HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0855.001 2022-2024 p/CiOEAG
cam.855
From: MEL YOKOYAMA
Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2024 7:24 AM
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Bartolome, Pomaika'i; Mel Yokoyama
Subject: Fwd: Nomination to the Ka'u Community Development Plan Action Committee
Attachments: - Letter to the County Council_Mel Yokoyama.pdf
C-,
Aloha. Please find attached letter in support of my nomination to serve on the Ka'u Communi t 22)
Development Plan Action Committee. ='=
I will be attending in-person on May 14th. �..
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Mahalo!
CO
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Mel
Comm.855: NOMINATION OF MEL YOKOYAMA,JR.TO THE KA`C COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
From Mayor Mitchell D.Roth,dated April 26,2024,requesting the Council's
review and confirmation.
Forwarded message
From: MEL YOKOYAMA
Date: Sat, May 11, 2024 at 10:17AM
Subject: Nomination to the Ka'u Community Development Plan Action Committee
To: <Heather.KimbalMhawaiicounty.gov>, <Jennifer.Kagiwada@hawaiicounty.gov>,
<Sue.leeloyhawaiicounty.gov>, <Ashley.Kierkiewicz@hawaiicounty.gov>, <Matt.kanealii-
kleinfelderC(hawaiicounty.gov>, <Michelle.GalimbaC@hawaiicounty:gov>,
<Rebecca.Villegashawaiicounty.gov>, <Holeka.InabaC«�hawaiicounty.gov>,
<Cindy.EvansC(hawaiicounty.gov>
Cc: Bartolome, Pomaika'i <Pomaika'i.BartolomeC@hawaiicounty.gov>, Palma, Maryam
<Maryam.PalmaC@hawaiicounty.gov>, Mel Yokoyama <mel.yokoyama@akamai-intelligence.com>
Dear Hawaii County Council,
I am deeply grateful for Mayor Roth's consideration in nominating me as a potential member
of the Ka'u Community Development Plan Action Committee. It is truly an honor to have the
chance to contribute to my hometown, a place that holds immense significance in my heart.
My familial roots in Ka'u run deep, as I am descended from a long line of proud Hawaiians
from this region. My paternal grandmother, Alice Pai, who was 100% Hawaiian, often shared
stories of our Kupuna, Mahi Ne'e Ne'e, who was born and raised on the ahupua'a of Ka'u,
circa 1710. This lineage, which my family was able to verify via public and private records, has
not only given me a sense of identity but also a profound respect for our land and culture.
1
Comm. '
Ref.To: voiltillr
Ref.Date '11"iW 1 PZ
If selected as a committee member, I am committed to leveraging our shared heritage and
insights to develop strategies that will enhance the well-being of Ka'u's residents,
preserve Ka'u's rural culture, and honor the legacy of our Kupunas for generations to come.
Thank you again for this incredible opportunity. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in-
person on Tuesday and am enthusiastic about the journey ahead to support the people of
Ka'u.
v/r
Mel
malamakau.org
Mel Yokoyama, CAPT USN (ret)
mel.yokoyama@Akamai-Intelligence.com
619.855.5709(cell)
Digital Business Card: click here
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MEL YOKOYAMA, J R,
96-1142 Iliau St, Pahala Hawaii 96777 1619-855-5709 I mel.yokoyama@malamakau.org
May 13, 2024
Hawaii County Council
Committee on Governmental Operations & External Affairs
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Hawaii County Council:
I am deeply honored by Mayor Roth's nomination to join the Ka'u Community Development
Plan Action Committee. This opportunity is a realization of a long-held aspiration.
Nearly four decades ago, as a 17-year-old student at Ka'u High School, I voiced my concerns
about a proposed spaceport development at Punalu'u Black Sand Beach through an article
in the Hawaii Tribune Herald (see below). Since then, my journey has taken me through 28
years of service in the US Navy, retiring with the rank of Captain (0-6). With the support from
several mentors, I also established a 501 (c)3 nonprofit Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO)
dedicated to supporting the Ka'u community, and successfully built a cybersecurity firm from
the ground up.
If appointed, I pledge to leverage my experiences and earnestly listen to and consider the
perspectives of all Ka'u residents, with a particular emphasis on our revered Kupunas.Their
wealth of cultural wisdom serves as a vital link between Ka'u's past and its future.
Thank you for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve the people of Ka'u.
Sincerely,
7iiJ 0/6"plf ,M.K. Yok ama
March 18, 1988
I'm a senior at Ka'u High School and I would like to express my opinion on the major issues that have come
upon this community:The Punalu'u development and the spaceport. To put it bluntly, I support what C.
Brewer is trying to do,creating jobs for the people of Ka'u. We have to face the facts. The only reason we are
an agricultural community is that the Farm Bill is still upholding in Congress, but it won't last forever. Sooner
or later, this bill will be voted out and C.Brewer will have to either leave Ka'u, and let some other foreign
businesses take over, or go into another business like their trying to do.
Since I'm graduating this year and "leaving" Ka'u because of the lack of job availability here, I would like to
see what Ka'u will look like 10 to 15 years from now. Will it be a thriving community with a new school,
shopping plazas, a lot of people, and the center of attraction in the state because of the first international
commercial launching facility in the United States? Or will it be, as one reader put it, "a veritable vacuum."
I say let's take advantage of what C.Brewer is trying to do now, instead of wait until the last minute when it
will too late. •
Melvin K. Yokoyama, Jr.
Hawaii Tribune Herald
March 18, 1988
my Opinion on the major issues as one reader put it, "a veritable
that have come upon this corn- vacuum."
munity: The Punaluu develop- I say let's take advantage of
ment and the spaceport. To put it what C. Brewer is trying to do
bluntly, I support what C. Brewer now, instead of wait until the last
is trying to do, creating jobs for minute when it will he too late,
the people of Ka'u. We have to Melvin K. Yokoyama Jr.
face the facts. The only reason Ka'u
we are an agricultural communi-
ty is that the Farm Bill is still
upholding in Congress, but it
won't last forever. Sooner or
later. this bill will be voted out
and C. Brewer will have to either
leave Ka'u, and let some other
foreign businesses take over, or
go into another business like
their trying to do.
Since I'm graduating this year
and "leaving" Ka'u because of
the lack of job availability here, I
would like to see what Ka'u will
look like 10 to 15 years from now.
Will it be a thriving community
with a new school, shopping
plazas, a lot of people, and the
Ka`u's future center of attraction in the state
because of the first international
I'm a senior at Ka'u High commercial launching facility in
School and I would like to express , the United States? Or will it be,