Except for two council candidates who as of noon on Oct. 30 have yet to file, the final “pre-general election” campaign spending commission reports due on Oct. 29 are in!
The results are both surprising and predictable.
Mayoral Candidate Derek Kawakami has spent a whopping $412,322 during the entire election period and had $15,222 in the bank as of Oct. 22. Compare this to his opponent Mel Rapozo who spent $194,065 during the same period and sits with a negative balance of – ($4,840) in his bank account.
Ranked in terms of “expenditures during the entire election period” and also including “cash on hand” the Council race stacks up as follows:
Arryl Kaneshiro: Expenditures = $66,053 Cash on hand = $49,252
Finished #1 in Primary with 9,030 votes
Norma Doctor Sparks: Expenditures = $41,109 Cash on hand = – ($8,193)
Finished #8 in Primary with 4,268 votes
Felicia Cowden: Expenditures = $37,996 Cash on hand = $1,685
Finished #7 in Primary with 4,466 votes
Luke Evslin: Expenditures = $37,124 Cash on hand = $1,918
Finished #4 in Primary with 7,299 votes
KipuKai Kualii: Expenditures = $32,724 Cash on hand = $14,216
Finished #6 in Primary with 6,526 votes
Ross Kagawa: Expenditures = $26,620 Cash on hand = $13,531
Finished #3 in Primary with 8,140 votes
Milo Spindt: Expenditures = $24,345 Cash on hand = – ($2,843)
Finished #12 in Primary with 3,647 votes
Juno Apalla: Expenditures = $16,377 Cash on hand = $3,169
Finished #10 in Primary with 4,179 votes
Arthur Brun: Expenditures = $15,537 Cash on hand = $5,326
Finished #5 in Primary with 6,772 votes
Adam Roversi: Expenditures = $15,380 Cash on hand = $2,099
Finished #14 in Primary with 3,020 votes
Mason Chock Sr.: Expenditures = $10,677 Cash on hand = $6,870
Finished #2 in Primary with 8,639 votes
Billy DeCosta: Expenditures = $231 Cash on hand = $812
Finished #9 in Primary with 4,216 votes
Kanoe Ahuna – had not filed a current report by campaign spending commission deadline.
For prior reporting period ending August 11 -Expenditures = $3,025 Cash on hand = $2,549
Finished #13 in Primary with 3,170 votes
Shaylene Iseri – had not filed a current report by campaign spending commission deadline.
For prior reporting period ending Aug. 11 -Expenditures = $1,340 Cash on hand = -($1,247)
Finished #11 in Primary with 3,915 votes
It is noteworthy that 5 of the top spending candidates made it to the coveted top seven slots in the primary election. Milo Spindt while being in the top seven of the spenders and being one of the first candidates to launch a formal campaign, finished at #12 in the primary election. His campaign has also been supported recently via PAC spending by the National Association of Realtors who have sent out campaign mailers in support of his candidacy.
Another huge anomaly is the almost nonexistent spending of candidate Billy DeCosta, yet he finished in the #9 slot. DeCosta has ran in previous elections and clearly enjoys fairly strong name recognition.
Felicia Cowden, arguably the hardest working candidate of the group, has raised and spent a competitive amount of funds as well was rewarded in the pimary with that coveted #7 slot.
The math speaks for itself, and I encourage readers to have fun with it.
The pressure is clearly on #5 Brun, #6 Kualii, #7 Cowden, #8 Sparks, #9 DeCosta and #10 Apalla. In order for the bottom 4 candidates to move up past either Brun or Kualii they must pick up at least 2,500 votes to close that gap. While historically it is rare for this large of a vote spread to be closed, it does happen.
The most noteworthy example is probably in the 2008 elections when the popular Kapaa librarian Lani Kawahara went from the #8 slot in the primary to finishing at #5. Interesting now Senate President Ron Kouchi in that same race finished #4 in the primary but then dramatically dropped in standing ending up actually losing that council race at #8 in the general election.
The risk of complacency and perceived arrogance by incumbent candidates can often be their downfall. Candidates whose support base tend to be established “super voters” (older retirees), will tend to finish strongest in the primary elections. In addition, older more experienced voters know the value of being selective with their votes and rarely vote the full seven allotted to them, preferring instead to target their support and vote for only four or five candidates at the most.
In the general election where the voter demographic changes to a younger less established and politically experienced resident, the newer candidates normally pick up ground and gain votes. Whether those new candidates can gain enough votes to topple the old guard, as always is the question.
At the end of the day, anyone can win and I am rooting for Adam Roversi to make history and move from the #14 slot, into the winners circle. Adam is without question the most qualified of all the first-time candidates. He is a long-time resident, very active in the community and presently serves as a deputy county attorney.
It’s all about turnout. If voters show up and vote in large numbers between now and Nov. 6, then it’s possible that our County Council will be the recipient of new ideas and new energy. If not, we can expect the same ole same ole. Not the end of the world I suppose, but deep down I know we can do better and new energy and new ideas are much needed.
You can vote today and every day between now and Nov. 3, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Historic County Annex Building, 4386 Rice Street, directly next to where the County Council meets weekly.
All you need is a Hawaii drivers license or other suitable ID showing you are a Kauai resident. You don’t need to worry about whether or not your are registered to vote, nor what district you are supposed to vote in. Every resident of Kauai, age 18 years and older can vote in Lihue at these times, regardless of where you live and regardless of whether your are now registered to vote or not.
Please, take ownership of your government and vote.
•••
Gary Hooser formerly served in the Hawaii State Senate, where he was Majority Leader. He also served for eight years on the Kauai County Council and was the former director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. He serves presently in a volunteer capacity as board president of the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) and is executive director of the Pono Hawaii Initiative.
