LIHUE – Wailuanuiahoano resident Debra Kekaualua has announced that she’s running for mayor.
It’s not necessarily because she’s concerned about the economy and the environment. Sure, she is, but that’s not her motivation.
Her reasons are ones you don’t often hear a candidate say out loud.
“It is overdue to dis all the nepotism that has flourished fist-bumping, fanny-slapping career politicians bought and paid for by big corporate gangs that outnumber we, the colorful people,” Kekaualua said.
The current moguls, she said, have never done justice for all who live on Kauai.
“Change must occur in this round of voters and precinct stations,” she said.
One way Kekaualua said she will accomplish this is by starting with completely new employees in the mayor’s office.
Visitors to Kauai, she said, should also be monitored.
“All visitors should sign off on liability they incur when they believe they are invincible on our trails, overlooks and ocean,” she said. “There should be rules that this is not a self-guided atmosphere, all vendors of every fun adventure pays per head a percentage of their million dollar insurance policies, with the only exception being outriggers.”
She would also ban the bed and breakfast fees to those who agree to reasonably rent out to struggling working families.
Kekaualua was an observer during the Coco Palms civil trial and was was asked to leave the courtroom during a confrontation with the court bailiff. Upon her refusal to leave, the bailiff attempted to physically remove her, by picking her up, but instead dropped her.
Kekaualua said she believes there are proper and legal ways in which Kauai can set a precedent for other islands to follow.
The condition of Kauai’s roads are also important to Kekaualua, who said she would find a solution to repair them from Kee to the Pacific Missile Range Facility.
If she becomes mayor, she said, many of the corporate and nonprofits on Kauai will have to change their status.
For the past 48 years, Kekaualua has called Kauai her home. Things, she said, are really starting to pick up. The colorful, she said, are no longer dummies.
She has 35 years of experience at Wilcox Hospital and put together an emergency call center during Hurricane Iniki.
“I bought voice pagers, contracted with both independent and group doctors as well as rape crisis YWCA, sewage treatment alarms, tour booking for Captain Andy’s, CJM country stables and Helicopter Hotline via the FAA,” she said.
With an extensive resume, Kekaualua has worked in the service industry, the medical field, and knows how to fly a Cessna 150. But her most rewarding job was in elder care, because each one was like her mom, or dad, or auntie and uncle.
For Kauai, Kekaualua prays for health and resilience of it’s people. As mayor, her desire is to build a legacy of truth and integrity.
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- The headline on this story was corrected to say Kekaualua plans to run for mayor. She has not filed papers for the office.
