Is there anything else about your background or how you identify that you would like to share?

Married for 25 yrs to my soulmate, raised 3 sons, one in the electrical union apprenticeship program and two in college in the mainland, built my own home and a local cattle rancher

What is your vision for Kauaʻi?

Kauai would become a truly sustainable island in food Security. Creating a cooperative type of community livestock ranching across our island. Create a cooperative food hub ( owned by Kaua’i stockholders) where all locally grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy and meats can be sold. The excess food would be exported to be sold on Oahu. Create a homeless Ag living park where our homeless are living in tiny off the grind houses and farming / ranching products to sell at the food hub.
These tiny homes would be built by our 3 high school building and construction programs.

Who is the most influential female figure in your life who is not in your family, and why?

Mrs. Jan Takamura

Why: She advised me twice to buy and sell my homes so I could double my money twice and finally buying our 3rd property which is 10.5 acres with 3 homes, one which I built by myself. She encouraged me to work hard at two jobs during my younger years and go get your dream don’t wait for hand outs.

Kauaʻi and other rural areas have elevated rates of youth suicide. 11% of our high school students report having attempted suicide. The risk is significantly higher for LGBT teens on Kauaʻi, with 41% reporting suicidal thoughts (YRBS, 2019).

A key factor in youth suicide prevention is making sure that every kid has a positive relationship with a caring adult in their life.
Afterschool programs and activities are key strategies to tackling this youth mental health crisis; however, we don’t have nearly enough afterschool programs on Kauaʻi to meet the need and few safe spaces where our kids can go.

What can the County do to support the increase of afterschool programs, community activities, and safe spaces for our youth?

I can tell you what I already do in my classroom at Kapa’a High. I create a safe and welcoming environment for all types of students where they feel welcomed, safe and included.

County can continue to support the existing private non profit programs by making sure our bus scheduled routes accommodate these programs. We can continue to support our county sport programs that we have and possibly extend them and or include a few more sport categories to fit all our kids needs.

Maybe even create an early dinner program to feed our kids after their sports and homework they get fed before going home.

Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that occurs in every state, including Hawaiʻi. In Hawaiʻi, labor trafficking most frequently occurs in domestic work and elder care venues (ACF/HHS, 2017).

Between 2019-2022, Child Welfare received 205 reports of child sex trafficking (AG, 2019). On Kauaʻi, there are at least 6 known child sex trafficking victims with this estimate likely being a gross underestimation (ASU/ HSCSW, 2020).

How would you address the issue of human trafficking and commercial sex exploitation on Kauaʻi?

Work closely with our local authorities

Create a mentor program at our middle and high schools to address the sort comings of these kids who need that adult mentor void filled.

The recent Dobbs decision which overturned 50 years of legal precedent has raised concerns about the possible erosion of abortion rights in Hawaiʻi. Although abortion is currently legal in Hawaiʻi and recent polls show 66% of Hawaiʻi residents support legal abortion, access to abortion services on Kauaʻi are limited, often requiring women to fly off-island for care.

If elected, would you vote for a resolution in support of strengthening abortion rights, and are there other actions you would take as a councilmember or individual to increase local access to abortion care?

Abortion is legal in Hawaii. This is not a County issue. My wife is a ICU nurse and a mother, she has educated me on the medical issues that come with a still born baby and or complications with a pregnancy. I respect the decision a woman needs to make with her body, she has the right to discuss this decision with her family, counselor and the family pastor if needed.

In 2020, there were over 400 unhoused people on Kauaʻi, many of whom (37%) are unsheltered families (PIT, 2020).

What action will you take to address Kauaʻi’s housing crisis for families? Should property tax revenue should be adjusted to invest more in affordable housing? Why or why not?

This council has address our affordable housing crisis with the resolution introduced by Council member Carvalho and myself to amend the language of our reserve fund and include housing as a crisis. This reserve fund has at any one time between 40-60 million which gives our Housing agency another tool in that tool box to address our housing crisis. Also We voted 7-0 on the 2% real property tax bill that Councilmembers Evslin and Chock introduced. This will give us about 3.7 million per year. This won’t solve all our housing issues but it is a great start.

Over 4,000 people on Kauaʻi are on the waitlist of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL, 2021).

60% of the over 200,000+ acres of land governed by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for Kānaka Maoli housing may never have homes due to the lack of infrastructure for residential housing (DHHL, 2019). Kānaka Maoli have the highest rate of homelessness in Hawaiʻi.

What initiatives will you undertake to help combat Kānaka Maoli displacement?

Working with DHHL and our State and County to fund projects that include infrastructure projects leading near and or around our Hawaiian Homes lands to help get native Hawaiians into homes. The new Governor will play an intricate part in assisting with this joint venture.

Last month, the Kauaʻi County Council unanimously voted to return the property and buildings designated for a drug treatment facility to Grove Farm.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, Hawaiʻi is designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area. Only 14.2% of the Mental Health Care need has been met as of September 2021 (HRSA, 2021).

What concrete steps will you take to ensure the mental health of our community is addressed? What can the County do to ensure individuals seeking substance abuse treatment are able to access the care they need?

Our Council returned the medical facility to Grove Farm which now gives them this opportunity to start the treatment program.

We’ve talked about housing, childcare, the displacement of Kānaka Maoli, and healthcare as separate topics. If we take a wider view, we can see these issues as interrelated and part of systemic discrimination and devaluation of women and girls.

How would you use your role as a community leader to address the impact of systemic injustices so young women and keiki can have equal opportunities to live to their fullest potential?

I will answer this question in deeper detail during our forum. I would like to say, As a teacher, my female students are empowered and encouraged among my males students. I except no excuses or handicaps only equal opportunities for my female students to excel above and beyond their own set of expectations.

Are there any other important issues for our community that you would like to address?

Farm worker / nest egg housing program

Young adults (couples or partners) can live in off the grind tiny homes with a compost toilet and portable water being brought in and they are able to work a normal job while putting in 15-20 per week on the farm, afternoons and one day on the weekend to fulfill their responsibilities of free rent. In three years they will have saved a nest egg to use as a deposit and now they can transition out into their new home. In those 3 years these young adults have help a local farm / ranch flourish with free labor.