Mayor Kenoi - Mahalo

[Rob Tucker]

Some may know I have been a critic of Mayor Kenoi through past years. I still wish Angel Pilago was Mayor.... but

I want to applaud the Mayor's performance during this lava threat. I think he is doing a good job.

[Guest]

Rob's quote:
"I want to applaud the Mayor's performance during this lava threat. I think he is doing a good job."

He is doing the job that he was elected to do. What else can he do? He can't stop the lava.

[Rob Tucker]

He could do a good job or he could do a bad job. I think he's currently doing a good job.

[punaticbychoice]

pahoated: 8:43:03-
Good observation.
Hirono-Kenoi you think? Certainly a contrast in personalities.
I think Billy recognizes administrative offices are an often
thankless meatgrinder, and legislative less so.
As a "neighbor island" candidate for statewide office, maybe interesting?
But it would be a while in the future.

[opihikao]

Have to agree that Mayor Kenoi has stepped up in this emergency, and has done a good job, along with his staff. Not an easy task by any means.

Pahoated, you might be right. He is termed out as Mayor, and for speculative discussion, say Gil Kahele runs for Mayor, and Kenoi be appointed to take Kahele's seat? That would be interesting if what is blowing in the wind holds true.

In any event, especially this one, Mayor Kenoi is doing his job, and thankfully, he is from Puna.

Mahalo.

JMO.

[missydog1]

Mayor Kenoi shows feelings and empathy and it doesn't feel fake. His charisma is not just charm but it feels like there's a person there and he is talking TO people. Whatever his flaws may be, which I've never studied but I realize didn't get to be Mayor without a network of backers, I think he's the right guy for this crisis.

Kathy

[Rob Tucker]

Well, frankly he also got elected with a boat load of off island money. But he is doing a good job in this disaster.

[ckg]

I really like Billy Kenoi. I have not met him personally but I really feel like he is a man among the people. Seems to be a more roll up your sleeves and "git er' done" type attitude. He also seems logical and quite competent with the same expectation of his administration.

[Rob Tucker]

Billy is a high maintenance candidate too. His dollar to vote ratio is off the chart. Outspent Harry Kim by something like 800 to 1 and only won the election with a 1% margin of victory. Very close.

[missydog1]

quote:

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Originally posted by ckg

I really like Billy Kenoi. I have not met him personally but I really feel like he is a man among the people. Seems to be a more roll up your sleeves and "git er' done" type attitude. He also seems logical and quite competent with the same expectation of his administration.

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Kenoi heads up meeting really well. I've seen him in person at only one, and again in a small group format in our election forum.

I did get to meet him in his office with one other person. We were there for a photo and exchanging a certificate for Native American affairs, and I didn't expect it to be anything more than a by the book hello take a pic goodbye deal.

Instead he sat with us for about twenty minutes and talked story, sharing the work he had done with Washington State reservations in a former position, and then the topics of reading and history came up, and he absolutely lit up. He said reading is so important to him and supporting kids in reading.

He talked about loving history so much that whenever he travels he makes a point to read a new book on history.

Hard to convey in a post here, but I left with a view of a man with an extremely active intelligence and curiosity about the world, and a lot of compassion. He's also not provincial; he's interested in the larger world outside Hawai'i as well as his home turf.

He has the admirable quality of being able to make you feel like he's interested in you and not just going by rote. A lot of people in positions like that don't have the ability or desire to show their personal side to strangers, and would have managed to fill that time slot taking calls that just had to be taken and would not have bothered to focus on a meeting that had no importance in the big picture.

I thought it was touching in that recent meeting when he said, I have to give Darryl a hug every time I see him these days, he's doing such an amazing job. Expressing real affection and bringing out the humanity in the people putting in these long hours. That's important in times like this.

Kathy