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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN GOREDC 2022/07/19 2020-2022 Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations, and Economic Development 30th Session West Hawaii Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawai i July 19, 2022 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations, ORDER: and Economic Development was called to order at 9:03 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Acting Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Chair (via videoconference from Hilo) Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member (via videoconference from Hilo) Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member Absent& Excused: Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Member STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you Mr. Clerk. Seeing as there's no public testimony, I'm closing testimony at this time and moving on to business of the day. Mr. Clerk, if you could please read in Communication 875. Comm. 875: ANNUAL REPORT OF SISTER CITY ACTIVITIES: JULY 1, 2021 TO JUNE 30, 2022 From Sister City Protocol Officer Jane Clement, dated June 27, 2022, submitting the above report pursuant to Section 2-166 of the Hawaii County Code. Motion to Approve: Ms. Villegas moved to close file on Comm. 875. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: If I could please call forward Ms. Jane Clement from the Mayor's Office who will be leading this presentation. And I also want to take a moment to acknowledge and recognize and even call forward, Mr. Art Taniguchi, our Honorary Consul General of Japan; and Mr. Tommy Goya, President of the Kiwanis Club and also has a connection with Sumoto City. They are joining us from the Hilo Chambers. Jane, the floor is yours. (Note: At this time, Executive Assistant to the Mayor and Sister City Protocol Officer Jane Clement came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. CLEMENT: Good morning everybody. Council Chair David, Committee Chair Kimball, Vice Chair Ashley Kierkiewicz, and members of this Committee. Aloha, my name is Jane Clement, Executive Assistant to Mayor Mitch Roth, and Sister City Protocol Officer. Happy to be here this morning and for this opportunity to present our Annual Sister City Report. As you can see, it was a very, very busy year last year. This report covers activities from July 2021 through June 2022. Again, it was a very busy year last year for our Sister City program. We started with a global premier showing of our County's first ever Sister City virtual concert called, "A Whole New World." The concert showcased mayoral messages and cultural presentations from eight of our sister cities. We have 11 sister cities. Eight of them participated in this event. Represented in the concert were five cities in Japan, two in the Philippines and one from Chile. And in addition to the cultural presentation and perhaps the highlight of that concert, is the original composition that was written specifically for this concert called, "Sending Aloha," and was written by local musician and composer Brandon Nakano. And there was a joint hula to this song. And if you have not seen the video, it is available for viewing on our Sister City webpage at Hawaiicounty.gov/sister cities. And I believe, if I remember correctly, Council Members Sue Lee Loy and Tim Richards were there for that showing back in July. We also celebrated a lot of important anniversaries this year. So in Japan, it's such a big deal to celebrate anniversaries and important events every five years. So this year, we celebrated a Sister Cities relationship between Hawaii County and Ormoc City, Philippines, and Kumejima Town ten-year anniversaries this year in November. Both Yurihama and Shibukawa City in Japan celebrated 25 years of sisterhood with Hawaii County. And we are very grateful for technology that, you know, allows us to celebrate these important milestones via virtual events. And I know some of the Council Members were able to attend some of these celebrations. Page 2 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 But perhaps the most significant celebration this year is our 60'h Year Anniversary with Oshima Town. It's our first and oldest sister city. Guess how long ago was the last Mayor who visited Oshima. It was some 30 years ago, I think. It was Mayor Dante Carpenter who visited last in 1986 or something like that. To celebrate this important milestone, both Oshima Town and Hawaii County joined forces together. We interviewed previous government officials and people that have been involved in the sister city relationship for the past 60 years, and we compiled photos and videos into a documentary film, which can be viewed, again, on our website. And grateful to Council Member Aaron Chung for actually attending our showing back inI can't remember, February. And again, if you have not seen the documentary, I encourage you to please watch it. It's a very interesting account of the history between Hawaii County and Oshima Town. This year, we also introduced a brand new initiative called VPAL, it's Virtual Partners in Acquisition of Language. And this is sort of a virtual student exchange program. It is encouraging. It's a school-to-school program. The two schools who piloted this initiative is Konawaena High School