Keith Amemiya, former executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, announced today his run for Honolulu mayor.

Amemiya made his official announcement at a news conference held at the Ala Wai Community Park. “I’m announcing my campaign next to a sports field because sports have always played an important role in my life. Sports teaches us values such as teamwork, perseverance and personal accountability.”

If elected, he plans to tackle a multitude of issues such as the high cost of living, rail and homelessness. Amemiya said he is determined to improve conditions for the public, especially for youth and restore trust in government.

“As I have throughout my career, I stand for hard working people without a voice, who have been ignored for far too long and need someone who will fight for them and their families,” he said.

After his speech ended, Amemiya said, “My career has been based on strong core values like trust, integrity, character, surrounding yourself with good people,” he said. “And I’ll bring that with me and my administration to the city.”

A staunch supporter of high school sports, he spearheaded the Save Our Sports campaign in 2009 in response to severe budget cuts that threatened many high school athletic programs.

Amemiya is a senior vice president of Island Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Island Insurance, Atlas Insurance Agency, Tradewind Capital Group, IC International and Pacxa.

His is the son of former state Attorney General Ron Amemiya and cousin of city Managing Director Roy Amemiya Jr.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s second consecutive term ends January 2021.