Rachel M. Secretario
• Age: 40
• Residence: Kapa‘a
• Occupation: Financial Planner Secretario, LLC and part-time art teacher and substitute at Kapa’a Elementary School
• Prior experience in government/leadership: Current PTA president, Kapa‘a Elementary School, and Junior Achievement volunteer for finance and career development high school and elementary school
• Past: Vice president, Kapolei Rotary Club, district executive, Boy Scouts of America Aloha Council Kapolei district, Junior Achievement, Des Moines, Iowa, Junior League of Eau Claire Wisconsin, Eau Claire Community Foundation
Q: Kaua‘i continues to look for a new landfill site, years after its search began. The Kekaha Landfill is currently projected to reach capacity in January 2027. What is your preferred solution?
Curbside recycling will be implemented. We should have a mixed can and a green waste can. The reason why we are in this predicament is because it is not available. The average person creates 5.91 pounds of trash per day without recycling and doing our part.
As a former spokesperson for Honolulu Disposals recycling company Honolulu Recovery Systems, I know that there are many ways having our own recycling center would be possible. We could also purchase our own glass crusher, and it can help to offset the cost of gravel and paving roads.
When I lived in Germany 20 years ago, the trash bins were the size of a bathroom can, because recycling is something that everyone just does everyday.
Q: The County Council sets real-property-tax rates as part of the county budget process. What changes, if any, would you make to the way that property is taxed on-island?
Yes, we will always need to make changes. Property tax is a complicated subject that can always be improved, and a problem that will always need to be tackled. According to an article by Cindy Perman, “The number one cause property taxes rise is because of state and local budget cuts. Part of the revenue collected from property taxes is used to fund the public school system, library, fire department and other essential services. Then we have the fact that states with low taxes have a greater population growth than states with high taxes. States with the lowest median property taxes include: Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, New Mexico and Tennessee. As I discussed earlier, economic diversity is key to not putting all of our eggs in one basket. We should look at the ways some counties are able to lower these taxes and their ways of growing a thriving community.
Q: The coronavirus pandemic decimated the tourism industry Kaua‘i – and the state – is so reliant upon. Should Kaua‘i County make economic diversity a priority, and if so, how?
It is never safe to put all of your eggs in one basket. Yes, we will make it a priority. We need to start by education and developing more programs that teach our children and families about agriculture. We need to get more involved with our local famers and really understand that we need to support local. We need be more environmentally continence and should open our own recycle center and start making a profit off of what we consume and create more jobs rather then throwing everything away and using up valuable land. We already have some really good programs in place, we just need our community to show up and start and go. We can do anything if we do it together.
Q: The median price of a single-family home on Kaua‘i is over $1 million, and the County’s 2018 General Plan reported 44% of all households are cost-burdened. How will you address the affordable housing crisis in Kaua‘i County?
The recent passage of the ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, for residents to build on their property is a good start. If elected we will need to continue to find ways, to work with the private sector to get more homes built for first time home buyers, i.e. Ho’oluana subdivision in Hanamaulu. Affordable housing is key to keep our community growing so families can live and enjoy each other, not work until they can’t handle living here.
Q: What is driving you to seek election and why should voters give you their vote?
I am from The Garden Island, for The Garden Island! I was born and raised on Kauaʻi and being on the County Council would provide a way to give back to the community that raised me. I went to Kapaʻa Elementary, Kapaʻa Middle, and Kapaʻa High School. I went to Kauaʻi Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi to receive my Political Science Degree. In high school I was fortunate to receive The Congress Bundestag Scholarship, and lived in Germany for a year. I did not know any German, but was able to speak it fluently in four months, thanks to having a good sense of humor, pushing to have a Growth Mindset. In college I received a Rotary Scholarship to go to Japan, and a Fulbright Scholarship to live abroad in South Africa. It is important to understand our community, and how we could possibly mirror successful programs and policies made in other communities. I will not have all the answers, but will hit the ground running, take everything I have learned and help Kauaʻi thrive.
