Republican candidate Ron Agor and Democratic candidate James Kunane Tokioka — both boasting name recognition because of their longtime involvement in Kaua‘i politics — hope to square off for the state House of Representative District 15 seat in the Nov.
Republican candidate Ron Agor and Democratic candidate James Kunane Tokioka — both boasting name recognition because of their longtime involvement in Kaua‘i politics — hope to square off for the state House of Representative District 15 seat in the Nov. 7 General Election.
But they will have to wait for the outcome of the Sept. 23 Democratic primary.
Because Agor is running unopposed in the Sept. 23 Republican primary, he will automatically run in the general election. Agor, an architect, serves on the Board of Land and Natural Resources and has served as president of the Kaua‘i Republican Party.
In his race, Tokioka will go up against Koloa resident Linda Estes, who is running for a Kaua‘i office for the first time.
Tokioka serves as the vice chairman of the Kaua‘i County Council, has served on the council for nearly 10 years and has been endorsed by Democratic Rep. Ezra Kanoho, who is retiring after 20 years in the Legislature.
In spite of his political experience and the endorsement from Kanoho, Tokioka said he takes Estes’ challenge seriously.
“We are holding our fundraisers, and we are canvassing the neighborhoods,” Tokioka said.
All the candidates for the 15th District race, which represents East and South Kaua‘i, acknowledge traffic congestion and the lack of affordable housing are the most severe problems confronting the region, and all vowed to find solutions if elected.
The silent majority
Tokioka said he is running partly because he wants to be the voice of residents who are either too shy or too busy to attend government meetings on issues that will affect their lives.
“Many people who live on this island will not go to a public hearing, a council meeting, and especially the state Legislature, to voice their concerns,” he said.
When residents see him in the community, “they approach me and ask for assistance on many various issues,” he said.
Issues are as simple as putting up a bus stop, installing a stop sign, or as big as introducing a smoking ban in Kaua‘i restaurants, he said.
“The Anti-Tobacco Coalition of Kauai came to me as an owner of two restaurants and asked if I would consider introducing a smoking ban in restaurants on Kaua‘i,” Tokioka said. His collaboration with the group led to the ban.
“In addition, I worked with the Hawai‘i State Association of Counties to help implement a smoking ban in all four counties, using Kaua‘i’s smoking ban as a model for each ordinance that the prospective counties passed,” he said. Tokioka said pushing through legislation that benefits residents inspires him, and he feels he can be more helpful being in the Legislature.
Problems in the district
Tokioka said he sees three major problems facing the 15th district.
• Affordable housing: “At this moment, the cost to buy a home is out of reach for many young families,” he said. “I want to work to get more state lands released to develop affordable housing for now and for our children’s future.”
• Education: “We need to work on reducing the class sizes for our public schools, compensating our teachers better so we can attract the best and the brightest educators and maintain our schools so that students and teachers are proud to be apart of the public school system,” he said.
• Infrastructure: “Related to traffic coming into Lihu‘e from the Westside and Kapa‘a, we need to get the highway plans for increased lanes and by passes funded and implemented,” he said. “Related to traffic congestion in Kapa‘a, we need to get the connector roads done. Extending Pouli Road, located between the Kapa‘a Fire Station and Wahoo’s Restaurant, is a priority,” he said.
Fighting for the underdog
Tokioka knows from experience how to fight for the underdog.
He and his son, Justin Kapono, or “Pono,” made national headlines when Tokioka was kicked out his son’s dugout during a Pony State Regional tournament in Hilo in July 2005.
Pony rules allow three coaches in the dugout, but not a fourth person such as a sign language interpreter.
The Tokiokas filed a complaint claiming the league had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department upheld the complaint and found PONY BASEBALL/Softball Inc. had violated the federal law by failing to provide Pono an equal chance to participate, failing to make changes to accommodate him and failing to provide an auxiliary aide for him.
PONY agreed to pay $30,000 to Pono’s parents but did not admit any wrongdoing. Tokioka continues to coach Little League in Lihu‘e.
Tokioka said he also is proud of supporting property tax relief legislation that has helped longtime residents remain on the island.
He and the council adopted a 2 percent cap on yearly tax bills for thousands of residents who own and live in their homes.
Tokioka also is the father of a 6-year-old daughter. He graduated from Kapa‘a High & Intermediate School in 1979 and earned an accelerated degree in restaurant and hotel management from accredited courses offered at Cornell University.
Party politics
A lifelong Democrat, Estes said she has become increasingly upset with the Bush administration and a Congress dominated by Republican legislators. Their agenda, she says, hurts the working people, the elderly and the poor.
Their record on protecting the environment is equally poor, she said.
That’s why Tokioka’s decision to leave the Democratic Party in favor of the Republican Party nearly floored her, she said.
“So when the Democratic representative of District 15 announced his retirement and endorsed a Republican who had supported Bush but was willing to change his registration to run in the Democratic primary, I was offended,” Estes said. “I don’t think that you can adopt the values of the Democratic Party simply by changing your registration in order to enhance your chances of being elected.”
“She is about negative campaigning, and I am about positive campaigning,” Tokioka countered.
Tokioka said his political views have changed and evolved, and he joined the Democrats because the party’s goals are in line with his own.
Estes said she wrote letters to The Garden Island about Tokioka’s decision to change parties, calling it a “good old boy political deal” to enhance his chances at winning the legislative seat.
“The Democratic voters of District 15 would not accept a Republican masquerading as a Democrat as their candidate in the general election,” she said.
Addressing the issues
While Tokioka has framed his campaign around critical issues, Estes wants to address issues that she says are closest to the hearts of voters in the 15th District — a good public school system, care for elderly parents and affordable housing.
Residents are keen about the impacts of unplanned and controlled development that has spawned traffic congestion and diminished ocean views and beach access, Estes said.
As a state legislator, Estes vows to support efforts to have developers pay their fair share for infrastructure and require traffic studies before development is approved.
To improve education in the 15th and other districts in the state, she said she would support more funds for educational programs even if it means a tax increase.
Affordable healthcare more affordable and the construction of affordable housing on state land are also platforms, and she said she would also advocate more services and programs for the elderly.
Estes’ background
Estes moved to Kaua‘i in 2000 and entered public service soon after, serving as a board member of the Koloa Community Association from 2002 to 2004.
She is a member of the Kauai League of Women Voters, Malama Maha‘ulepu, AARP and Sierra Club. She also was a founding member and vice-president of the ‘Omao Road Community Association.
Most recently, she walked the picket line for striking nurses at Wilcox Hospital and contributed to a strike fund.
A chairwoman of the Democratic Party precinct, she said she was elected as a delegate to the Hawai‘i Democratic State Convention in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
She also served as a Kaua‘i delegate on a committee of the Hawai‘i Democratic Party.
A founding member of the Patsy T. Mink Political Action Committee, Estes said she is endorsed by the Hawaii Government Employees’ Association, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, a Mink PAC and state Rep. Mina Morita of the 14th District.
Before making Kaua‘i her home, Estes retired as the associate director of the Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of New Mexico after a 32- year career in athletic administration. She has a master’s degree in public administration.
The Linda K. Estes Giraffe Award was created in her honor, and recognizes persons in New Mexico who have taken personal and or professional risks to stand up for what they believe to be right.
(Ron Agor will be featured in next Sunday’s political column).
• Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@kauaipubco.com.
