LIHU‘E — Twenty-two candidates have officially filed to run for Kaua‘i County Council seats by Tuesday’s filing deadline, alongside the incumbent county prosecuting attorney, candidates for the state House and Senate and some Office of Hawaiian Affairs candidates.
All seven councilmember seats are up for grabs, with eligible incumbents Mason Chock, Felicia Cowden, Luke Evslin, Arryl Kaneshiro, KipuKai Kualiʻi running for reelection.
Current council Vice Chair Ross Kagawa has reached his term limits, and ex-officio member Arthur Brun is currently awaiting trial for his alleged role in leading a meth drug ring on the island.
To run for a two-year seat on the council, candidates must be qualified voters in the county for at least two years prior to the election, provide 15 signatures from registered voters in the county and pay a $250 filing fee.
Contests for council and prosecuting attorney are determined via non-partisan elections.
Current Prosecuting Attorney Justin Kollar will be automatically reelected if he receives one vote.
The primary is Saturday, Aug. 8. Only the top 14 vote-getters of the 22 council candidates will move on to the general election in November.
The council candidates follow, in alphabetical order.
The Rev. Jade T. Wai‘ale‘ale Battad of Ke Akua Mana Church in Lihu‘e is running for the first time.
Local chiropractor Addison Bulosan owns The Specific Chiropractic Centers – Kaua‘i.
Donovan Kanani Cabebe of Koloa is a community organizer and activist protecting natural resources and emphasizing Native rights.
Former Mayor Bernard Carvalho is seeking a council bid. Carvalho won a mayoral election in 2008, replacing former Mayor Bryan Baptiste, who died in office. He was in office for a decade, until 2018, when he announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor. He finished in third in the Democratic primary of that race.
Incumbent Mason Chock has held a seat on the council since 2014. He is running for his fourth term.
Felicia Cowden joined the council in 2018, and has been endorsed by the Sierra Club, Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association and Pono Hawai‘i Initiative, according to her website.
Mike Dandurand is the owner of Kustom Sounds Kaua‘i, a mobile DJ company. Dandurand lives in Wailua Homesteads.
This is Koloa resident Billy De Costa’s fourth county council run. De Costa came in 10th place in the 2018 election.
Debralynn Desilva Carveiro of ‘Ele‘ele previously ran for mayor in 2014.
Lihu‘e resident Luke Evslin is in his first term on the council, and is running for his second. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Kamanu Composites, a Hawai‘i-based, outrigger-canoe manufacturing company.
‘Ele‘ele resident Victoria Franks is the music minister at King’s Chapel. Franks unsuccessfully ran for the state House of Representatives, District 16, in 2016, and for council in 2018.
Richard Fukushima, who ran in both 2016 and 2018, lives in Kapa‘a.
Ed Justus is the owner of Hanapepe’s Talk Story Bookstore. Justus previously served on the county’s Charter Review Commission.
Current Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro is seeking his fourth term as a councilmember. Kaneshiro, who lives in Lihu‘e, is a project manager at Grove Farm.
Incumbent KipuKai Kuali‘i of Anahola has served on and off the council since 2011, winning back a seat in 2018.
This is Jacquelyn “Jakki” Nelson’s first run for a council seat. She lives in Kapa‘a.
Anahola resident Wally Nishimura launched his second campaign for council, having run back in 2018. Nishimura holds a regional position at Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation.
Writer and self-proclaimed housewife Rory Parker of Kapa‘a is running for the first time.
Kekaha resident Shirley Simbre-Medeiros ran for council in 2018.
Naomi “Omi” Taniguchi of Kalaheo filed nomination papers on May 14.
Clint Yago Sr. of Lihu‘e has run for council and mayor in the past, focusing on traffic, homelessness and police issues in the past.
The candidates for OHA Kaua‘i resident trustee seat are incumbent Dan Ahuna of Kapa‘a, Brittny Perez of Waimea and Kamealoha Smith of Kealia.
Candidates for state representatives are listed by district. District 14 (Wailua to Ha‘ena): Steve Monas of Kapa‘a and incumbent Nadine K. Nakamura of Kapa‘a; District 15 (Lihu‘e to Koloa): incumbent James Kunane Tokioka of Lihu‘e and Steve Yoder of Wailua; District 16 (Koloa to Barking Sands, Ni‘ihau): Ana Mo Des of Koloa and incumbent Daynette “Dee” Morikawa of Waimea.
State Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi, a Lihu‘e resident who represents Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, has filed to run for reelection and is unopposed.
Cabebe, Desilva Carviero and Taniguchi did not respond to The Garden Island’s requests for pictures by the deadline for this story.
This story was updated on June 9 at 9:45 a.m. to correct Jade Wai‘ale‘ale Battad’s name and remove John Hoff from the excluded candidates list. Hoff has not filed papers for a council seat.
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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.
How to get my vote: run with a goal of reorganizing the council into 3-5 districted seats (3 existing voting districts or 5 more thoughtful divisions that don’t lump hanalei with kapaa for instance) plus the rest as at-large seats. 2020 census data is a great opportunity to do this.
You should have a specific representative fighting for your localized interests that you know how to contact. At large seats provide opportunities for up and comers to avoid fighting popular incumbents or to fight for important county-wide interests.
Think about this, why is my state rep more localized than the seven kauai county council members that all supposedly represent me? Which of the seven do I call about adding a sidewalk somewhere other than Rice Street? I shouldn’t have to call all seven. Raise the bar for our council representation.
Boycott voting in u.s. rigged and corrupt gigs with 100% criminal, fraudulent, evil connections and intent! Not Pono! HEWA Loa
…I recently heard one voter just simply state, “my votes are going to ‘natives’ so they can take real action to make change.”
