LIHU‘E — The 2010 election season is officially underway as Monday marked the first day candidates can start filing for office. Mel Rapozo was first in line at the Kaua‘i Elections Division in Lihu‘e where he filed to run for
LIHU‘E — The 2010 election season is officially underway as Monday marked the first day candidates can start filing for office.
Mel Rapozo was first in line at the Kaua‘i Elections Division in Lihu‘e where he filed to run for a seat on the Kaua‘i County Council. His entourage of supporters helped him complete the nomination papers necessary to file.
Dickie Chang and Leslie “Kipukai” Kuali‘i pulled their nomination papers to run for council but have not yet filed. Candidates have until July 20 to file nomination papers for the primary election on Sept. 18. The field of council candidates grew to 22 in the 2008 primary election.
Rapozo, who served on the seven-member legislative body from 2002 to 2008 before an unsuccessful bid for mayor, said Sunday that he is excited to get back into politics.
“I care a lot about this island and I want to have an active role in trying to survive here,” he said. “It’s asking the questions that the people want to know the answers to; that’s what the council’s job is. I’ll be that voice that brings accountability to the County Council and to the county.”
Chang, a freshman councilman seeking a second term in office, said Monday that he knows tough times lie ahead but remains positive about the potential for the future of Kaua‘i.
When asked why he pulled his papers early, Chang said he wanted to let the people know that he truly enjoys the work he is doing and is not considering any other political race.
“I really feel that my calling is to serve the people,” he said. “I don’t think anyone knows what to expect in their first term, but I love Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau and its people and I know I can contribute to the betterment of the cause for all the people.”
Rapozo, of Lihu‘e, said he considered running for the sole state Senate seat representing Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau that Gary Hooser is leaving to run for lieutenant governor. Rumors have been swirling as to who may run for Hooser’s Senate seat.
Rapozo said he decided to take a shot at the county level this time around instead because there would be more of an opportunity to craft legislation not solely related to finances.
“I think it’d be frustrating at the state level,” he said, adding that “maybe one day” he would run for the Legislature.
Preserving agriculture was one example of a county decision he wants to be a part of again.
“We worked real hard on a vacation rental bill,” Rapozo said, referring to legislation that in part explicitly banned vacation rentals on agricultural land. “This council is trying to unwind that. I don’t want to see all that work go to waste. It’s frustrating. The manipulation of that state law is disturbing.”
That said, he underscored that fiscal accountability is the most critical issue at all levels of government.
“Unless there’s some magical source of revenue, I would expect there would be some furlough days,” Rapozo said of the county’s financial outlook. “It’s just a matter of making those tough choices. The bottom line is there’s a lot of areas that are funded that are non-essential government services. Period. It’s a terrible thing to say in an election year, but the cuts are going to come. Hopefully it’s a temporary adjustment.”
As examples of possible line items to trim, he noted the sister city and festival of lights programs along with travel expenses and other non-public safety costs.
Chang said it is premature to speculate in specifics about this year’s budget, but he expects it to be “a lot more difficult than last year’s budget.”
“The big question remains, what is going to happen with the TAT tax,” he said, noting some $12 million that the state is considering taking from the county to balance its budget. “That’s a huge chunk of money. We gotta wait and see what happens. The likelihood of us keeping it is probably nil or none, but we won’t know for several months. At that time, we’re gonna have to find what gets chopped.”
When asked why he opted to not try for mayor again, Rapozo said he has been pleased with Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.’s effort thus far. There has also been much conjecture as to who, if anyone, would run against Carvalho this fall.
“If I thought he was off target, that might change my mind,” Rapozo said. “Two years is really not enough time for him to accomplish what he set out to do.”
Chang said one of the biggest things he has gained from his first 14 months in office is the ability to listen.
“There are so many things that I’ve gotten familiar with now,” he said, noting planning, farm worker housing, transient vacation rentals and affordable housing. “Sitting through all of this and that, you read a lot, you ask a lot of questions. I think I’ve become a very good and very effective listener.”
Chang also noted that while some council members have rifts with their colleagues, he has been a team player.
“I get along with everybody,” he said, noting that “the job far supersedes any expectation I ever had.”
Kuali‘i, who has run for council unsuccessfully in the past, is a longtime community organizer. His has said that his vision for Kaua‘i is for returning to resourcefulness and sustainability, and for reconnecting with traditions and values, especially malama ‘aina (caring for our island) and malama kekahi i kekahi (caring for each other).
He did not respond to a message seeking comment by press time.
Look for continued coverage of Kaua‘i politics in future editions of The Garden Island.
• On the Net: www.kauai.gov, hawaii.gov/elections.
