WAIMEA — In the first regional Kaua‘i political debate, council and mayoral candidates discussed Westside issues at the Historic Waimea Theater Tuesday night. About 200 residents showed up to hear the candidates answer on economic stimulus, visitor growth, agriculture, infrastructure
WAIMEA — In the first regional Kaua‘i political debate, council and mayoral candidates discussed Westside issues at the Historic Waimea Theater Tuesday night.
About 200 residents showed up to hear the candidates answer on economic stimulus, visitor growth, agriculture, infrastructure and permitting on their home turf.
All candidates with ties to West Kaua‘i made note of it in their answers. The group seemed to acknowledge that “Westside” is more than a location — it’s a lifestyle and identity for many.
Council candidate Christobel Kealoha, born and raised in Kekaha, summed up the reigning sentiment
“Westside isn’t just directional,” she said. “It means, I know your family and your family knows me. I remember your grandmother and grandfather. I remember what happened.”
Councilman Ron Kouchi and candidates Bruce Pleas and Rhoda Libre are also from or currently living on the Westside. Councilman Daryl Kaneshiro, of Koloa, said he considers himself a “Westsider.”
Both mayoral candidates, Bernard Carvalho and JoAnn Yukimura, and 12 of the 14 vying for a council seat in the general election participated. Council candidates George Thronas and KipuKai Kuali‘i were not in attendance.
The mayoral and council candidates fielded separate questions before collectively taking on three from the audience during the nearly three-hour debate.
Main Street support
On the issue of promoting the West Kaua‘i Professional & Business Association’s revitalization efforts for the Westside — one of the prepared questions — most council candidates said the charm and old Kaua‘i feel of Waimea in particular is its greatest asset.
“(Main Streets) provide a sense of place and identity for that town,” council candidate Derek Kawakami said.
Accomplishments thus far were not overlooked, including the Christmas parade, Waimea Town Celebration and the restored Waimea Theater, in which the debate was held. Kouchi pledged to continue providing the support he’s offered as a council veteran.
Budgetary concerns were on the minds of some, including candidate Bruce Pleas and current council Chair Jay Furfaro, who said earmarks for the Westside might become necessary.
Still others, such as Libre and Mayor Bill “Kaipo” Asing, called for infrastructure improvements to benefit the entire community.
Candidate Ron Agor was one of few candidates to suggest the county has cut off the Westside from sufficient funding.
“We need to lift the unspoken ban on economic development in this town,” Agor said.
Visitor industry growth
Council candidates offered similar answers about the Westside’s intrinsic character and infrastructure needs when asked about ways to grow the Westside’s visitor industry.
Furfaro said a strong economy benefits all sides of the island, while Kawakami stressed the preservation of land.
“We need to preserve lands that are culturally, visually and agriculturally important,” Kawakami said.
Bynum said sidewalks should be cleaned and visitor accommodations be compatible with the plantation-style buildings already on the Westside.
Other suggestions included removing “roadblocks” to redevelopment from Kaneshiro, more parking from Pleas and Agor, and encouraging businesses to take advantage of the sunset from Kealoha.
Candidate Dickie Chang, who entertained the crowd and by far had the most laughs, said a big part of the Westside’s draw is the history of Capt. James Cook, but did not offer a plan of action.
Agriculture’s future
Most candidates said green energy projects such as the Pacific West Energy ethanol plant, could be the future of agriculture on the Westside.
Ideas to support farmers included marketing assistance from Asing and a packaging and handling facility as well as commercial kitchens from Kawakami.
Pleas took this one step further, suggesting co-op stores in which farmers could sell their products.
Chang said Kaua‘i already has a formula for making agriculture work, while Kouchi opted out of his answer, instead acknowledging his wife’s birthday.
Speedy permitting
Only three audience questions were posed to both the mayoral and council candidates. The first asked candidates about speeding up the permitting process.
Most incumbents said the current system can be tweaked to expedite certain “green” projects.
Furfaro said the emergency permitting process implemented after Hurricane ‘Iniki could serve as a template.
Bynum said there’s a shortage of engineers and planners to complete the work. Kouchi emphasized that point, noting that there’s one person from the Public Works Department who must sign off on all permits. He also said timely inspections must follow timely permitting.
Yukimura suggested clear permitting guidelines for staff, while Carvalho said a one-stop center would centralize the experience.
Taking a different approach, Asing and Agor suggested an overhaul, not tweaks, to the clogged permitting system.
Asing said a task force would be necessary to identify a solution. Agor, who has 23 years experience pulling permits, said there are three departments holding up the process.
“I’m mad as hell and I’m not taking it anymore,” Agor said.
Pleas, also dissatisfied with the current options, suggested an electronic process for departments involved, as well as communication among the different agencies.
Libre and Kawahara expressed their lack of familiarity with the permitting process when answering the question.
Recruiting and
retaining doctors
On how to recruit and retain doctors at the state-run Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital, the answers ranged from communicating with state legislators to locally tackling the problems to focusing on the quality of life in Waimea.
Yukimura said education is an important lifestyle component for anyone planning a relocation. Carvalho, who’s wife is a registered nurse, said he’d talk to key stakeholders to figure out what’s needed.
Bynum, Kawakami and Kawahara all said they’d speak to state lawmakers to address the problems.
Furfaro was the only candidate to note that state lawmakers already came to Kaua‘i to discuss Hawaii Health Systems Corp.’s financial crisis. He attended the August panel discussion and noted that the main concern to surface was chronic insurance underreimbursement to hospitals for the services they provide.
Kaneshiro and Agor both said a big enough population on the Westside could support a hospital without needing state intervention.
Unity
Finally, all candidates were asked how they would unify divisive contingents within the community.
The majority of candidates stressed listening skills, building relationships and educating oneself on the issues. Government should set the example, Bynum said.
Kawakami got a few laughs with his answer and brought attention to the difficulty of uniting opposing groups.
“I can’t even get my kids to stop fighting,” Kawakami said. He added that local people have been taught not to speak up, which results in grumbling by the beer cooler.
“It’s time to be counted,” he said.
Next dump location
The mayoral candidates alone were asked about the next location of a county dump.
Carvalho said the issue should be looked at collectively by the island. He noted there are several sites identified, and the one selected does not have to be on the Westside.
“Garbage is all our responsibility,” Carvalho said.
Yukimura went one step further, saying definitely that the landfill should be located elsewhere.
“I believe it needs to be in another place besides Kekaha. It needs to be more centralized,” she said.
Yukimura also pointed to her time as mayor, saying had the subsequent two administrations implemented her blueprint for solid waste there would not be a crisis.
The forum was emceed by Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce President Randy Francisco and sponsored by seed companies Syngenta Seeds and Pioneer Hi-Bred.
The next debate will be Oct. 13 between Carvalho and Yukimura at the Kaua‘i Veteran’s Center at 6:30 p.m., followed by a council candidate forum on Oct. 16 at the same time and location.
All candidates will square off in the general election Nov. 4.
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com
