(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi County Public Works Deputy Director Neil Azevedo will be replacing Darryl Oliveira as the Acting Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Administrator beginning next week.
Azevedo starts the job on Monday, November 16th.
Acting Administrator Darryl Oliveira is reaching the end of his 89-day contract. Oliveira served as Acting Administrator on August 17th, after the retirement of Administrator Talmadge Magno.
The Hawaiʻi County Office of the Mayor says an appointment for the permanent civil defense administrator will take place following candidate interviews next month.
According to a news release from the administration, Mayor Kimo Alameda recused himself from the appointment of Azevedo due to the fact that Alameda and Azevedo are related. The temporary appointment of Azevedo was approved by Managing Director Bill Brilhante.
Azevedo, who became the County’s Highways Division Chief in 2015 and has served as both Deputy Director and Acting Director of Public Works, brings years of disaster response and recovery experience into the temporary role, officials say.
“It has been a privilege to work alongside the Civil Defense team, including three administrators, over the past 11 years, and I am grateful for the opportunity to step into this interim leadership role,” Azevedo said in a news release. “Our commitment to the community remains the same – to ensure effective communication with the public, work closely with our partners to further recovery efforts, and protect the safety of our residents.”
Outgoing acting admin Oliveira previously headed the civil defense agency from 2013 to 2016; a time when Hawaiʻi County experienced Hurricane Iselle, a threatening lava flow from Puʻu ʻŌʻō at Kīlauea volcano, and an island-wide breakout of dengue fever. During his recent 89-day tenure, Oliveira oversaw response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Lala.
“We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Darryl Oliveira for stepping in when we needed him most,” Brilhante said. “He has already created a solid foundation for the administration to build on. I also appreciate Neil Azevedo for stepping into this interim role. His knowledge, experience, and strong relationships across the community will help us move forward quickly.”
“I want to thank the administration for welcoming me back to Civil Defense in this temporary role,” Oliveira said. “We are fortunate to have such an effective and collaborative disaster response system in place as well as leaders who are tried and tested. Whenever there is an emergency, Neil Azevedo is one of those individuals we have relied on most to protect life and property. His knowledge of our island’s vulnerabilities and ability to work across sectors to ensure an effective response has been indispensable and will continue to serve us well.”