here in Hawaii and Kumejima High School in Kumejima Town, Okinawa. And the two groups of two students are learning about each other's culture through sharing of experiences through various topics. Like in January, they talked about how they celebrated the holidays. How do Japanese people celebrate Christmas and New Year, and what's the difference between their celebration and our celebration over here. So the Japanese class students of Konawaena had an opportunity to practice speaking Japanese with native Japanese speakers and vice versa. The Kumejima students who really want to learn how to speak English are able to practice that skill through informal conversations with students from Konawaena High School. And our sister city in La Serena has expressed interest in participating in this program, so we are trying to connect them with a school here in Hawaii. And hopefully, students who wish to learn how to speak Spanish will be able to have that opportunity as well. You know, this is a pretty big report. But for now, I'd like to give an opportunity for Art and Tommy to maybe say a few words, and then I'll answer your questions after. Page 3 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 (Note: At this time, Kiwanis Club President Tommy Goya and Consul General of Japan Art Taniguchi came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. GOYA: Good morning Chair and Members of the Hawaii County Council. We are pleased to be here to answer any questions you may have and to let you know that the host organizations that help support the County of Hawaii fully embrace what they're doing and are very committed to continuing the legacy we have established over the past 10, 20, 30, and 50 years. We look forward to working with you. I know a number of you have had the opportunity to travel with us and visiting our sister cities. In talking with Heather this morning, we found out that her daughter went to Yurihama. And Aaron Chung's son joined us in Sumoto. I've been with the Kiwanis Club for almost 40 years right now, and we've made six student exchange visits to Sumoto. We're really impressed because the host organization represents the best of the young business people in the community. And they wholeheartedly embrace the Student Exchange Program, as well as the Sumoto Government. As a point of information, the local government includes their local Department of Education. It's not like Hawaii where it's a State organization. So we look forward to long-lasting relationships. Personally, I've been to each of the Japan sister cities more than once. And to Sumoto, this trip will be my ninth trip. So we look forward to a very enjoyable trip; renewal of friendships, and establishment of new contacts. And hopefully, they'll be able to visit us next year or the following year. As some of you know, the value of the dollar to the yen there has changed dramatically. So it makes it a little more difficult for them to travel at this time. So thank you, and we'll be available for comments. MR. TANIGUCHI: Good morning, thank you for having us. First of all, I just wanted to commend Jane this year, or the last two years, because during these challenging times, it's very, very difficult to maintain these relationships. You know, we couldn't travel and all of that. She came up with a very innovative idea, doing everything virtually, which is not easy as we all know. But she did it, she pulled it off, and I think it was very successful. Tommy and I are primarily involved with the Japanese Sister Cities. And several years ago under Mayor Yamashiro, his idea was, we won't do any Sister City relationships unless we have a sponsoring entity. And his rationale was because Page 4 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 what we have is the Administration might want to do it, but as they change, the next one might not want to do it. So, to perpetuate the relationship, he advised that, okay, you've got a sponsoring entity, of course the County would be the primary then you could maintain the relationship for years. And as you can see for ours, it's been very, very long-lasting and you build greater relationships. But Jane's done a great job on this. We wholeheartedly support the Sister City efforts. Tommy mentioned student exchange. Recently again, due to COVID, members from the Consulate couldn't travel as much, as well, coming here. And Consul Matsuzawa who's in charge of the Economic arm of the Consulate came and met with the Mayor and Jane. Basically, now we're doing student exchanges, if feasible. However, they're looking more for economic-type relationships. In other words, how can we help increase both economies on both sides? So I think that's a positive step forward. And you know, we're here in support of the program and thank the Council for their support as well for the Sister City Programs. Thank you. