Russell Kokubun, director of the state Department of Agriculture, is retiring at the end of the year.
The former Hawaii island state senator and county councilman said he will return to his family farm in Volcano. His wife, Anne, an administrator for the state Department of Education, also plans to retire.
"It was a family decision in that regard," said Kokubun, 65.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie had tapped Kokubun to lead the Department of Agriculture shortly after the governor was elected in 2010.
Kokubun, an advocate for sustainability, has pushed for the restoration of ag inspectors that had been cut during the recession and for preserving estate land in Central Oahu for farming. But Kokubun has been criticized by some conservationists and environmentalists for the department’s support of the Hoopili residential development project on farmland in West Oahu and for not taking a more aggressive stance on pesticide use for genetically modified crops.
"As a former legislator and farmer, Russell brought a unique perspective to the position and has helped to move Hawaii’s agriculture and sustainability initiatives forward," Abercrombie said in a statement. "This has included support for farmers and new farm innovation, promoting locally grown food, and investing in a solid agricultural infrastructure. I wish Russell the very best as he follows his heart home to the Big Island to work the land and provide for his family and community."
Kokubun is a political ally of U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and will help her as a volunteer in her Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Senate.
He said he would not take a paid role with the Hanabusa campaign, but will continue to help with organizing on the Big Island. "I’m not going to take any kind of formal role," he said.
Kokubun was state Senate vice president when Hanabusa served as state Senate president.
Hanabusa is challenging U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz in the primary to fill out the remainder of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s six-year term, which runs through 2016.
Abercrombie appointed Schatz over Hanabusa to replace Inouye after the senator died in December.
