Harry Kim (politician)
For other uses of the name Harry Kim, see the disambiguation page Harry Kim. |
Harry Kim is the first Korean American elected mayor in the United States. |
Harry Kim is the mayor of
Hawaii County. He was first elected in
2000, becoming the first mayor of
Korean descent in the
United States.[
1]
Kim grew up in
Keaau (also known by its older name of Ola'a). He attended Ola'a School and
Hilo High School. He then attended the
University of Hawaii at Hilo and
Southern Oregon University. He served in the U.S. Army as a medic and was a teacher and coach. Kim was best known for his longtime position as County Director of Civil Defense, a relatively high-profile position which, with his frequent trademark radio broadcasts, gave him broad name recognition as the "Voice of Doom".
After sixteen years as Civil Defense Director, Kim ran for Mayor. The 2000 campaign was noted (like Kim himself) for its humility, refusing to accept any donation over $10, and printing bumper stickers reading "Applicant for Mayor".
To run in the election he was required to choose a political party and opted to run as a
Republican. Also on the ballot that year was a provision rendering future Hawaii County political races non-partisan. The initiative passed, and Kim has since disavowed his connection to the Republicans.
After defeating Republican
Harvey Tajiri in the primary, Kim won the general election, receiving 50% of the vote. His opponents,
Democrat Fred Holschuh and former
Green Party county councilwoman
Keiko Bonk received 30 and 20 percent, respectively.
In 2004, Kim ran for a second term, easily defeating a plethora of candidates including
Dominic Yagong and "cannabis sacrament" minister
Roger Christie.
During his time in office, Kim has advocated, among other initiatives, recycling projects and the creation of a new County office complex in the place of the defunct
Kaiko'o Mall.
In July 2005 Kim announced he was considering running for governor as a Democrat.[
2] On July 22 2006, shortly before the filing deadline, he took his name out of consideration. [
3]
*
Official website*
Arirang - Interactive History of Korean Americans. Includes video interview with Harry Kim
