(BIVN) – The Managing Director for Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth’s administration will step down at the end of the year, according to a Tuesday announcement, and a replacement has already been named.

Current Managing Director Lee Lord says he will retire at the end of the year to assist in caring for aging family members.

Finance Director Deanna Sako will succeed him, and begin her interim role as Managing Director on December 30, 2023. The Hawaiʻi County Council will need to confirm her permanent appointment. Sako has been with the County for 24 years and has served as Finance Director for eight years.

According to a County news release:

Lee has been with the County of Hawaiʻi for 15 years, serving the last three as Managing Director under Mayor Mitch Roth. Before serving as Managing Director, Mr. Lord was the Business Manager for the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney and a Vehicle License and Registration Division Manager. Lee will relocate to the mainland to be closer to his immediate family and those needing his care.

“Leaving the County and Island of Hawaiʻi was never something my wife and I ever considered,” said Managing Director Lee Lord. “We love this place. It’s our home where we raised our children and built our community. However, we were faced with a difficult decision, and in the same spirit of aloha that has helped shape who we are today, we must choose ʻohana over everything else. I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve this community alongside Mayor Roth and look forward to seeing the island become more sustainable under his leadership moving forward.”

“Lee and I have become family over our many years of service to this community together, and he will be missed as we move forward,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “However, we fully support his decision to put his family first and are proud of him for taking on the great responsibility of caring for aging loved ones. He will always be a part of our County and the fabric of our community, and we wish him and his wife the best years ahead in his well-deserved retirement.”