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Art and Tommy for your reflections. Mahalo nui, Jane for that great presentation. I'm going to open it up to Council Members for any questions or comments. Let's start here in Kona. Council Member Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. Thank you, Jane, for being here, and Tommy and Art. You know, I too, want to commend Jane. I was part of the virtual program. And to have coordinated, not only the song, but the recording of the hula and have that all blended together really nicely. And one highlight that I took away from that was not only the cohesiveness during COVID where everybody participated, but I believe it was our sister city from Chile that was until 3:00 a.m., their time. So we're watching this all very live, you know, at 6:00 and 7:00 in the evening while that particular sister city stayed up to 3:00 o'clock to participate with us. And it just speaks volumes, Jane, to how much work went into that. But also the value that, not only Chile, but the rest of our sister cities have in this program. So, thank you, and thank you for this report. Chair, I yield. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Anyone else? Chair David. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair Kierkiewicz. Aloha, and welcome, Ms. Clement. I really have to commend you also on your energetic and comprehensive way in which you are handling the upcoming official visit. And you know, I just really want to thank you. It's a huge undertaking and I just really am grateful that you are taking this bull by the horns and making this Page 5 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 happen for all of our representatives and making this special trip possible. So, thank you, Jane. I yield. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Council Member Inaba. MR. INABA: Thank you. Good morning Jane, thank you for this report. I see, next week you folks are going to be heading to Japan, is that right? MS. CLEMENT: Correct. This Friday, as a matter of fact. MR. INABA: Okay, got my days wrong. MS. CLEMENT: I wish I could take all of you. MR. INABA: Yeah, who's going to be a part of the delegation? It is visiting Oshima Island? MS. CLEMENT: Visiting, yes. So this will be the first time in over 30 years that a Mayor will visit Oshima Town. So as you can imagine, everyone is anticipating it. And they're very, very excited to receive our Mayor. MR. INABA: And who also will be a part of the delegation representing our County? MS. CLEMENT: Council Member Aaron Chung will be representing the Council to this trip. We have a total of ten delegates including the Mayor and his wife; Mr. Chung and his wife; myself, and then, representatives from the host organizations, like Tommy Goya, who is a sponsoring organization for Sumoto; Duane Mukai, a sponsoring organization for Shibukawa; Ross Birch, who is also our Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau Executive Director who will be representing Japanese Chamber for Oshima; and then we have Ms. Naomi Menor and Reiko Hamano, who will help provide translation and interpretation services during our trip. MR. INABA: Thank you. And do you have an idea or schedule of other visits you folks will be making, or the County will be making in the next year? MS. CLEMENT: We hope to. We actually got invitations from all of our sister cities in Japan. Of course, we can't go to every single one of them and there are also budget restrictions. So this year, we made a point to visit three of our sister cities since we are already there. The schedule is really jammed packed. So it's going to be a really, really busy ten days over in Japan. But next year, we hope to visit the Philippines. I hope some of you can maybe come. That's, of course,just a preliminary planning for Page 6 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 now. I don't know if we're able to visit other sister cities in Japan next year. It all really depends on our budget. But this year, though, we have students from Nago City coming over shortly after we come back from Japan in August. There's about 12 students coming for their first student exchange travel. That's in August. And then in November, I just got an inquiry from our sister city in Ormoc. They elected a new Mayor, and that new Mayor wants to come visit Hawaii in November. And then, last night I received a message that students from Oshima Town will be visiting in December. And then, Chile wants to send their ballet group here sometime next year. So, it's going to be really, really busy in the next few months. MR. INABA: Great, thank you. And I think many of us would like to go. So keep us posted. MS. CLEMENT: Yes, I will definitely keep everyone posted. MR. INABA: And I know Council Member Chung's been itching to get back to Japan. So I'm happy he's going there to represent. So, thank you Jane. MS. CLEMENT: Thank you. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Chair David. MS. DAVID: Yes, I'd be remiss to not mention this, but I really wanted to thank Vice Chair Chung for being the head of the Council representing this body on this trip to Japan, because I just really appreciate his efforts and his dedication to this. So, thank you, Vice Chair Chung. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair David. Alright in Hilo, Council Member Kimball? MS. KIMBALL: Council Member Chung was first. