House candidates outline top issues in districts, how to address them

Both state Rep. Ezra Kanoho (D-13th District, Kapa’a to Kipu) and his

Republican challenger, Juan Lugo, agree that the top issue facing the district

is the announced Friday, Nov. 17 closing of Amfac Sugar Kaua’i.

Both also

agree that they could do work in the state Legislature to ease the pain that

the closing will cause the workers and their families.

But they diverge on

legislative techniques.

Lugo would prefer to bring diverse factions in the

legislature together, and use the strength in numbers to really bring help to

the workers, rather than just talking about it.

Since he has been able to

bring various trucking companies on the island together to share work, and has

helped Kaua’i Veterans’ Express Company Limited grow into a large trucking

company, he feels he has the skills and abilities to bring the legislature

together to benefit the Amfac workers.

Kanoho said he is confident he’d be

able to secure state funding to keep west side lands in agriculture, which

would provide more jobs, if he is re-elected. He is also working to get east

side farmers together on common water issues as well.

The incumbent also

said federal funds being administered by the county, as well as state

collaboration in job fairs and other matters, are combining to address the

needs of workers before many of them are even officially unemployed.

Lugo

also said infrastructure needs (energy, water, sewer, roads, solid waste) of

the island have to be addressed, and sufficient state legislative support to

business from elected officials may have prevented the plantation from having

to close in the first place.

Both candidates said they would work to

increase from 14 the legal age of sexual consent for girls in the

state.

Kanoho said his thinking was always that 14 was too low, but that

his thinking and his response to a magazine question about that topic got mixed

up, so his response to a question, “Would you work to increase the age of

consent from 14?” came out “no” in the magazine.

“We want to be sure that

we protect our girls. We don’t want male adults to take advantage of girls who

may not be able to make that kind of decision,” said Kanoho.

“We want to

offer the maximum kind of protection,” Kanoho said, adding that he would

sponsor, co-sponsor or support an amendment to state law that would raise the

age of consent.

“Fourteen, I think, is just too young to make that kind of

decision,” Kanoho said.

Lugo prefers raising the age to 16, saying also

that 14 is too young, where a girl’s body and mind may be telling her two

different things. Lugo would also introduce, co-sponsor or support legislation

to raise that age of consent.

State Rep. Mina Morita (D-12th District,

north Kaua’i and east Maui), said the most important issue in her district is

also one of the state’s most pressing issues as well.

“The most important

issue facing not only my district but the entire state is the rising cost of

energy and our vulnerability and dependency on imported fossil fuel,” Morita

said.

“During campaign season, we always hear about the three ‘Es’, the

economy, education and the environment. But there is a fourth ‘E’ that is

critically important, energy. Without affordable energy, we will not have a

stable economy. Without a stable economy, we will not have the financial

resources to fund educational and environmental programs,” she said.

“If I

continue as the chair of the House Energy and Environmental Protection

Committee, I will establish the legislative and regulatory framework and build

the political will to transition and position Hawai’i to take advantage of

technological advances in renewable energy, fuel cells and hydrogen production

that will make Hawai’i energy self-sufficient,” Morita said.

Natural Law

candidate, Ann E. West-Tickle, filed papers to run against Morita, but has not

mounted an active campaign, apparently because she had a change of heart after

it was too late for her to officially withdraw from the race.

Candidates

from the state House 14th District (Po’ipu to Barking Sands including Ni’ihau,

incumbent Democrat Rep. Bertha Kawakami, and Republican challenger John Hoff,

did not respond to the questions in time to make this story.

Staff

Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext.

224).