Honolulu Mayor Names Finance Department Selections

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, elected in November 2012, has announced his nominations for budget director and deputy director.

He named Nelson H. Koyanagi Jr. to be Director of the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (BFS), and Gary Kurokawa to be Deputy Director. Koyanagi and Kurokawa have been serving as Acting Director and Acting Deputy Director, respectively, since Caldwell took office in January.

"Nelson and Gary proved their talent and ability as they prepared my budget this year," Caldwell said in a statement. "They have an incredible wealth of institutional knowledge about how the city budget works. They have dedicated much of their careers to making the city function and saving taxpayer money. They work incredibly hard to serve the public, never seeking reward beyond the knowledge that they are making Honolulu a better place to live. I am proud to have them on my team and I urge the City Council to confirm them."

Koyanagi has worked for the City for the last decade. Hired in 2003 as Chief Accountant to manage the Accounting and Fiscal Services Division of BFS, his responsibilities included financial accounting and reporting, centralized payroll, accounts payable, and fiscal services for City departments and agencies. He served as Deputy Director for BFS from 2010 to 2012 and Acting Director since January. He began his career as a CPA working in the audit department for a national public accounting firm. He also managed a local commercial printing company before being hired by the city.

Kurokawa is a 25 year employee with BFS. He is a licensed Certified General Appraiser and has served the last 15 years as the Administrator of the Real Property Assessment Division. He is a graduate of the University of Hawaii.

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