Fifteen Kaua‘i County Council candidates will square off in the Sept. 23 Primary Election, with the top 14 vote-getters hoping to win seven coveted council seats in the Nov. 7 General Election. Development, traffic, solid waste, alternative energy and property
Fifteen Kaua‘i County Council candidates will square off in the Sept. 23 Primary Election, with the top 14 vote-getters hoping to win seven coveted council seats in the Nov. 7 General Election.
Development, traffic, solid waste, alternative energy and property tax relief are high on the minds of voters.
This year’s race comes down to whether Kaua‘i voters are happy with the status quo, or want a change.
The incumbents — chairman Kaipo Asing, JoAnn Yukimura, Daryl Kaneshiro, Jay Furfaro, Mel Rapozo and Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho — have pointed to many successes on high-profile issues, and want another two years in office to continue working on solutions.
Instead of seeking re-election, councilmember James Tokioka is instead running for the 15th District seat in the state House of Representatives, which represents the Lihu‘e and Koloa areas.
The challengers wanting to wrest the power away from the incumbents and set Kaua‘i on a different course represent a diverse slate.
Hanalei resident George Anderson is a Navy veteran and local businessman.
For 10 years, Tim Bynum has been the coordinator of Friends of Kamalani and Lydgate Park. He is also the executive director of Leadership Kaua‘i, and a former community response specialist for Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s Ka Leo O Kaua‘i program.
Bob Cariffe’s campaign centers on ending litter.
Billy De Costa is a Waimea High School teacher and well-known hunter.
Veteran Kaua‘i police officer Joseph H. Ka‘auwai has been applauded by Baptiste and the council for developing a low-cost solution to traffic congestion in Hanama‘ulu.
Ron Kouchi is a former chairman of the council.
Monroe Richman is a retired doctor from Po‘ipu who helped to push through Ohana Kaua‘i’s tax relief charter amendment in the 2004 election.
(The county, however, has raised questions over whether the charter amendment can affect its taxing powers and has taken the issue to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court for resolution.)
Ming Fang
Kilauea resident Ming Fang said he is running for office because “our beloved Kaua‘i is in great turmoil” and because the council’s actions have compromised the quality of life for Kauaians.
“We need to address these problems aggressively,” he said. “We can no longer afford to play the patch-up, catch-up game.”
Fang favors a “comprehensive redirection that is responsive to and works for the interest of the constituents.”
A good start-off point is the implementation of the Ohana Kauai tax relief measure.
Ming said a proactive approach has to be applied to traffic congestion, development, solid waste and affordable housing problems.
“We can achieve this through open governance, direct and open conversation between the public and the private sectors,” he said.
Fang is one of four candidates Ohana Kauai has supported in an attempt to unseat the incumbents. The other three are Kouchi, Richman and Lum.
Fang was born into a traditional Chinese family in Japan in 1945. Unable to attend a Japanese public school as a child, he was instead sent to catholic missionary school, where he studied English, French and Spanish. He spoke Chinese at home and Japanese in public.
He said growing up during the American occupation of Japan forged his “sense of justice, my disdain of violence and the utter futility of war.”
He later went the United States for higher education and majored in political science at the California State University at Los Angeles.
He pursued a post-graduate degree in public administration at Pepperdine University, and after graduating, worked 14 years with Japan Airlines and United Airlines.
Fang bought land in Kilauea in 1987, and in 1993 decided to make Kaua‘i his home. He’s worked for numerous nonprofit organizations that try to improve the quality of life on Kaua‘i.
“I especially value my opportunity to serve as a Rotarian and as an active volunteer for the YMCA, “Fang said.
He is a sponsor of the Ohana Kauai charter amendment and litigant in the court case, a past president of the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay and a former boardmember of KKCR community radio. For more information, visit www.electfang.com.
George Anderson
George Anderson says the council incumbents have wielded their influence for more than 20 years — to the detriment of the island.
“For the last 25 years, elected professional politicians and lawyers haven’t solved any of our problems,” he said.
Electing one or two new council members won’t change anything, and without seven new members on the council, the county will continue to suffer, he said.
Elaborating on Kaua‘i’s troubles, Anderson named the usual suspects.
“Our housing situation is critical,” he said. “Our traffic problems are exasperating. Our police department is in chaos, our fire department is demoralized and the present County Council is spending our tax money to stop a citizen initiative for tax relief.”
While the council has pointed to certain proactive steps taken to alleviate traffic, affordable housing and other island issues, Anderson said he is tired of hearing rhetoric and wants solutions now to problems that have confronted Kaua‘i for many years.
Anderson said changes must be made in three areas.
As a former vice-chairman of the Kauaians Against Rising Taxes in 1990, Anderson said the Ohana Kauai charter amendment must be implemented.
“We must change the unfair, unjust and punitive county land tax policy of the highest and best use,” he said.
He also said the county must enforce land use laws to better control housing. Vacation rentals, he said, should be allowed in areas designated by the county.
To ease congestion on the roads, the county has to buy more buses and build more roads, with the help of the state.
Anderson also wants to eliminate certain intersections with traffic lights to achieve smoother traffic flow.
Addressing government as a whole, Andersen said the politics have to be taken out of the police and fire departments, the pandering to special interests must stop and government should focus on local needs.
Anderson is concerned Kauaians have to work two to three jobs and have lost public access to the mountains and beaches.
He also said government services have been reduced and are more costly today.
He points to the general disrepair of roads, county parks and pavilions as an example.
The council and Baptiste, however, have passed legislation to establish a fund to preserve public access, increase public services and buy new equipment, including police cars.
A Kaua‘i resident since 1961, Anderson, a great-grandfather, says he only wants what is best for the island.
He worked as a carpenter and builder for 26 years, has worked as a taro and hydroponics farmer and has designed and installed wastewater systems for 10 years.
Anderson also has run the Hanalei Farmers’ Market at the Hanalei Community Center for four years.
Anderson also has been a board member and president of the Hanalei Community Association. Community-minded, Anderson served as an American Red Cross coordinator in Hanalei during Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992.
• Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@kauaipubco.com.
Editor’s note: Profiles on the other council candidates will be published prior to the Sept. 23 Primary Election.
