When he was growing up, Jonathan Ho‘omanawanui remembers when his father gave him a piece of advice that seemed funny at the time. “If you had brains,” his father said, “you would be dangerous.” “He always reminded me that, if
When he was growing up, Jonathan Ho‘omanawanui remembers when his father gave him a piece of advice that seemed funny at the time.
“If you had brains,” his father said, “you would be dangerous.”
“He always reminded me that, if I’d hang around smart people, I might be smart one day, and if I hang around people who are senators, doctors and lawyers, I would be smarter,” Ho‘omanawanui wrote in an email.
The 49-year-old Kalihiwai resident now hopes to join those same ranks by running for the state House seat held by Rep. Derek S.K. Kawakami, D-Wailua-Hanalei.
“I want to lead our new contemporary society into the 21st century,” the Republican candidate wrote. “One of the biggest issues is ‘our leadership must align with our administrative processes’ and the only way we can accomplish this is by educating at every level.”
The married father of one son filed his nomination papers on Monday, becoming the first person to run for House District 14, one of three House seats on Kauai up for election this year.
Ho‘omanawanui has owned entertainment promotion company Islandmotive Productions, LLC since 2004 and currently serves as a liquor investigator for the County of Kauai.
The U.S. Army veteran also serves as the second vice commander of the Kauai Veterans Council and commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3855 on the island.
If elected, Ho‘omanawanui said he wants to bolster education and environmental protection efforts; increase protections for kupuna statewide; support small businesses and farming; and bring more awareness to modern, technological changes.
A big part of that, he said, is “bringing diversity, practicality and education to the round table,” while factoring in research, data compilation and statistics into the equation.
“It is not about the Red and Blue anymore — it’s about leadership, trust and accountability,” Ho‘omanawanui wrote. “A leader who has the capacity, competence and coherence. A leader who knows how to transform and interact, leading from the rear to empower his subordinates, leading from the middle by mentoring and coaching, and leading from the front by setting the example.”
All three House seats, including those held by Reps. Dee Morikawa, D-Koloa-Niihau, and James “Jimmy” Kunane Tokioka, D-Omao-Wailua Homesteads, are up for re-election.
The last day for candidates to file nomination papers for the 2014 election is June 3.
