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

With decades of experience as a community servant, as a small business owner, as a resident, and as a father and grandparent, I recognize the struggles, hopes, and potential for the people of Kaua'i. I want to work for you. With a common sense approach we need to create more living wage jobs, diversify our industries, support small business, improve our schools, remove gridlock and overreach in government, and make housing for residents a top priority. I know what it takes to find solutions, be fiscally responsible, navigate the complicated red tape, and get things done.

What is your vision for Kauaʻi?

I love to see Kauai as a .loving family orientated community with the great values of god and family. I pray we can sustain this that is what makes Kauai a great place to be part of.

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

This is actually hard question to answer. There are many.

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?

There has been research such as that published on the Aftercare Alliance web page which show that access to quality after school enrichment programs improve academic outcomes with extended learning opportunities, support social and emotional well being and growth, and are an extension of safe spaces on school days for children who otherwise may be at-risk. Working families depend on the supply, consistency, and quality of before and aftercare so they can have a peace of mind and continue to make an income. Access to quality aftercare is affected by several factors such as transportation where care is off-campus; cost of care; and lack of supply all of which had been exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic where the cost of care and operation at facilities has increased and the workforce supply is impacted. Lower enrollment has affected before and aftercare supply as well for which programs are recovering. Still if care is made available and where there is family choice, demand of before and aftercare and programs outpaces supply.

A blended funding and shared services approach (both the intergovernmental model where partnerships between State, Federal, and local government, or other publicly funded entities work together to provide funding, facilities, subsidies, services and funds; and cross-agency shared services model where local governments partners with the private sector like non-profit organizations, private corporations, or foundations). An example of this is where the State of Hawaii supports aftercare through A+ program working through the Department of Education and local school district campuses. A number of non-profit organizations directly offer before and aftercare programs off site and may have scholarships or subsidies for families. The County can look at key impact points such as advocating and educating State policy makers on local issues and need for funding to meet the needs of Kauai residents; be knowledgeable and actively looking for partnerships such as with parks, non-profits, community college, workforce, and foundations; examine the existing need with a holistic lens as every issue is multi-faceted: how might facilities, transportation, or professional pathways/development and other initiatives support in whole or in part barriers to before or aftercare?

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?

[no response]

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?

I would vote in support of access to reproductive care is essential in health care. Broad sweeping legislation prohibiting abortion is harmful and is not something politics should decide. Rather this is a medical decision between a woman and their health provider. Politics should not infringe on freedoms; nor should it decide what people medically do with their bodies, or how and even if women have access to health care. We are seeing the negative effects of other State’s prohibition on abortion resulting unsafe conditions for women, in misjustices against women, exasperating inequities, and an uptick in the need to travel great distances to receive care for those who need it.

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?

No, I do not support property tax revenue if the underlying plan is to increase the current rate of taxes putting more of a burden on residents.We need to look outside the box for revenues. Federal government grants, state grants, and above all Non profit organizations. The more we get government out the way and help non profits who are in the field of building cost affordable housing get the funding and resources they need there is a proposal out now to start a local market development which shows promise, Of course it needs a few tweaks like anything but show a initiative to have hope.

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?

We need to really get big government out of the way.

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?

This is the consequences for government inaction's not actively following up on important projects to its successful completion. [Mental health consultation as part of the system of education and care. Incentive and support the privatization of drug treatment facilities partnering with social services and contracting mental health professionals. In house treatment centers with care, food, housing ]

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?

Addressing systemic inequities and injustices requires a multi-faceted and connected approach where there is a holistic understanding of place, people, policies, histories, and structures in all areas of our society. Structural and systemic inequities cannot be dismantled overnight but we can all work toward that future. Finding key and knowledgeable partners and pivot-able pain points to focus on and move the needle away from inequity and injustice in an informed, sustainable and intentional fashion will help us work toward removing institutions, policies, cultures, and barriers to a more equitable society. Being aware of power dynamics, valuing and acknowledging community engagement and voices is required. It is a civil servant’s duty to engage with and raise up the voices of our communities to effect change. Like many other approaches, being intentional and sensitive about who is affected and ensuring they are at the table when new policies or decisions that affect them the most is important work. Approaching the work with the knowledge that there is bias and everyone has implicit biases that we can learn about and train ourselves to understand together with a strengthened-based approach to community with the idea that everyone has something to contribute and bring to the table in society will help us come together as a community and value each person in it.

Employment and wages are such examples. Actors in change cannot do so in silo and would require strategic and appropriate partners for successful planning, proposal, implementation, and sustainability. Encourage and build an economy ready for full employment. From the cradle to career, we should provide access to and encourage all of our kids to be proud of who they are, have confidence to explore and take risks and have the opportunity to benefit from those, that STEAM education is essential, and that each one of us are experts and leaders in something in our own way. Build bridges or pathways between high school and opportunities such as higher ed, vocational school, and jobs. Invest in our local economy by encouraging diversification of the type of industry and job opportunities are on our island and with an emphasis on benefiting the local workforce and community.

Women should be equally represented in leadership positions and compensated fairly and equally for the same work that they do. To that end, policy makers could support publishing salary ranges with job postings. Offering businesses anti-bias training. Micro business financing targeting women entrepreneurs has helped whole communities overseas and we should encourage and reward women here who are interested in starting their own business to do so. We have a rich and diverse cultural foundation we can call upon in our work and with Aloha, respect, and in remembering Hawaii’s past powerful women in leadership.

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

Housing is always a main issue on Kauai and especially with the exploding housing and rental increases we are now experiencing. we are losing a large number of residential housing at an alarming rate. Yes, we need affordable housing but without new infrastructure to support it and land availability to develop this problem will continue. We have stifled ourselves of economic development and growth by limiting the size and type of structures that can be built here. If we address this now it could help alleviate some of our wage issues and growth for our future.