Position Running For

Kauai County Council

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

I live on the Eastside of Kaua’i, in the mauka community of Kapahi in the Kawaihau district of the Ko’olau moku

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

My vision would focus on building capacity for local producers, and requires cooperation and coordination among various partners and stakeholders. Ideally, DoE students recruited into food related programs- culinary or agriculture- could enter the workforce with some skills and experience, or further their education/training at KCC. In addition, the county could offer incentives or financial assistance to producers to gain entry to local markets and restaurants, and partner with community agriculture groups for business training and support. The county could also provide additional financial support via tax relief for local families to move unproductive lands into production for ranching, orchard crops and other food crops. In addition, we need to develop community-based commercial kitchens for producers to create value-added food products ready for consumption by locals and visitors alike, via direct sales or to local eateries and hotels. Developing partnerships, creating community, while building capacity, are keys to this crucial endeavor. The county can help facilitate this through coordination of community and financial interests.

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

The council has the ability to do workshops and conduct public hearings after drafting legislation as part of the legislative process but more importantly is the outreach efforts to the business community in the drafting of the legislation- so it is crucial that council

members reach out to community and business interests when issues arise and solutions are sought. Having connections and relationships with business and neighborhood associations, civic clubs and community interests is crucial in the outreach efforts to seek input and feedback on the related topic but the key is communicating with stakeholders early in the process and giving ample time to discuss and deliberate in a public, transparent and open process. Workshops and public hearings are perfect venues for such endeavors as well as the use of commercial, social and community media outlets via the county’s communication team.

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

Kaua’i has a housing crisis that is not going away anytime soon. Off island investors combined with limited land development opportunities has created a shortage of housing units available. Increased real estate market pressure has wreaked havoc on our available housing stock and the county can create special programs that target this working middle class population. The county should expand first time homebuyers programs for income specific populations, or prioritize particular job sectors and occupations. It’s also important to partner with community based organizations that work on financial literacy and asset development education, coupled with owner- built developments that are targeted for the middle class workforce. We need to get creative and look at programs elsewhere that could work here on the Garden Isle. Adam Roversi is a brilliant director and has developed great housing projects for the county. Let’s give him another target and provide the resources to accomplish the goal. IMUA

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

I would overhaul our county management structure from our current Strong Mayor Form of governance to a County Council-Manager Form.

Currently, the process starts with the Mayor’s team and then its presented to the council for review and amendments as needed. Then there are revisions, hearings and deliberations. This is the MOST IMPORTANT task of the council-to approve the Mayor’s operating budget but it’s a lengthy back and forth process that eats up 2-3 months every year as the council scrutinizes each department’s request.

An alternative to this back and forth, time intensive process is to have the Council/Manager Form of governance. The shift would improve on the budget process and increase oversight responsibilities as well as improve communications between council members and department heads.

As part of the restructuring, the council would hire an executive administrator to manage day to day operations and communications- reporting DIRECTLY to the council who, through their committee assignments provide guidance, oversight, and support for the departments and divisions of our county government.

Visit jt4kauai.com for more details on this proposal.

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

We know that a healthy economy is a diverse economy and the county can encourage business development in specific sectors. Due to outside influences beyond our control we have to get very strategic in our efforts to create economic stability for our island community. Supporting business development and teaching entrepreneurship to residents via partnerships with groups like SBA and the Chamber, KCC, or KEDB is a key component to building a diverse economy. The county can help to facilitate, develop and strengthen these partnerships through incentives, subsidies, tax relief. Targeting specific sectors that support agriculture, infrastructure development and construction (for affordable housing, not resorts), natural resources & conservation, food service & culinary arts, value-added products, domestic services and health and wellness should be prioritized.

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?

We have competing infrastructure issues and they all need to be resolved to address our housing crisis. The Department of Water has recently raised the alarm about their aging delivery system while our wastewater division is looking at repairing and replacing old infrastructure while building new facilities to meet our growing need for housing; the Kona district landfill crisis can has been kicked down the road for so long that we are recycling plans for the landfill to be relocated to Ma’alo Road in the Puna district.

We will need to lobby our state and federal delegations to help us with financial support in addition to issuing General Obligation Bonds or Special Purpose Revenue Bonds to help with the financing of the prioritized project.

We should also consider the development of Public Utilities Districts to develop infrastructure for our wastewater, solid waste and potable water delivery systems. These are commonly used tools by local government to help with the development of crucial municipal services and infrastructure.

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?

We need to recognize what ‘Over Tourism’ is and decide how to address the issues related to over tourism. We should reconvene with our state leaders in the hospitality

industry to redesign the state’s plan so that the visitor experience does not disrupt the residents’ desire for smaller crowds and domestic tranquility.

The state’s plan for tourism should get revamped to market Kaua’i toward families, targeting visitors who want open space and beautiful beaches, scenic vistas and recreational opportunities rather than shopping, night life and entertainment. Kaua’i should be marketed as the quiet, rural, natural beauty that she is and invite a specific type of visitor who does not want Waikiki on a smaller scale but who respects the host culture and wants an ‘alternative’ visitor experience. Kaua’i does not want or need to compete with other destinations by being bigger or better but rather as a desirable destination for the visiting families who desire a relaxing and scenic visit with multiple options for low impact recreational pursuits, including agrotourism, health and wellness retreats, and volunteer experiences that support our culture and aina.

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

In 2008 I was a community representative on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). This group, led by county solid waste personnel and consultants to develop an Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP), were all aware of the looming landfill crisis and made some recommendations: creating a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to increase diversion rates of recyclable items like paper, plastic and metals, and to separate green waste and construction debris from the waste stream heading to the landfill. Pay As You Throw (PYAT) was implemented as part of the 2010 ISWMP as well as a pilot curbside recycling collection project and the 2020 IWSMP had similar recommendations to maximize diversion programs and aggressively remove organics (food/greenwaste, paper, cardboard items) from the waste stream. I support all these measures. We need to take aggressive action IMMEDIATELY and cannot afford to burn our trash to solve our solid waste crisis.

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

As an elected official, I would encourage us to carry on with the Kaua’i Climate Adaptation and Action Plan (KCAAP) that was initiated through Mayor Kawakami’s Planning Department. I encourage residents to visit the plan online at kauaiadaptation.com and learn about the details and process that created it. We, the County of Kaua’i, spent a significant amount of time and resources to involve all sectors of our island society to gather input, feedback and concerns about the plan and the environmental conditions that are driving climate change. The KCAAP is a great example of what is possible when different groups come together with a common concern and garner government support to include others in the process of discovery, discussion and discernment to find solutions to the various challenges of our time. From housing, transportation, agriculture, and recreation, the impacts of climate change are upon us and our kuleana as elected officials is to help facilitate the adoption of strategic steps and safeguard our island home from the economic and environmental impacts that climate change will bring to the Garden Isle.

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

Mahalo for growing and supporting our community through your commercial, economic and civic activities. Your businesses are a mainstay of our local economy and provide jobs and economic growth for our island home. Your businesses provide goods and services to our visitors and residents alike while helping to make our community prosperous and resilient. This all contributes to our social and economic stability and helps us share the Aloha Spirit that makes our island home so unique and so special.

Mahalo for your many contributions to our community and hosting this forum for the benefit of democracy and our civil society. Elections and government services are an integral part of our community’s welfare and your willingness to play a vital role in this public/private sector partnership is greatly appreciated by many in our community. THANK YOU : )