(BIVN) – After a few months in the position, Hawaiʻi County Public Works Director Hugh Ono will again retire on March 31st.

Ono’s departure was announced in a Thursday news release. Previously, Ono was retired after serving as Public Works Director from 1984 to 1990. After Mayor Kimo Alameda was elected to office in late 2024, he asked Ono to come out of retirement “to help get the department on the right track.”

“I asked Hugh Ono to join our team to help bring common sense back to Public Works,” Mayor Alameda said. “In almost four months, he has accomplished that and more. We are grateful for his dedication to his staff, our residents, and his contributions to fixing our permitting system. We couldn’t have asked for a better person to take the reins. His leadership has already made a remarkable difference, and we are fortunate that he was able to join us and get our administration off to a strong start.”

photo of Neil Azevedo, courtesy the County of Hawaiʻi

Deputy Director Neil Azevedo will serve as acting director until a permanent replacement is found.

“Our department has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time, including reducing the review time for building permits and increasing responsiveness to traffic improvement and safety requests,” Ono said, noting that he will be re-entering retirement to focus on family obligations. “I can’t say enough about our team, and I am thankful for the opportunity to lead such a talented group of people. I also want to express my deep gratitude to Mayor Kimo Alameda for his support and entrusting me with the responsibility to serve the community.”