Kawakami Delivers Final State of the County Address for Kauai

Weather grounded the in-person ceremony, but Mayor Derek Kawakami turned the disruption into an opening line. Thanking residents for staying home, staying dry and keeping roads clear, he quipped, "Mahalo to all of you for not coming," then spent the next hour laying out the fiscal and programmatic record of his eight years leading Kauai County.

Delivered remotely on March 11, the address was Kawakami's eighth and final State of the County. He framed his tenure around six priorities: "Our Mobility. Our Home. Our Connections. Our Money. Our Freedom. Our Heart."

The financial picture he presented was striking. The county took on zero dollars of new debt over the past eight years, paid off the Lima Ola loan ahead of schedule and saved $6.4 million in interest in the process, and reduced its retiree-benefits liability by $119 million. "The decisions we make today should leave a stronger Kauaʻi for the next generation," Kawakami said.

On housing, Kawakami reported that the county has delivered hundreds of homes for seniors, working families and people experiencing homelessness. He also addressed a persistent gap: residents who earn too much to qualify for subsidies but too little to compete in Kauai's market. His answer is middle-market housing, a category he said the county is actively pursuing. For supportive housing, he pointed to Ke Alaula, a project born from the county's work with the state to relocate people living in a Lihue state park. "We won't stop until there's a Ke Alaula in every district across our island," he said.

Illegal vacation rentals drew a firm line. Kawakami thanked operators who pay taxes and follow the rules, then reported that illegal rentals have fallen more than 96 percent island-wide, a result he credited to sustained enforcement.

Public safety took up a significant portion of the address. Kawakami praised first responders and dispatchers, cited investments in emergency systems, and pointed to wildfire planning measures adopted in the wake of the Lahaina tragedy. Wildfire home assessments are expected to become available starting Aug. 1. "Safety creates freedom," he said.

Among concrete capital investments, Phase I of the Vidinha Stadium Improvement Project recently broke ground, bringing $12 million in upgrades to the football field, track and scoreboard. Future phases are planned to include bleacher repairs, improved restrooms, enhanced lighting and ADA compliance work, with cost-sharing from the state Legislature making the project possible.

Kawakami closed with a personal note, describing a heart "so full" after years of service, and called on the community to sustain the partnerships and collective resolve that he argued defined his administration's approach to governing the island.