remember every road we paved or every house we built,” Kawakami said. “But I hope they remember how we tried to lead — with humility, with courage and always with aloha.”

Kawakami said that although this was his final State of the County address as mayor, his commitment to the island remains unchanged. “It has been the honor of a lifetime,” he said.

Kawakami is term limited and can not run again for mayor. But he is holding an event on Tuesday, March, 17 to announce his political future. It will be at 11 a.m. at the garden area of Kilohana in Līhuʻe.

His final term runs through December, when the next mayor is sworn in.

The primary election for the next Kauaʻi County mayor is in August. Three current county councilmembers have already filed to run for county mayor: Bernard Carvalho Jr., Mel Rapozo and Felicia Cowden.

Click the YouTube video below to watch Mayor Derek Kawakami’s final State of the County address.