LIHUE — Come learn about your candidates. All 27 of them. The Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce is hosting a political forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall to give voters an opportunity to understand more
LIHUE — Come learn about your candidates.
All 27 of them.
The Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce is hosting a political forum at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall to give voters an opportunity to understand more about those seeking office.
Candidates for the Office of Mayor, County Council and state House Representative District 15 will not only introduce themselves, but share their views on important political issues facing the island.
“We expect all of them to respond,” said Eugene K. Jimenez, chair of the government affairs committee for KFCC on the candidates expected to attend. “It’s important that they make themselves known to the community.”
Here’s how the forum will work:
Each candidate will have around six minutes to speak. They’ll be given two minutes to introduce themselves, then two minutes to answer a question or two selected by the chamber, followed by two minutes to close out their message to voters.
Candidates won’t know what question they’ll be getting, and each candidate shouldn’t get the exact same inquiry.
“We’re trying to get specific questions that won’t repeat,” Jimenez said.
The four mayoral candidates will go first, followed by those seeking District 15 seat. The 20 County Council candidates will go last.
Candidates have until this afternoon to RSVP to the chamber. Jimenez said several have so far, but expects the entire field to do so. Candidates are encouraged to attend a casual meet-and-greet with the public after the free forum.
Here’s who’s running:
The Kauai County Council candidates who will face off in this year’s primary election include all seven incumbents: Jay Furfaro; JoAnn Yukimura; Mason Chock Sr.; Gary Hooser; Tim Bynum; Mel Rapozo and Ross Kagawa. The remaining candidates running for County Council this year are: Arthur Brun; Felicia Cowden; Bill “Billy” DeCosta; Joanne Georgi; Ron Horoshko; Joseph Kaauwai Jr.; Ernest “Ernie” Kanekoa; Arryl Kaneshiro; Sandra “Sandi” Kato-Klutke; KipuKai Kualii; Tiana Laranio; Arnold Leong; and Darryl Perry.
The 14 County Council candidates who obtain the highest number of votes in the Aug. 9 primary election — two for each vacancy — will then vie in the November general election for a seat on the seven-member board.
Three mayoral candidates — Dustin Barca of Kilauea, Debralynn “Mizdebz” DeSilva Carveiro of Hanapepe and Curtis Lake of Kapaa — will take on incumbent Bernard Carvalho Jr. in the primary election. The two mayoral candidates who obtain the highest number of votes in the primary election will then continue on to the general election.
State House District 15 incumbent, James “Jimmy” Kunane Tokioka and Dylan Hooser are squaring off in the primary election for the Democratic Party’s general election ticket.
Republican Steve Yoder is unopposed in his primary election.