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. CHUNG: Yeah, thank you. And thank you to Maile for those kind words. So, you know, I really wanted to recognize the efforts of Jane Clement. You know, she's really taken this Sister City task from the Mayor's Office to a different level. And I think both Tommy and Art can attest to that fact. You know, we've seen some good work in the past, but Jane certainly has taken the bull by the horns and done an unbelievable job in that capacity. Page 7 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 I think all of you know, well, most of you know, how much I have been advocating, you know, for these Sister City relationships. And for each of the Council Members to go, and you know, take the opportunity to go over there to our sister cities, you know, if for nothing else, to make sure that those sister cities know that we are serious about these types of relationships. You know, I'm going to get back to that later. But, if you notice our sister city lineup, you know, it's kind of heavily laden with places in Japan; one in Korea; one or two in Philippines, I think; one in Chile; all in the Pacific Rim. There's one, I think, someplace in France, if I'm not mistaken. But mostly, you know, it's on the Pacific Rim. You know, recently, I went to travel the Pacific Coast Highway, and I went to Monterey. And you know, I really, I've been there many times before, but they have a little park there, and it's a sister city park. And they have, you know,they point in all the directions of their different sister cities. So, they actually have a park that's devoted to their sister city relationship. And I thought to myself, you know, you guys might want to consider approaching Monterey as a possible sister city. I mean, they have the Monterey Aquarium over there. Their sensitivity to the ocean ecosystem is not unlike what we do here, what, you know, our sensitivity is over here. And you know, what I thought was very interesting, is they have throughout the town, more so in Pacific Grove, but they have this different species of`ohi`a. Now, I don't know what the name is, but it looks exactly like the `ohi`a. And you know, there are a lot of connections with Monterey. So, those persons who are left on the Council, you guys might want to at least, consider it, because we don't have anything on the mainland, you know,the West Coast, so that's just some thought. Now, getting back to our lineup. And if I could get a little bit leeway, Madam Chairman. You know, I am going to be accompanying this contingent if all things go as planned. Because you know, I've got to test negative 72 hours prior. We still haven't gotten our Visa's yet. And this thing is scheduled—we're scheduled to leave on Friday. Okay, so there's a lot of apprehension. So I can't really enjoy myself until that time. But this trip was actually, you know, supposed to include Maile as the Chairman. Because as everyone knows, you know, those titles really count for a lot. And so it was going to be Maile and me. And the reason why I somehow got in there is, just by chance, I was the person who introduced the resolutions to create the Sister Cities of Sumoto and Shibukawa, 20 and 25 years ago, respectively. And they always remember that. Page 8 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 And so, you know, I was somehow included in this thing. And Maile,just by chance, couldn't go. She was all set to go—couldn't go. But she's been so helpful, because you know, I asked Maile, if she could come up with some kind of special gift. If she could think of something that would have a lot of meaning to this Sister City relationship. And what she did is, she got the assistance of former Council Member Karen Eof£ As you know, her husband Gary Eoff is a really respected and renowned cultural practitioner. So he came up with something, you know, it's made of kapa theme, well not theme, but it's made of kapa, and it just has a really, really nice theme to it. And I think Maile can show it to the persons who are in Kona today. It's very, very special. She commissioned it, and you know, Gary came through. And we're going to be presenting that to each of the counties. You know, I know several years ago before pandemic, Council Members Lee Loy, and I think she went twice to Ikaho, Shibukawa; and also, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. And they both came away very impressed. And the reason why it was very important for them to go, and why everyone else should go, particularly Ms. Kierkiewicz and Mr. Inaba, because they're so youngI mean, right? No, really, the purpose of all of this is to make sure that this relationship continues. And the only way it's going to continue is if we can get an infusion of new people here connecting with young people in those sister cities. Look, Tommy you and Art, you guys served your purposes, but let's face it, right? At some point, you know, it's going to end, right? That's just the nature of things, right? But we have to have new people connecting with these sister cities. If not, no sense. You know, I go on vacation, non-County paid. But I go on vacation with Fresh Onishi every year to Ikaho just to make sure that they know that, you know, we're serious about this thing and we're coming on our own dime just to talk story and have fun. That was of course, before COVID, but you know, we're trying to do our part and I would urge all of you to do it. My connections are basically with Ikaho, so anyone who wants to go there, please let me know. I've got to say this, because I'm breaking from the contingent's main itinerary, because they're going to our oldest Sister City, Oshima, I'm going to be veering down, if all things go according to plan, to Suo, Oshima, which is down south. It's in the