LIHU‘E — The primary elections are less than four weeks away, and now Kaua‘i voters may have a better grasp on information when casting their votes for Kaua‘i County Council members Aug. 11. About a 120 people attended Tuesday’s forum for council candidates, and many more were able to hear it live on KQNG AM 570.
Nine candidates, including all seven incumbents, are trying to squeeze in seven council seats. The primaries will not exclude any candidates from the general election Nov. 6, but may serve as a good indicator of who will need to work harder to persuade voters.
A senior citizen almost turned the forum into a tragedy, after suffering a seizure about 20 minutes into the evening’s schedule. Members of the audience and then firefighters responded quickly, and were able to assist the man through the seizure until he was escorted out of the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall for further treatment.
With the meeting back in order, Jay Robertson, from Ho‘ike TV, fired six questions from a roster of 16 pre-written questions.
Building permit process
Councilman Tim Bynum said the county permitting process has a cumbersome nature and development had gotten into agricultural lands, causing those lands to become unaffordable. The current administration, he said, has done a good job in expediting building permits, but not everything is the county’s responsibility; many permits have to go through state agencies.
Councilman Dickie Chang said there is a new planning process in the county and thanked Planning Director Michael Dahilig for his work.
Council Chair Jay Furfaro said there are a couple processes in place; an audit and regular reports to help with solutions. He also said he was “a bit disappointed” with the administration for not tapping into a $187,000 fund approved by the council to expedite permitting.
Former Councilman Gary Hooser said environmental assessments may delay projects but are necessary to ensure that those projects are done right.
Ross Kagawa, who worked six years for the council as a legal analyst in the 1990s, said the council needs to look at other counties to see what they are doing right.
Councilman KipuKai Kuali‘i said he would like to know specifics of different situations and also mentioned the administration’s one stop permitting center in Lihu‘e.
Councilwoman Nadine Nakamura said there are $40 million of county projects in different stages. “Let’s make sure we have the bodies to move these projects along,” she said.
Councilman Mel Rapozo said there are many ways to fix the problem but there needs to be a change in the structure first. He suggested a quick solution; sending permits to all agencies simultaneously. “Simple solution, new paradigm,” he said.
“We’re lacking a commitment, especially from the administration,” said Council Vice Chair JoAnn Yukimura of the building permitting process.
Growth’s role
Chang, a self-described supporter of the visitor industry, said there is opportunity for “good growth” available on Kaua‘i.
Furfaro said the most important thing is a citizen’s update of the county General Plan. The real issue for Kaua‘i, he said, is maintaining Hawaiian values.
Hooser said there is some catching up to do with pre-approved development on Kaua‘i, but there is a need to take care of local residents first, including parks infrastructure, service and affordable housing. He also mentioned taking care of environmental issues such as pollution in Hanalei.
Kagawa said taking care of what we have, especially parks infrastructure, would attract visitors.
Kuali‘i said growth is inevitable. “But it’s up to us to ensure it’s the growth we want,” he said.
Nakamura said one of her goals is to promote smart growth. “If it’s going to happen, let’s do it right,” she said.
Rapozo said there is a need for better infrastructure in the county.
Yukimura also said there is not enough infrastructure to handle pre-approved development, and that there are other kinds of growth that should be promoted such as agricultural and renewable energy.
Bynum said the reason he got involved in government was because of growth management. He said the county has to first do what is best for the people who live here before taking care of visitors.
Economically feasible future
Most council candidates had concerns with sustainability.
“We really need to diversify our economy,” said Hooser, also including agriculture in his plan.
Furfaro talked about agriculture and energy sustainability.
Kagawa said the county should spend wisely.
Kuali‘i also talked about sustainability.
Nakamura said the county should support the visitor industry and that could be achieved by supporting local markets and festivals.
Rapozo talked about giving incentives to farmers.
Yukimura talked about diversifying the economy and also gave emphasis to agriculture and sustainability.
Bynum said the current council is putting resources behind ideas.
Chang suggested including dorms at Kaua‘i Community College and also said he is a firm believer of the Kaua‘i Made program.
Other issues
Although some candidates said the county is leading the way in identifying Important Ag Lands, all had concerns and priorities in agriculture.
Candidates also lashed at the administration for the state of conservation of county parks.
They did not blame the workers, rather the administration for not hiring enough staff to maintain the county facilities.
The last question regarded the ability of the county to control unpermitted vacation rental business, and the answer was similar from all the candidates: The matter is one of political will and enforcement.
The forum was sponsored by the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, Kaua‘i Board of Realtors and the Hawai‘i Hotel and Lodging Association.
Check with Ho‘ike to find out when the forum will be televised.
∫ Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
