HILO, Hawaii – Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi spoke for nearly 45 minutes during the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii general membership in Hilo on Wednesday, and answered questions for another ten minutes.

The speech focused on Kenoi’s seven and half years at the helm of the Hawaii County administration. The mayor recounted the many improvement projects his team initiated, as department heads shouted out the estimated completion dates on command. Kenoi also told the stories of challenges his cabinet faced, from fiscal to environmental.

The speech was one of the more reflective talks given by Kenoi in recent years. He even talked about his early ambitions to become a lawyer, hitchhiking to college from his home in Kalapana.

The substance of the speech was overshadowed that day by the grand jury indictment issued just minutes after Kenoi ended his talk. We now present the speech in its entirety.