At least 32 Kaua‘i residents filed nomination papers for elective office as of the deadline yesterday, including incumbent members of the Kaua‘i County Council who will be competing against 10 other challengers for the seven-seat council. Incumbent Kaua‘i Sen. Gary
At least 32 Kaua‘i residents filed nomination papers for elective office as of the deadline yesterday, including incumbent members of the Kaua‘i County Council who will be competing against 10 other challengers for the seven-seat council.
Incumbent Kaua‘i Sen. Gary Hooser and incumbent House Reps. Hermina Morita, Ezra Kanoho and Bertha Kawakami also will seek re-election, and all have opponents. Seeking re-election as well is Don Cataluna of Koloa, a trustee representing Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau on the board of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Leona M. Kalima of Lihu‘e filed to challenge Cataluna. With no mayoral election for two years, the hottest race figures to be the Kaua‘i Senate race, pitting Hooser, a Democrat, against Republican challenger and former Kaua‘i Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
Seeking re-election are councilmembers William “Kaipo” Asing; currently the council chairman, vice-chairman James Tokioka; Joe Munechika, Jay Furfaro, Mel Rapozo, Daryl Kaneshiro and JoAnn Yukimura.
Their challengers include: Timothy Bynum; Robert Cariffe; Peggy Field; Shaylene C. L. Iseri-Carvalho, a deputy prosecuting attorney who also took out papers, but did not file, to run in the prosecuting attorney’s office race; Johnette K. “Kaui” Kahalekai; Rhoda Libre; Bruce Miyashiro of Kapa‘a; Bruce Pleas of Waimea; Rupert Rowe of Koloa; and Turner Marshall of Lihu‘e.
