Beloved Hawaii island mayor Harry Kim prepares to bow out from politics

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim ran a modest campaign in his first bid for office in 2000, accepting donations of no more than $10 and sign-waving solo on the roadside.

“He’s not a political person. He doesn’t get involved in politics and try to promote himself or others,” said his wife of 53 years, Roberta “Bobbie” Kim.

His motto is “judge me on my work.”

Serving 24 years as the head of county Civil Defense from 1976 to 2000 before resigning to run for mayor, Kim was widely popular from his leadership in overseeing the emergency response and recovery efforts for Kalapana when Kilauea lava flows destroyed more than 180 homes in the coastal community in 1990.

Associates say Kim further cemented his reputation by restoring trust in the county government during his two terms as mayor from 2000 to 2008.

In his third and current term, Kim has continued to lead Hawaii island through recovery from 2018’s devastating Leilani Estates eruption and Hurricane Lane, the Thirty Meter Telescope controversy and the ongoing new coronavirus outbreak.

Despite a full plate, Kim, who celebrated his 81st birthday on Saturday, launched a re-election campaign for a fourth term.

But it was not to be. First-time candidates Mitch Roth, the county’s current prosecuting attorney, and community activist Ikaika Marzo clinched the top two spots in the Aug. 8 primary election to advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Political analyst Colin Moore, political science professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and head of the UH Public Policy Center, believes the outcome of the mayor’s race does not represent any ill will toward Kim but rather a desire for change throughout the state.

He added that the 2018 eruption and protests over the $1.4 billion telescope project atop Mauna Kea both contributed to the outcome of the primary election. “It’s tough to be the chief executive when there’s an issue as controversial as TMT. You’re going to anger people on all sides. You’re going to take the brunt of the blame,” Moore said.

In the state’s first all-mail-in voting, a lot of new young voters supported Marzo, who gained a large following via social media when he shot and posted the first videos of lava entering Leilani Estates in May 2018. He became a spokesman for the community and joined with his friends to create a makeshift center dubbed Pu‘uhonua o Puna to provide food and donated supplies to those impacted by the disaster.

Moore said Marzo drew incredible support from social media that helped him secure the second spot in the 2020 mayor’s race.

Concerns over Kim’s health also may have played a role. In June 2018, amid eruption response efforts, the mayor was hospitalized after suffering his sixth heart attack. The setback came two months after he suffered his fourth and fifth heart attacks.

“I don’t blame them for raising their eyebrows,” Kim said of voters.

He recalled working more than 24 hours straight with no sleep prior to his June heart attack. “I abused my body,” Kim said.

The mayor underwent surgery to implant a device in his chest that monitors his heartbeat and emits a shock if it detects an abnormal heart rhythm.

Today, Kim says he is healthy and rides his bike for exercise.

Hawaii County Council Chairman Aaron Chung, who has known Kim for years, said that although he has disagreed with the mayor on certain issues, he reveres him for all he’s done for the community and for his work ethic and independence.

Chung described Kim as a no-nonsense individual who did what was needed to keep people safe.

With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Kim was the first mayor in the state to sign an emergency proclamation order in February taking action against the spread of the virus following reports of thousands of cases in China and its spread to the U.S. mainland.

With his deep knowledge in emergency management, Kim recognized the need to prepare and get ahead of the crisis, said county Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno.

DURING the TMT controversy in 2019, Gov. David Ige tasked Kim with developing a plan to resolve the dispute between activists who view the project as a desecration of the mountain they consider sacred and TMT supporters who say it would contribute to the island’s economy and the advancement of science.

In 2019, Kim released his “The Heart of Aloha, A Way Forward Maunakea” plan that included previous proposals to decommission five of the 13 observatories on Mauna Kea, regulate commercial activities and establish a center to honor Hawaiian history and culture along with modern science and astronomy.

Kim said he was disturbed by the community polarization surrounding the TMT issue as he sought ways for all involved to reach a mutual understanding. Of his plan, he said, “The only regret I have is I won’t have the authority to push that.”

State Sen. Russell Ruderman (D, Puna-Kau) who has known Kim for 25 years, said there was no easy way to be mayor during the TMT dispute, and the 2018 Kilauea eruption brought its own political challenges.

He recalled the frustration in the community because of National Guard checkpoints and roadblocks to homes in impacted areas for safety and security reasons, and the handling of the aftermath of the disaster. People felt they weren’t taken care of, especially those who lost their homes and livelihoods, Ruderman said.

“I’m not saying there was any easy answer or anybody would’ve done any better. But this is how people felt,” he said. “It cost him support on both sides.”

Nevertheless, there still is a lot of aloha for Kim. “Everybody loves how Harry is his own man,” Ruderman said. “He does what he thinks is right, not because it’s popular. He represents a lot of integrity and independence.”

Magno rejects criticism of Kim’s handling of eruption recovery efforts and the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. “I don’t know what people expect, because he did a good job. I don’t think anybody would be able to do the job that he did for his community,” he said.

Kim’s insight and intuition based on his experience in dealing with eruptions is invaluable, Magno said. “He’s thinking so far ahead of most of us.”

KIM’S wife said her husband has worked hard his entire life. “He doesn’t know how to slow down,” she said.

The youngest of eight children, Kim was born to In Kee Kim and Ya Mul Kim and raised in a home in Olaa, now known as Keaau, with no running water or electricity. At age 14 he and his older siblings worked long hours weaving lauhala mats, baskets and other items to sell.

His father died when he was a teenager and his mother started Keaau Kim Chee, a business Kim helped run.

He served as an Army medic and used the G.I. Bill to attend Southern Oregon University, where he met his wife. After earning a master’s degree in economics, Kim returned to Hawaii island, where he worked as a teacher and football coach.

Kim’s wife said she felt a mix of disappointment and relief when her husband finished third behind Marzo and Roth in the primary election. “It’s sad that he’s not going to be there, but I think he also finally has a chance to rest,” she said. “I want him to relax. He never has a chance to relax.”

With his term ending Dec. 7, she said, “I told him, ‘Finally you’re going to have a day off after Christmas and a day off after New Year’s.’ That would be something unusual.”

Even his 10-year-old granddaughter recognizes Kim’s tireless work ethic. His wife recalled that after the primary election, the young girl told him: “It’s OK, maybe you get to sleep in now.”

Throughout his tenure as mayor of Hawaii County, Kim said, his longstanding goal was to keep properties affordable for residents and preserve the island’s land and lifestyle. “This is my home from birth,” he explained. “I just want to keep Hawaii as a nice place to live.”

In 2019, his college alma mater honored Kim with the Stan Smith Alumni Service Award to recognize his decades-long service to the community.

When asked what advice he has for the next mayor, Kim offered a characteristic reply. “People entrusted you. They gave you their vote. They trust you to make it a better place,” he said. “You have to be there for them.”