inland sea. And this is in the Yamaguchi Prefecture. This is where, it's Kauai County's sister city, actually. And this is where a lot of the Japanese immigrants came through. They have an immigration museum there. And I think it's so important, you know, especially for people like me and Mr. Inaba, who have that Japanese ancestry. And in Ikaho, it's so special because this is where this guy, who's really not well known but Robert Walker Irwin, spent his summers every year. Robert Walker Irwin was the minister to Japan, appointed by King Kalakaua, and he brokered Page 9 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 the deal at the instructions of King Kalakaua to get workers from Japan. And he worked with the Meiji Government to make that happen. So there's that real special connection. And so anyone who's interested in going to Ikaho, you know, that's my place. So if you guys want to go, let me know. You know, it doesn't have to be with the Mayor. You know, you guys will definitely be well accepted in that town. I cannot speak for the other places though, but for sure, Ikaho. But thank you, Maile, Jane. Thank you everyone. I'll give you guys a debriefing when I get back, if I ever make it out of Hawaii. Thank you. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Council Member Chung. Council Member Inaba and I are very much looking forward to you being our personal tour guide to Ikaho next year. Council Member Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. I just wanted to start by saying, you know, I just turned 50. And you know, 50 is the new 30, so I feel I can be counted in the younger bracket too. Jane, thank you so much for the presentation today and all the work that you've done. I also wanted to congratulate you. If you folks didn't know, Jane was also appointed to the Governor's Sister State Committee as representative for the Hawaii State Association of Counties. So congratulations on that as well. And I just wanted to thank Tony and Art for coming in today; all that you do for the exchange programs. As you mentioned, my daughter did that a few years back and just had a wonderful, wonderful experience that she'll remember for a lifetime. So, I appreciate all the effort that you folks do. Have a wonderful and safe trip. And thank you Council Member Chung for representing our body over there. Mahalo, I yield. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Council Member Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah, so I'm not young, but I am really big and I'm fairly blond. And I hear that that's like something really thought of as like a cool character; exotic character. So, someday I'll make it to Japan. And I look forward to being revered as something around like Godzilla or something like that. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Jane, mahalo nui for your leadership and just as Council Member Chung mentioned,just taking the Sister City relationship program to the next level for our County. This is a really incredible way for us to be, not just networking and building relationships, but being able to share aloha and our values and culture with the rest of the world. So,thank you for your leadership in that space. Page 10 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 And again, I just want to take a moment to congratulate Art Taniguchi for his appointment to be an Honorary Consul General to Japan. That is an incredible honor. We are so proud of you. And mahalo nui Tommy for your work to be Ambassadors for Hawaii Island to the rest of the world. Alright thank you again, Jane. MS. CLEMENT: Mahalo nui, everyone. Thank you. MR. CHUNG: Ashley, I have one more thing, if I could say. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Thirty seconds. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. Art Taniguchi's connections with Ikaho are probably better than mine. And the reason why I say that is, you know, before I got back on the Council in 2013, I traveled with Mayor Kenoi and others. And Art was one of five people. And he was able to call on the fly, because this was just a vacation that we were having, and he was able to, on the fly, call up Ikaho and have the two Mayors meet. And you know, it's not an easy thing to do. So you know, if I'm not around,just call Art and he'll connect you guys up with Ikaho, I'm sure. Thank you. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: Good to know,thank you. We have a motion on the floor to close file on Communication 875. All in favor, please say "aye." Vote on Comm. 875: The motion to close file on Comm. 875 was carried by Filed the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kierkiewicz—7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, and Richards —2. Excused: None. ACT. CHR KIERKIEWICZ: That brings us to the end of our agenda. May I have a motion to adjourn? Page 11 GOREDC-30 July 19,2022 ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 9:34 a.m., Mr. Inaba moved to adjourn the MENT: meeting. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kierkiewicz—7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, and Richards—2. Excused: None. ACT. CHR. KIERKIEWICZ: This meeting is adjourned. Thank you everyone. Approved: /7/ 202 .11:s. Heather L. Ki all, Chair (Date) Government Operations, Relations, and Economic Development Commit HK/dt Page 12