Which is it “natives only’, or “real change”? ~ Or ~ Aren’t you mixing some odd, “mutually exclusive” qualifications?
Just because a repeat candidate such as Felicia, wasn’t born here, you won’t vote for her?
…Or, you (very generically speaking) mistakenly chose a young candidate you believe is a “native”, just because they went to Kauai high School?
Seems like a potentially odd litmus test.
…Just chose those who aren’t all about “lip service” and some false narrative; pretending to understand the “values of Kauai”; while possessing no “Vision” or understanding for diversifying in a survivable way.
I’m so tired of everyone pretending as if they understand the premise of “keeping Kauai Kauai”.
… As if they’re aren’t culpable and guilty of encouraging some concept which avoids “keeping” kauai’s economy “insolvent”; or “keeping” people from making a “livable wage”; or “keeping” local graduates from being able to “afford College”.
Each candidate attempts some blatent lip-service (they feel the local population needs to hear) pertaining to the “preservation of culture & values”!!
(Each candidate speech starts out with a barrage of such etiquette & protocol! ~ eye roll)
You can’t have it both ways❗ And they should, FIRST AND FOREMOST, be honest about this‼️
Ignoring the fact that the ever changing world we all live in, requires each of us to step-up-to-the-plate; or be left to squalor for scraps; serves as an unethical and immoral fact to tap dance around.
There is no “new change” without change!
…There is no ability to “diversify our economy” without accepting diversity!
For that matter there is no ability to create any type of “new future” without first accepting the “present-day realities”❗
…This has to start with admitting that no one wants to become a ranch hand or field worker again❗
(For hemp, or any other crop!)
…This has to start with accepting the fact that Kauai is not conveniently positioned along the route of any international shipping channels & infrastructures❗
…This has to start with accepting the fact that material cost and labor rates will always be higher within a restricted, isolated environment❗ Especially one that has long ago invited large multinational corporations to reap the Lion’s share the profits for the islands only true “renewable resource”❗
When all leadership and decisions up to this point have willfully chosen to give away the Lion’s share of “overnight lodging profits” to the Marriott’s, Grand Hyatts, timeshare conglomerates, Sheraton’s, & “princeville hotels” of the world; which exists ONLY TO SUPPORT THEIR OVERSEAS SHAREHOLDERS; then you create a community which is confidently pillaged of any economic backbine and/or ability to create more diverse industry❗
…And this includes the fact that 75% of all private property holdings, are sold EACH AND EVERY YEAR to overseas investors. Meaning, it is those VACATION RENTALS’s within the designated “VDA districts” which again abscond with the Lion’s share (as in 70%) of our Islands most valuable economic resource ‼️
~ PERIOD ~
…a prophet & business model which is never to be reinvested into our community ‼️
..The final deposits don’t even take place within our own local banks‼️
In other words, no one will “invest locally” or “invest into the Island’s future” (and the potential of a more diversified economy,) when they are too broke to do so❗
…And scrounging for jobs as low-level employees at large international hotels; is hardly a way to contribute to personal or community “savings & salvation”; nor that of our Islands families & futures❗
And lastly; we must stop putting in charge of crucial offices ~ such as our psuedo “County Management” in dysfunctional “County Planning” ~ folks with NO UNDERSTANDING of creating, maintaining or improving a community and/or it’s related municipalities!
…You flat-out know, if you positioned a “wannabe inexperienced attorney” in one of these positions; rather than a qualified, astute, empathetic & “educated for the role” individual; then you have completely failed the community❗
…Being a “completely inexperienced attorney”, hardly equates to having “a vision for the future”! Nor an understanding for true “planning”, economic stimulus, and/or community progress❗
ALL OFFICES, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND LEADERSHIP INVOLVED, need to immediately stop with this pathetic self-aggrandize “ideal” that County revenue, or citizen accountability, should start with lawsuits or inappropriate unconstitutional fines, threats and illegal liens; which they’re constantly attempting to levee on “owner & farmer occupied” homes & properties; destructively experienced year-after-year by the home & agg land of actually locally owned & operated citizens of Kauai❗
~ THE IGNORANCE AND HIPOCRACY IS INSANE ~
…It is all so destructively administered! And ironically at a short time in recent history, when the internet has actually invited & allowed us; for the first time despite our remote location and lacking technical resources; to actually “level the playing field” within this worldwide market of travelers & tourist‼️
Many of the younger, new batch of freshman & current council members, (who are perhaps more naive & cowardly; rather than cynically corrupt, yet) …have served as blatent shills to these ongoing false narratives and pathetically preached notions which are now regularly disseminated by some of these longstanding (8-10+ yr) County employees.
…It was a failed concept 8-10 years ago; and it’s a failed concept now, to “bolster multinational vacation and timeshare properties, along with overseas private home investors purchasing within VDAs; while attacking local, owner-occupied farms & homes❗
…It’s shameful, self-destructive (if not corruptly “lobbied”) stupidity❗ PLAIN & SIMPLE
If our local citizen’s (and I don’t mean OUR ENTIRE LOCAL COMMUNITY; not just those who were born here, pretend to be born here; or whose parents were born here,) …if these “local residents”, end up with NOTHING left at the day; then our Island ends up with no future or foundation of greater diversified economic options❗
IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE‼️👍
…NO ONE CREATES A “DIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY” WITHIN ANY COMMUNITY; WHEN THERE’S NO MONEY, SAFETY OR SENSIBLE ENCOURAGEMENT TO DO SO‼️