Position Running For

Kauai County Council

What area(s) of the Island do you call home?

Wainiha

What is your vision for a thriving agricultural sector on Kauai and how can the County support that vision?

My vision isn’t just more farms, it’s more successful farms. Too often we celebrate agriculture while making it harder to survive in agriculture. The county’s role is to help create the conditions for success: reliable water infrastructure, roads that support agricultural operations, sensible permitting, protection of productive agricultural lands, and policies that give local producers a fair opportunity to compete. When local farming is economically sustainable, we strengthen food security, preserve open space, support local jobs, and reduce our dependence on imported food. Those are wins for everyone.

If elected, how would you engage with the business community prior to your decision-making?

I don’t believe government should make decisions in a vacuum. Before major decisions, I want to hear from the people who will actually live with the consequences. That includes local businesses, because they create jobs, provide essential services, and often see unintended consequences before government does. It also includes labor, nonprofits, environmental organizations, and residents. My responsibility isn’t to represent one interest over another. It’s to listen to all of them, weigh the tradeoffs, and make decisions that are best for Kauaʻi as a whole.

How would you help ensure that working middle class residents can afford to buy or rent a home on Kauaʻi?

Housing is the biggest challenge facing working families on Kauaʻi, and there isn’t a single solution. We absolutely need to continue building more housing, and I think our Housing Agency has done an excellent job creating momentum that we should continue.

But we also have to focus on the housing that’s already here. I want to increase the homeowner exemption for residents, create stronger incentives for property owners to rent long term at affordable rates, and shift more of the property tax burden toward homes that aren’t owner occupied. We should be rewarding the people who call Kauaʻi home, not making it harder for them to stay here.

The other piece people don’t talk about enough is infrastructure. Housing and infrastructure are the same challenge. We can fund housing projects all day long, but if we don’t have water capacity or the infrastructure to support them, those homes don’t get built. We need to plan for both at the same time.

My goal is simple: make Kauaʻi’s housing policies work first for local families. That means building the homes we need, protecting the homeowners and renters we already have, and giving the next generation a fair chance to build a life here.

How would you effectively manage budget and operations compared to the past?

I’ve spent my entire career working in public service, so I understand that every dollar in the county budget came from someone who worked hard to earn it. That means we have a responsibility to spend it wisely.

To me, every budget is a statement of priorities. I’m not interested in cutting programs just to reduce spending, and I’m not interested in growing government without a clear purpose. I want departments to define what success looks like, measure their results, and be willing to adjust when something isn’t working.

One lesson I learned in the fire department is that resources are always limited. You have to put people, equipment, and funding where they’ll have the greatest impact. I think county government should operate the same way. We should invest in programs that produce measurable results, improve the ones that need help, and have the discipline to rethink the ones that aren’t delivering.

My goal isn’t simply to spend less or spend more. It’s to make sure every taxpayer dollar is working as hard as the people who earned it.

What specific ideas do you have about economic diversification and how would you develop these areas?

To me, economic diversification isn’t about government picking winners. It’s about creating the conditions where many different industries can succeed. A resilient economy is one that isn’t overly dependent on any single sector.

The county’s role is to remove barriers to success. That means investing in the infrastructure businesses depend on, increasing workforce housing so employers can attract and retain employees, maintaining reliable water and transportation systems, and making permitting more predictable without sacrificing public protections.

I also think we should build on Kauaʻi’s existing strengths. Agriculture, local manufacturing, healthcare, construction, renewable energy, and small businesses all have opportunities to grow if we create the right environment. Rather than chasing the next big thing, I’d rather help local businesses expand, hire more people, and keep more of our economy rooted here at home.

Economic diversification doesn’t happen because government chooses an industry. It happens because local businesses have the confidence to invest, grow, and create good jobs.

What are your priorities for infrastructure investment? How would you ensure that planned infrastructure projects (roads, wastewater, facilities, bridges, etc.) on Kauai move forward in a timely manner?

Infrastructure is one of the county’s most important responsibilities because it’s the foundation that almost every other priority depends on. As a firefighter, I relied on roads, bridges, water systems, and public facilities to respond to emergencies and save lives. At The Hanalei Initiative, I’ve seen firsthand how housing, transportation, conservation, and economic development can all stall when infrastructure isn’t there to support them.

My priorities are to maintain the infrastructure we already have, invest strategically for the future, and better coordinate projects so housing, water, wastewater, and transportation move forward together instead of creating bottlenecks for one another.

Infrastructure isn’t just about building roads or facilities. It’s about building a county that works. When infrastructure works, public safety improves, housing moves forward, businesses can grow, and our quality of life gets better. When infrastructure works, Kauaʻi works.

What is your vision for effective management of the visitor industry so that economic goals are met while ensuring community and environmental concerns are addressed?

Tourism will always be an important part of Kauaʻi’s economy, but I don’t think success should be measured by visitor numbers alone. Success means supporting local jobs and businesses while protecting our natural resources and preserving the quality of life for the people who call Kauaʻi home.

At The Hanalei Initiative, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of a team that’s helped make Hanalei’s community-based visitor management a model for other communities across Hawaiʻi. One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from that work is a simple philosophy: community led, government supported. I’ve seen firsthand that the best solutions come from working alongside residents, businesses, nonprofits, and government rather than relying on any one group to solve the problem alone.

My vision is to continue building a visitor industry that is economically strong, environmentally responsible, and supported by our communities. When residents feel heard, visitors have a better experience, and government becomes a stronger partner. That’s how we protect what makes Kauaʻi special while supporting the economy that so many families depend on.

What is your solution to best manage solid waste on Kauaʻi? Please include your views on recycling, landfill site, source reduction, and other strategies.

Kauaʻi will need additional landfill capacity, and I support moving forward with that reality. But we shouldn’t mistake expanding a landfill for solving our waste problem.

The bigger challenge is that we’ve built a system where waste disappears from view once it leaves our curb. Hidden consequences weaken accountability. If we want to reduce waste, we need a system that encourages people to think differently about the materials they use and discard.

That means expanding resource recovery, focusing our recycling efforts on materials with proven value, evaluating proven waste-to-energy and other recovery technologies through pilot projects, and adopting policies that reduce waste at its source.

The goal isn’t simply finding more room for trash. It’s building a system that creates less of it in the first place.

As an elected official, what steps would you take to mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauaʻi?

As a firefighter, I learned that you don’t get to choose the emergencies you’ll face. Your job is to prepare before they happen. I think the county should approach climate resilience the same way.

Whether we’re talking about stronger storms, flooding, drought, wildfire risk, coastal erosion, or sea level rise, our responsibility is to make Kauaʻi more resilient. That starts with investing in the infrastructure that protects our communities, maintaining roads and bridges, improving drainage, strengthening water systems, protecting critical facilities, and making sure new development is planned with long-term resilience in mind.

We also need to work closely with our communities because resilience isn’t built by government alone. It’s built through good planning, strong infrastructure, and partnerships that help our island adapt to changing conditions.

My focus isn’t on political debates. It’s on making sure Kauaʻi is prepared for whatever the future brings.

What else would you like to share with the business community?

Vote Dane Smith for Kauaʻi County Council!

Aloha