Arielle Argel joined the KITV4 Island News team as a Multimedia Journalist in June 2023. She is from Ewa Beach, Hawaii and is a recent graduate from Washington State University (Go Cougs!). She is passionate about telling stories that help and highlight the community.
Mayor Mitch Roth is set to deliver his state of the county address Friday afternoon.
HAWAII ISLAND, Hawaii (Island News) – Mayor Mitch Roth is set to deliver his state of the county address Friday afternoon. This year's address will put a lot of pressure on the mayor as he is going for a reelection this November. How Roth did in this past year and what he says he'll prioritize will help many people determine who they'll want to vote for.
In the mayor's last address, aging infrastructure, affordable housing, and clean energy were some of the top priorities mentioned. Some other key issues he touched upon were homelessness, economic development, building permitting, the Kilauea eruption recovery, and the Mauna Loa eruption.
Many Hawaii Island residents felt that finding solutions for homelessness should have been more of a priority.
“I think the homeless issue hasn't been addressed. The housing issue. We need housing, we need emergency, we need transition, and we need affordable. When does the process start?” said Keoki Kai, a Hawaii Island resident.
Kai said the mayor should work with community groups and churches to house those who are homeless instead of doing sweeps, which does not solve the root of the issue. Kai said the mayor is very personable which is why he voted for him back in 2020, however, there is more to being a mayor than just that.
Island News reached out to other residents on social media to ask what issues they would like to see being worked on in the next year. Here is what they had to say:
“No he did some things but not enough we face homelessness the roads was not fix,” said @hernandezjpeter via Instagram.
“How about some follow and results for Big Island fisherman. Pohoiki?? Remember the lava flow? Now the the harbor in Hilo needs immediate dredging…no committees, just get something done,” said @applebrumby via Instagram.
“I would like more investigation and enforcement of zoning and planning violations. It seems like many people are building anything they want and then asking for forgiveness afterwards. There should be no forgiveness for illegally built structures and zoning violations without large fines. Why does the person who asks for permission before the fact made to pay more than those that illegally build and ask for forgiveness? This illegal building is destroying neighborhoods and changing the character from the County of Hawaii’s zoning maps,” said @momeott via Instagram.
The Hawaii Island state of the county address will take place at the West Hawaii Civic Center Pavilion at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 22nd. You can also watch it live from the mayor's Facebook page.
Arielle Argel joined the KITV4 Island News team as a Multimedia Journalist in June 2023. She is from Ewa Beach, Hawaii and is a recent graduate from Washington State University (Go Cougs!). She is passionate about telling stories that help and highlight the community.
