Kauaʻi voted Saturday for the top 14 candidates who will campaign for 7 seats on Kauaʻi County Council.
The race was wide open with a crowded field of 26 candidates, one of the largest fields in decades for the council.
As of 8 a.m., Arryl J. Kaneshiro received 8,214 votes (6.3%), closely followed by Fern Anuenue Holland with 8,027 (6.3%), Todd R. Ozaki with 8,027 (6.2%), Michelle Kaleiohi Correa with 7,434 (5.7%), Addison Bulosan with 6,301 (4.8%)and Taylor H. Shigemoto with 5,284 votes (4.1%).
Kaneshiro, Holland and Bulosan are the only incumbents running for council seats. All three stated the biggest issues for Kauaʻi are the cost of living and housing.
Kaneshiro will support housing for local working-class residents, allow businesses to grow and thrive without barriers to develop good-paying jobs and work with private partners to develop more middle-income housing for local families who earn too much to qualify for low-income housing but cannot afford a $1 million home.
Holland plans to support funding for the Kauaʻi County Housing Agency, streamline permitting and remove barriers to developing workforce housing and drop taxes for generational families who owned their home since statehood.
Bulosan aims to prioritize local workforce housing, move affordable housing projects forward and ask for more taxes from properties not serving local housing needs.
Ozaki is currently serving in the Kauaʻi County Office of the Mayor. If elected, he plans to focus on the fundamentals that affect people’s daily lives. His priorities include putting local families first, roads and infrastructure, leading with judgment and creating trust with residents.
Correa has 17 years of experience in Kauaʻi County Department of Parks and Recreation, and if elected, she plans to strengthen the fight against drugs, expand diversified agriculture, create practical housing solutions, improve traffic and transportation, ensure fair and responsible land access and address homelessness with compassion.
Shigemoto was a banker for more than 25 years and a member of Kauaʻi United Way Board of Directors. With the motto “Kauaʻi First,” he thinks the key issues facing the county are housing, waste management, infrastructure, economic development and job creation.
The council will be expected to handle housing as well as many other familiar challenges, including aging public infrastructure, tourism’s role in the local economy, coastal resilience, wildfire preparedness and the balance between growth and the preservation of the island’s rural character.
Also finishing in the top 14 and likely advancing to the general election are:
- Paul Noboru Applegate received 5,279 votes. He is a retired U.S. Army Reserve and Kauaʻi Police Department captain with 25 years of service. He advocates strongly for self-sufficient agriculture to enhance food security and decrease dependence on imports. Public safety, emergency preparedness and community resilience remain primary focuses.
- Billy D. DeCosta received 5,073 votes. He is a former high school teacher and council member. If re-elected, he is committed to expanding opportunities for the next generation to build successful careers and ensure Kauaʻi families can work, live and thrive.
- Dane Smith received 4,761 votes. He is a retired Kaua‘i fire captain and project manager for The Hanalei Initiative, a nonprofit formed by the community in the aftermath of catastrophic floods in 2018. He’s focused on housing and the infrastructure that supports it, preservation and stewardship of access to public places, kūpuna care and visitor management and policies that allow kama‘āina can continue to thrive.
- Mike Coots received 4,110 votes. He is a Kauaʻi photographer and business owner. If elected, he wants to create an adolescent drug treatment center, push the mayor to declare a housing emergency proclamation, advocate for tiny homes and pre-approved package homes on agricultural land and fast-track permitting.
- Umi Martin received 3,990 votes. He is a West Kaua‘i farmer and business owner. He’s committed to addressing food security and strengthening the local economy as well as issues such as recycling, reducing waste, cesspools-to-sewage, landfills and housing affordability.
- Cheree Rapozo received 3,447 votes. She is a real estate agent who believes in open communication and responsible budgeting. Her priorities include health care, mental health and social service resources, responsible budgeting and protecting productive agricultural lands.
- Keola Kaiminaauao received 2,872 votes. He’s a Kauaʻi native, married with one daughter, two stepdaughters and three grandchildren, whom he said “inspire him every day to lead with heart.” His priorities include listening and amplifying residents’ voices.
- John “Scooby” Mattos received 2,394 votes. He is a U.S. Navy veteran and former firefighter/EMT at Pacific Missile Range Facility. If elected, he will give back half of his council salary to a local nonprofit, church or other community organizations. His priorities also include financial literacy for residents and incentives for farmers with responsible leadership.
The 14 candidates will continue to campaign for the final 7 seats before the Nov. 3 general election.
