Hawaii County, HI
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Mitch Roth - Mayor
Mitchell D. Roth was elected Mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi in November 2020 with a vision of fostering a sustainable island community where residents could thrive and succeed for generations. While prioritizing cultural and environmental protections, Mayor Roth has been a staunch advocate for sustainability, actively promoting a hydrogen partnership to achieve energy independence and realize a new resilience-based economy. Some of his initiatives include initiating the transformation of the County fleet to 100% renewable energy vehicles, introducing hydrogen buses for public transportation, exploring waste-to-energy possibilities within County landfills, and modernizing the County's General Plan to ensure sustainable, climate-adverse development and sustainable growth.
Mayor Roth has also invested heavily in infrastructure repair and maintenance to ensure the longevity and safety of the community. In addition, recognizing the need for affordable housing, he has bolstered the affordable housing pipeline to over 6,000 units slated to be built within the decade, aiming to address the housing needs of Hawaiʻi Island's residents. To achieve these goals, Mayor Roth actively encourages public-private partnerships and has prioritized national and international relations for the innovative advancement of the County of Hawaiʻi.
Before assuming the role of Mayor, Mitch dedicated 27 years of his career to the safety and health of Hawaiʻi Island residents. As the Prosecuting Attorney of Hawaiʻi County since 2012, he successfully prosecuted cold cases, pioneered implementing a restorative justice program within a prosecutor's office nationwide, established a specialized sexual assault unit, and initiated community outreach and training efforts.
Mayor Roth holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Juris Doctorate from Whittier Law School. He resides in Hilo with his wife, Noriko Yamada Roth, and they actively promote cultural preservation and environmental conservation. They have three adult children, all of whom are proud graduates of Waiākea High School, and they are committed to leaving a lasting legacy of a sustainable and thriving community for future generations.
Deanna Sako - Managing Director
Deanna Sako became Managing Director for the County of Hawai‘i in January 2024. She started at the County of Hawai‘i in 1999 as an Accountant for the Department of Parks and Recreation. In 2001, she joined the Finance Department as Controller, and later served 7 years as the Deputy Finance Director and 8 years as the Finance Director.
Her experience before entering County government included 12 years of auditing for Deloitte & Touche LLP in Honolulu, Maui, and Hilo. Deanna participated in the County of Hawai‘i and other county government audits for many of those years.
She graduated from Molokai High and Intermediate School, then received her bachelor’s degree from Wartburg College with majors in Computer Science and Accounting. She received her Master of Accounting Science degree from the University of Illinois.
Bobby Command - Deputy Managing Director
Bobby is the former Deputy Managing Director under the Mayor Billy Kenoi Administration. He also served as Kenoi’s Deputy Planning Director and Executive Assistant. Prior to that he was a Senior Staff Writer at West Hawaii Today where he spent 25 years covering virtually every major story on the Big Island.
Tim Hansen - Executive Assistant
Before joining the mayor’s team, Tim was the Restorative Justice Program Manager for Hawai’i County. In this position he develops strategies to strengthen communities in an effort to address crime. He has an extensive background in Restorative Justice. Tim has experience in using indigenous ways of problem solving and decision making such as circles, councils, conferences, ho’oponopono and other community focused restorative practices.
Tim was a Restorative Justice Planner for the State of Minnesota for over 8 years. He works with communities and systems professionals to explore and implement principles of restorative justice. Tim provides education, skills training and technical assistance to leaders in corrections, neighborhood groups, law enforcement, faith communities, human services, victim services, civic organizations, and schools to develop a comprehensive response to harm, based on restorative principals. He has provided training for the National Institute of Corrections, Department of Justice, the Federal Balanced and Restorative Justice Project and has presented at numerous conferences across the country. In 2008, Tim was honored to be invited to be a Restorative Justice Trainer at Guangxi University, School of Law in Nanning, China.
Tim has worked with and in communities for over 35 years. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, having earned his Masters in Social Work from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and degrees in Psychology, Speech/Theatre Arts and Sociology from the University of Minnesota at Winona. Tim is also adjunct faculty at UH-Hilo in the Political Science Department.
Pōmaikaʻi Bartolome - Executive Assistant
Pomai has an extensive background in media, marketing and promotions. She is the former host of KWXX Breakfast Lu'au and the Hawai'i Island reports with KHON2 Wake Up 2day. A graduate of St. Josephʻs High School and a Human Services Graduate of Hawai'i Community College, Pomai offers a unique and diverse balance. She is a Certified Leadership and Success Coach, owner of a talent enhancement program for youth, and contributes a variety of administrative skills.
Cyrus Johnasen - Executive Assistant/Public Information Officer
Cyrus has served in various roles at the county, state, and federal levels where he led strategic communications and community building efforts. Most recently, Cyrus worked for Kamehameha Schools where he focused on organizational advocacy strategies to address growing disparities in Hawaiʻi’s most underserved populations.
Jeannie Miskovich - Executive Assistant 
Jeanine joins the Roth administration from the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, where she worked as a Legal Assistant. Jeannie was with the prosecutor’s for 5 years and served in a variety of other roles. Prior to her career in public service, she served as a legal assistant in the private sector for various prominent Hawaiʻi Island attorneys.
Barett Otani - Executive Assistant
Barett Otani was born and raised on the Big Island and graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo with a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech/Communications. Barett served as Executive Assistant under the Mayor Harry Kim administration, the Information and Education Specialist for the Department of Public Works and has worked at Waiakea Elementary School as the school activities coordinator and also served as substitute teacher. Barett also was the owner of a food distribution business for more than 20 years, and the producer of KTA’s “Living in Paradise” TV program. He also plays music professionally and has been entertaining with his band Vizion 2020.
Jane Clement - Executive Assistant
Jane was born into the Caballero family of Cebu, Philippines. The values she gained from her humble beginnings shaped her priority of service to others from adolescence to adulthood. In 1994, she immigrated to Hawaiʻi. In 2004, Jane moved to Kona where she resides today with her husband of 15 years, Erik Clement, and their son, Isaac. Her daughter, Rachel, lives on Oʻahu with two young daughters.
For the last 15 years, serving her community has been an integral part of life. Jane remains dedicated to community organizations. She served as the President of the Kailua Village Business Improvement District and the Chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as the Hawaiʻi Island Commissioner to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and is an officer on the Keahole Center for Sustainability (formerly Friends of NEHLA) Board. In addition, Jane is an active member of various boards and commissions including the Kona Visayan Club, West Hawaiʻi Community Forums, and the Economic Development Committee of the Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce.