Democratic state Rep. Ken Ito has announced he plans to run for the Windward Oahu state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jill Tokuda.
State Rep. Jarrett Keohokalole, 33, a Democrat, has already announced he also plans to seek that Senate seat.
Tokuda (D, Kaneohe-Kailua) announced last month she plans to leave the state Senate to run for lieutenant governor next year.
Ito, whose district includes Kaneohe, Maunawili and Olomana, was first elected to the House in 1994, and has served there for 23 years.
“I’m running because Windward Oahu needs an effective advocate in the Senate that understands the issues facing our communities and the experience to establish and realize a vision to improve the lives of working families, from our keiki to our kupuna,” Ito said in a news release.
During his years in the House, Ito has been chairman of the Water, Land and Ocean Resources Committee; the Education Committee; the Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee; and the Veterans, Military and International Affairs, and Culture and the Arts Committee.
Ito, 73, has a doctorate in global education from the University of Southern California, and was involved in the establishment of charter schools in Hawaii.
Ceremony helps mark Red Cross centennial
A Hawaii Red Cross centennial Queen Lili’uokalani flag-raising ceremony will be held at 10:15 a.m. today on the steps of Iolani Palace.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, is among events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the American Red Cross in Hawaii, and also kicks off a monthlong exhibit at Iolani Palace connecting the organization to the queen. The original Red Cross flag sewn by the queen at Washington Place in support of the organization’s efforts in World War I will be part of the exhibit.
The American Red Cross of Hawaii flag will be flown over the palace as part of the ceremony, and Henry Kapono and the Royal Hawaiian Band will perform.
BOE approves 3 leadership appointments
On the recommendation of new Hawaii Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, the state Board of Education approved three leadership appointments this week.
Phyllis Unebasami was appointed deputy superintendent, effective Sept. 6; David Brookshire “Brook” Conner, assistant superintendent for the Office of Information Technology Services, effective Sept. 25; and Kathleen Dimino, complex area superintendent of the Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui Complex Area, effective Sept. 14.
“These leaders are experts in their areas and I believe they will serve the department and Hawaii’s children well,” Kishimoto said in a Department of Education news release. “I’d like to thank the board for their support and approval of these appointees, as well as Keith Hayashi, Amy Kunz and Phyllis Unebasami for their help during the transition. I look forward to continuing to work with them and the rest of my leadership team as we continue to look for ways to enhance my three areas of focus — student voice, teacher collaboration and school design.”
Unebasami is currently the acting assistant superintendent for the Office of Strategy, Innovation and Planning, while Conner was most recently the first chief information security officer and vice president for Estee Lauder Cos., and Dimino is now principal at Pukalani Elementary School.
Kauai
Hofgaard Park reopens, meets ADA requirements
The County of Kauai Housing Agency announced this week that construction work at Hofgaard Park is complete and it has reopened.
Contractors did excavation, removed trees, added new curbs, ramps and walkways, and installed new picnic tables and benches to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act access requirements, according to a news release from the county.
Money for the $255,139 project came from the federal Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant program administered through the Kauai Housing Agency.
“After months of work, we are glad that this wonderful park is now accessible to everyone,” Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr. said in the news release. “It is crucial that these types of improvements benefit all our residents and visitors, and the addition of these ADA walkways and new ADA picnic tables and benches means everyone will be able to enjoy this park in the heart of Waimea.”
The West Kauai Business and Professional Association was awarded the contract, and subcontracted Tomco Corp. to complete the construction work. Bow Construction Management Services Inc. was subcontracted to direct the project management.
