LIHU‘E — The Garden Island spoke to mayoral candidates Derek Kawakami and Michael Roven Poai last week on some of the major issues facing the county:
The interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: This September, the adolescent drug treatment center built on land donated by Grove Farm was returned to the corporation after $7 million of taxpayer money was used to build a facility on the land. What’s the main takeaway from this situation, and what can the county do to fight the ongoing drug epidemic?
Kawakami:
It takes a village to raise a child. And it’s not just what the county can do. It’s just what we as an entire community can do. It starts at home. You know, the one common denominator that all the experts have identified is how important it is to have a nurturing and supportive home. And for the children who don’t have that type of environment, we hope that their guardians or their parents at least have it in their hearts to let them participate in one of our programs. One of the most successful programs we’ve had is the Kaua‘i Police Activities League.
One takeaway is that it doesn’t matter who runs the adolescent treatment and healing center. We’ve never had the expertise to run it in-house. All of the studies that came out said that it would be a monumental task, so I’m fortunate that Grove Farm stepped up.
For over a year, we’re waiting for Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation to run it as they had intended to, because I do think, personally, having a state hospital that has subject-matter experts and the resources to tap into would be probably the best path forward. But I can also tell you that there’s a great value in having the private sector like Grove Farm step in. They don’t have to go through the myriad of procurement laws and the red tape that we have to go through. It’s much more streamlined. And I think they’re going be very successful.
Poai:
It makes me sick to my stomach because (former Mayor and the late) Bryan Baptiste worked so hard to get the ball rolling. And (former Mayor Bernard Carvalho) made sure it was ready to go. Any look at what happened. It was the administration’s fault. In the meantime, some of my friends’ own children died from overdoses. It really makes me upset. I would get the thing going and get these kids help as soon as possible.
Q: Everyone running for office wants to make housing more affordable for the people who live here. The question is how to go about doing that. One proposal put forward at County Council this year would have raised taxes on vacation rentals to fund the construction of affordable housing. Do you support this strategy?
Kawakami:
I’ve already done that. When I was a councilmember before becoming mayor, I was the one that increased the property-tax rate on vacation rentals. I allocated a portion of the increased revenue to Parks and Recreation — and the lion’s share of it went to support the housing agency with affordable housing.
I don’t know (if I would support a further increase). We raised that tax back when I was on the council because the housing agency needed the additional funds. We didn’t know where to make the cuts, so we had to raise revenue.
Before we even look at taxing anybody, we would have to look within our means to fund housing initiatives.
From everything that I’ve heard, I think we should be able to fund housing sufficiently for the upcoming budget.
Poai:
I would be for that.
The cost is so much now, there’s no such thing as affordable housing. I have a coworker who moved into just a studio up in Kapahi, and they told them $800. When he went to move there, somebody had offered more money. They said now it’s $1,500. It’s ridiculous.
Q: The benefits provided by the County Utilities and Rental Assistance program, which helped renters avoid eviction during the COVID-19 pandemic, are being reduced as federal funding dries up. Without these funds available, what can the county do to prevent evictions amid rising rents?
Kawakami:
I would be hard-pressed to say we can fill that need once the federal money runs out because it was a huge injection of money that really helped us get through the worst of times.
Now, for those people who are going to need continued assistance — whether they have a disability or if they’re hard-pressed for child care — we always take those families into account. Right now, the one thing that I’ve heard from many employers is that they’re still waiting for their workers to come back to work. I’m not sure if many of these workers moved away, or if some of these federal programs help them to spend more time with family doing other things. But we’re going to have to take a look, case by case, as people come through our door asking for assistance.
We do anticipate that many of these families that are part of the federal-support programs are going to be coming through our office to look for additional means of support, and our doors are going to be open.
Poai:
Many people will start going back to work. They spoiled all these people. They decided to keep taking the free rent rather than choosing to go back to work. I’ve talked to a lot of my friends. One told me “Why do I go back to work?” They got free rent and even paid-for electric.
Q: Last week, the county passed a historic sea-level-rise-adaptation bill, making it one of the first municipalities in the nation to regulate construction based on long-term projections for climate change. What more can the county do to prepare for the effects of climate change?
Kawakami:
Well, we’re already doing quite a bit. I was on the board of directors for KIUC, when we decided to put our electric utility on the path of renewable energy. And now there are sunny days out there where we’re getting 100 percent renewable. I think one of the biggest things is that it boils down to individual behavior.
We as a government can create a framework to get us on that path. But the biggest impact is always going to be from the people themselves — how they choose what type of products they buy, companies that they support, and making conscious decisions every day as consumers.
Poai:
I would bring fairness into government and make everyone equal in terms of the contractors and permitting.
There’s a bunch of people saying that Zuckerberg wants to get rid of the reef so he could bring his yacht in. But I’m pretty sure that’s almost impossible, you know? I believe the federal government would never let that happen.
Q: Voter turnout was low this year, with only 38.5 percent of eligible voters casting ballots in the primary election. What would you say to someone planning on sitting this election out to get them to get out and cast a ballot in your favor?
Kawakami:
Everybody has an idea of what they think their government should represent. And the easiest and best way to be counted is to take a few minutes out of your day, take a look at what candidates appease you — whether it’s philosophically, politically or if it’s just somebody that you like — whatever it takes to put some check marks next to a box on election day. It’s simple and it’s kinda fun, to stay up at night and see how your candidate did.
Poai:
I’m there for the people, and I care about this island, and that’s the reason I’m running. I worked for the county for 24 years and this is my number-five mayor. Enough is enough. All you need is two bad apples in the administration and it brings everybody down. My people are ready to go. You’ve got to be fair and honest for the people.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
