The Hawaii County Water Board has kept with tradition and selected an engineer from within the ranks of the Department of Water Supply to become the seventh manager since the department was created in 1949.
Keith Okamoto, 47, the deputy water manager, was promoted to manager/chief engineer by the Water Board Tuesday. He’ll make a starting salary of $110,000, supervising a staff of 168 and a $53.17 million budget.
The Water Board unanimously approved Okamoto after interviewing him and two other candidates during a daylong meeting.
David Craddick, who has worked for both the Kauai and Maui water departments, and Christopher Laude, former chief engineer for the Big Island’s Joint Astronomy Centre, which closed March 1, were the other finalists.
“After extensive interviews, the Water Board selected the best candidate for the position,” Board Chairman Rick Robinson said Thursday.
Okamoto replaces Quirino Antonio Jr., who will retire Wednesday after more than 40 years with the department. Antonio, who was the manager since 2012, said he’s bringing his career to “a very satisfying end.”
Okamoto started working at the department in 1996 as a licensed civil engineer in the Water Resources and Planning Branch of the Engineering Division.
Then, in 2000, he was promoted to supervisor of the Water Quality Assurance and Control Branch in the Engineering Division. The main task of this branch is to ensure the department remains compliant with the numerous rules related to the Safe Drinking Water Act. In this capacity, Okamoto represented the department as liaison with the state of Hawaii regulating authority, the Safe Drinking Water Branch of the Department of Health.
From there, Okamoto was promoted to assistant Engineering Division head in 2003. In this role, Okamoto assisted the Engineering Division head in all duties of the position, including budget and personnel needs. He was also specifically assigned to oversee the status of the department’s capital improvement projects as well as professional services procurement.
Milto Pavao, who served as manager before Antonio, urged the board to select a candidate with knowledge of all areas of water department operations and who could provide continuity during the transition.
“The person who is manager/chief engineer is an important consideration for the entire department, because he will set the tone for the department’s future,” Pavao said.
