Michaela Widener
Kauai County Mayor
Position Running For
Kauai County Mayor
What area(s) of the Island do you call home?
All of Kaua’i is home
What is your vision for a thriving agricultural sector on Kauai and how can the County support that vision?
My vision involves Municipal grocery stores with commercial kitchens working directly with Local Farmers and Food Vendors. In a linear model like the one we are currently in, food travels far, is packaged heavily, and creates un-managed waste as well as leaving us at risk of introducing more invasive species like the CRB. A municipal grocery store creates a local loop. It keeps dollars circulating in the community while eliminating waste. By connecting local farmers, shared commercial kitchens, and community food vendors, the municipality becomes a self-sustaining system. Municipal grocery stores help farmers by creating reliable, local sales. These government backed markets can bypass giant corporation supply chains, offer fair purchasing prices, and provide a steady demand for fresh produce. I would rather buy food from the farmer I can talk to then buy it out of a plastic bag that has been shipped here from California or Canada from who knows where being sprayed with who knows what. If we are growing our own produce we know where it is coming from and who is growing it, more ethical and safer produce is a win win for all of us.
If elected, how would you engage with the business community prior to your decision-making?
I’ve currently been going from business to business in the Kapaa town talking to the local owners and workers. Engaging in Conversations about our island and the problems it faces. So Absolutely. I enjoy research before I make any decision and anyone who lives on this island is a resident that I represent. How can I properly represent people if I don’t talk to them. Engaging with people about decisions that will effect them is critical and important, especially when it comes to small town business owners. We have a lot of independent LLCs on our island and it is my goal to help the local community and families succeed as much as possible. I cannot do that alone.
How would you help ensure that working middle class residents can afford to buy or rent a home on Kauaʻi?
I’ve looked into it and the government actually has contracts for low income housing through PRMF the problem is large-scale federal projects often go to major off-island general contractors because local contractors find it challenging or impossible to qualify due to strict compliance hurdles. Major contractors have the money and the staff to outbid them. As local government we can maximize E-procurement, using relaxed thresholds to fast-track smaller municipal contracts directly to local vendors via simplified quotes rather than complex long form biddings. We can also break up “Mega-Contracts” Large-scale infrastructure or housing projects are frequently packaged as a single massive contract, by un-bundling large projects into smaller phase-based or trade-specific solicitations, for example separating grading, electrical, and finishing, the Kaua’i Division of Purchasing can bring the scope of work within the bonding and staffing limits of local general contractors. Many local contractors lack full-time administrative staff to navigate HIePRO or HANDS. The county’s Office of Economic Development can host routine, hands-on application clinics in Partnership with HI-PTAC
How would you effectively manage budget and operations compared to the past?
Past policies for Kaua’i written by our current administration have resulted in a lot of band-aid problem solving and quick but not long term fixes. For too long they’ve been putting tape on the issue to make it stretch instead of investing in long term policies that will address the problem at its source. I will have a direct approach to problem solving investing in the people and addressing issues in a very real manner. I’m not here to get people to like me I’m here to take care of what needs to be taken care of. Infrastructure comes first and by hiring our local contractors to build the facilities that we will use to initiate our circular economy and closed loop system these investments will pay for themselves. We’ll also need people to run all these facilities. Providing jobs and income in a closed loop will only add to our budget and create surplus that we can use to continue help our communities grow. It’s about smart spending and making the right investments in our people.
What specific ideas do you have about economic diversification and how would you develop these areas?
Well I have talked extensively about Municipal grocery stores with commercial kitchens and how much that can boost our economy as well as helping local general contractors but we can also invest more in the arts. By investing in the arts we create culture and community and give people a reason to go out and spend money. An example of this would be a Tattoo festival. We have some of the most talented and well connected tattoo artists on these chain of islands. It’s also an opportunity to educate people about Hawaiian culture and bring education and history front and center, We need more Hawaiian culturally based tourism and we can marry that with local business in a balanced way. I would very much like to see land and space dedicated to an indoor Kaua’i recreational facility. A county hub for all the community that includes a large theatre space for the arts and sports facilities. We can create an all in one building that provides swimming, basketball, athletic sign ups, rock climbing, the possibilities are endless. We can also rent out the space to businesses for their board meetings or retreats. The possibilities are endless.
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?
Waste water is definitely at the top of the list. As it stand right now Joseph Tate has come up with a comprehensive plane to address our needs and I will seek his advice and assist however I can. In the meantime we have residents who are being asked to upgrade their septic system and can’t afford it. We have a Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program and by transitioning from a reimbursement model to an upfront funding structure and integrating the county and state permitting process the county can significantly streamline this process. The county could pay the $20,00 grant directly to the licensed wastewater contractor or engineer upon phase milestones , rather than making the homeowner finance the entire project.
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?
I would invest in culturally-centered ecotourism by expanding community-led site management models, funding regenerative ‘malama’ volunteer packages, and directly financing local agricultural and cultural preservation and rejuvination projects. Shifting away from high-impact mass tourism allows the county to center its visitor industry on Native Hawaiian values like malama (care), kuleana (responsibility), and pilina (connection). This transformation can be achieved through specific policy, operational, and financial investments. We can increase the county’s Product Enrichment Programs and General Fund allocations, which distribute over $120,00 annually specifically to support projects that enrich the Hawaiian culture experience and preserve natural resources. A great example of eco-tourism is the Ha’ena model.Community led management at Ha’ena State Park is the gold standard for managed access. The county should invest in similar local frameworks for other high-traffic cultural hot spots.
What is your solution to best manage solid waste on Kauaʻi? Please include your views on recycling, landfill site, source reduction, and other strategies.
I would like to attack our sold waste situation at its source and that is our system of linear economy. We need a way out and I have found the way. By decentralizing MRF facilities from large scale to small scale we can affordably create residential pick composting and recycling drastically decreasing the waste brought to the landfill. But it doesn’t stop there by re-purposing the building materials in the landfill we can build tiny homes for our house-less next to municipal owned community gardens, that bring produce to our municipal grocery stores. The answer to our waste issue is circular economy. A true circular economy aims to regenerate both nature and society. Combing homes with gardens addresses social friction and vulnerability by creating a supportive, self-sustaining ecosystem. Un-housed individuals gain stable housing, learn valuable skills, and rebuild community ties. Together with composting, recycling, municipal grocery stores, and ecotourism, we can get closer to a No Waste system and never have to worry about finding another landfill ever again.
As an elected official, what steps would you take to mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauaʻi?
I would initiate circular economy and ecotourism. Transitioning to circular economy is vital for combating global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. We eliminate waste and pollution by designing products that prevent negative environmental impacts from the start. Kaua’i can build small scale facilities that are much cheaper than a large, county-wide system. Small community compost sites and regional drop off recycling centers keep costs low, and they do not require expensive trash trucks to drive all over the island every week. We create a much smaller carbon footprint by eliminating outsourcing, shipping, and waste. How it works: Municipal grocery stores order fresh food. People buy the food, they eat it, and throw scraps into composting and recycling. The compost site breaks the food down into rich soil. This soil goes to local community gardens and farms to grow more food. The gardens and farmers sell the fresh local food back to the grocery store. Repeat. Accompanied with ecotourism we are getting closer to negative carbon footprint with every step.
What else would you like to share with the business community?
I’ve heard Skyler Workman’s ideas about bringing the trains back to Kaua’i and I believe with an electric conversion and partnering with hotels to sell tickets to guests this could be a possible solution to getting our roads back. If we can coordinate bringing back the trains with the residents and businesses it could have a significant impact on our daily lives as well as providing jobs and another source of economic growth. I think it’s a good idea and worth looking into.