Maui Boy Scouts to Honor Mayor Arakawa as Distinguished Citizen

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

Mayor Alan Arakawa has been selected by the Maui County Council of the Boy Scouts of America to receive the Distinguished Citizen 2015 recognition award.

The award is the Council’s highest honor given to an individual, and will be issued during a celebratory dinner on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Maui.

“We are honored to be recognizing Mayor Arakawa at this special dinner for his lifetime of community service,” said Boy Scouts of America Maui Council president, Grant Chun in an organization press release.

“As a former Boy Scout, he inspires today’s youth to strive to become strong, brave, trustworthy and responsible citizens – honorable characteristics that are defined in our Scout Laws,” said Chun.

Mayor Arakawa was in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts from the fourth to eighth grade while living on Wake Island, before he returned to Maui to attend and graduate from Maui High School. He studied business management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, then returned to work as a farmer on his family’s farm in Kula, with 40 acres and 18 full-time employees.

In 1984, Mayor Arakawa entered civil service as a wastewater plant worker for the Maui of County and became a supervisor in the wastewater division at the Department of Public Works. He was both a United Public Workers Chief Steward and a Hawaiʻi Government Employees Association Union Representative.

In 1994, Mayor Arakawa decided to make his first run for public office and earned a seat on the Maui County Council. He was re-elected in 1996 and 2000. During his time on the Council he served as Chair of the Planning, Parks and Land Use committees. In November 2002, he made a run for Maui Mayor and was elected in a nonpartisan race.

Mayor Arakawa is married to wife Ann, a retired Assistant Professor of Mathematics at University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, and they are the parents of two grown daughters, Jan and Jodi.

In addition to establishing the Mayor Arakawa Community Kōkua Fund in 2002, the mission of which is to provide financial assistance to groups and individuals in need, his community involvement includes service with Hui Mālama Learning Center, Maui Okinawa Kenjin Kai, Kiwanis International, and the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui.

During his spare time, Mayor Arakawa enjoys playing softball, bridge, and playing with his dog “Spot.”

The event reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner scheduled to start at 7 p.m.  Event tickets are $150 per person. Sponsor tables with preferred seating and company recognition are also available starting at $1,750.  Guests are asked to RSVP no later than Friday, Oct. 2. For tickets and information, call (808) 244-3724.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Maui County Council of the Boy Scouts of America.