Clayton Honma is now the Parks and Recreation director.
Clayton Honma is now the Parks and Recreation director.
Honma took over the department’s top job Dec. 3, the day Mayor Billy Kenoi was sworn in for his second term. Former director Bob Fitzgerald became the department’s deputy director, Honma said Wednesday.
“We still have the same leadership in place,” Honma said. “We had some internal ideas” that included giving Honma a chance to take the lead role in the department.
Honma had served as deputy director since Kenoi took office in 2008.
Honma, 44, previously worked as an account manager for Bacon-Universal, as the Hawaii Island branch manager for Y. Hata & Co. and for Suisan Co., and earned a degree in sociology from the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
Honma said Fitzgerald will continue to maintain an office at the West Hawaii Civic Center, and Honma will also be working more frequently from West Hawaii.
The department has a number of big projects to continue working on the next four years, including the Old Kona Airport Park, for which the county has completed a master plan, the Kealakehe regional park, a Pahoa district park and the Pahala school gym.
Messages left for Kenoi and Fitzgerald were not returned Wednesday.
Honma’s promotion had not been formally announced, but a council member mentioned the change during Wednesday’s meeting at the West Hawaii Civic Center. The county’s website also already reflected the leadership swap.