Position Running For

Kauai County Council

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

I currently live in Lihue with my wife, our seven-year-old daughter, and our four-year-old son. I was born and raised on the west side, with my home in Kalaheo and much of my childhood spent with my Cabral grandparents in Hanapepe Heights and my Ozaki grandparents at the Robert’s Hanapepe store. Those places and people shaped me, and they remain a big part of how I see Kauai today.

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

My vision for a thriving agricultural sector is one where real farmers and ag-related businesses have a fair opportunity to succeed. I do not believe government can guarantee the success of any business, but government can create an environment where agriculture is not made harder than it needs to be.

That means protecting agricultural land for actual agricultural use, supporting practical tools like agricultural tax relief, and making County processes clear, predictable, and timely. It also means focusing on the basics that affect every business: reliable roads, water, drainage, wastewater, solid waste, and public safety.

The County and State should continue reducing unnecessary barriers for farmers, support appropriate farmworker housing, and improve and maintain infrastructure. Agriculture has unique challenges, but the foundation is the same as any business: government should provide fair rules and reliable infrastructure, so people willing to do the hard work have a real chance to succeed.

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

Engaging with the business community would be a natural part of my decision-making process. That includes but is not limited to small business owners, those representing our major employers, industry groups, nonprofit partners and the rest. I recognize that I don’t have all the information, and I am willing to ask questions. I believe that one of my strengths is relationship building.

My commitment is to keep Kauai families top of mind when making difficult decisions. Those families include working people, small businesses, employers, public sector workers, community groups, clubs, nonprofits, youth organizations and everyone who helps make this island function. Business is a big part of that equation, as it proides jobs, services, opportunity, and support for our community.

My experience in the private sector and in small business, County government, and community work has helped me build relationships across many areas. That matters because good decisions are not made in isolation. They come from listening, asking practical questions, understanding impacts, and staying focused on responsible growth while protecting what makes Kauai special.

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

Housing is directly tied to the cost of living, and we need to be honest about how difficult this issue is. The County cannot control the price of imported goods, gas, interest rates, or national inflation, but we can control local decisions that affect whether homes get built.

I would support efforts that produce housing across different income levels, including entry-level housing, affordable rentals, workforce housing, first-time homebuyer opportunities, and options for families who earn too much to qualify for subsidies but not enough to buy a market-rate home. Projects like Lima Ola show that public-private partnerships and County-owned land can help create real opportunities when done responsibly.

The County’s role is to provide reliable infrastructure, protect public health and safety. That means investing in roads, water, wastewater, drainage, and solid waste capacity, while reducing unnecessary delays in permitting and review. I would also support safeguards that keep workforce homes for local residents and discourage treating them purely as investments. I will support decisions that help working families live, work, and stay on Kauai.

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

I believe the County’s budget process is fundamentally sound: the administration proposes a budget and operational plan, the Council reviews and approves funding, and both sides have a responsibility to communicate clearly with the public throughout the year.

The administration and departments are the subject matter experts doing the work. The Council’s role is not to micromanage operations, but to ask good questions, understand priorities, provide oversight, and make sure taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly.

What I would bring is direct experience with County operations, capital improvement projects, budget preparation, project execution, and Council briefings. I have seen how projects are developed, funded, delayed, reported, and most importantly, completed. That experience would help me ask more practical questions and better understand what is actually happening behind a budget number.

I would push for clear communication, respectful dialogue, realistic timelines, and accountability without turning every issue into political theater. Good budgeting is about aligning resources with priorities and delivering results.

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

Economic diversification will not come from government picking winners or forcing particular outcomes. The County’s role is to provide the foundation for a thriving business environment. That means reliable infrastructure, public health and safety, clear and timely permitting, and support for workforce development through partnerships with education, unions, businesses, and nonprofits. We should make it easier for people with good ideas to take a risk, start a business, hire local people, and keep dollars here. Diversification will come from our people.

Specific areas I would support include local agriculture and value-added products, construction and skilled trades, manufacturing, creative and technology-based businesses, professional services, and businesses that support local families beyond the visitor industry. I also believe housing and infrastructure development are part of economic diversification because they create good jobs, support skilled labor, and keep more money circulating in the local economy.

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 my top priorities because it affects everything: housing, business, public safety, cost of living, and quality of life. My focus would be on delivering the basics: roads, bridges, wastewater, solid waste, and essential County services.

Having worked directly on County infrastructure and the Capital Improvement Program, I understand that moving projects is not as simple as approving money. Projects require planning, design, permitting, procurement, coordination with utilities and other agencies, construction management, and communication with the public.

Most of that is the function of the Administration, but as a Council member, I would help move projects forward by prioritizing infrastructure in the budget, asking practical questions, tracking timelines, and holding the administration accountable without micromanaging the departments doing the work. I would also pay attention to project management capacity, because funding projects without enough people to deliver them creates delays. My experience allows me to understand real bottlenecks, challenge weak explanations, and communicate clearly with the public.

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?

My vision is a visitor industry that supports jobs, County services, housing, and small businesses without overwhelming residents, facilities and gathering places. Tourism is part of Kauai’s economy, and visitors already contribute through the County TAT and through higher real property tax rates on hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, and non-owner-occupied properties.

Effective management should be practical. I would support policies that direct visitor-related revenue toward visitor impacts: roads, parks, beach access, solid waste, wastewater, public safety, affordable housing, and protection of natural and cultural resources. That benefits our families while also improving the visitor experience.

We need honest cost-benefit analysis and balance. Environmental and community concerns are valid. Solutions should be targeted, measurable, and realistic. We must respond when our infrastructure resources are strained, without harming the industry that is an economic driver and supports many small businesses and creates jobs. Protect Kauai, support working families, and manage tourism in a way residents can live with.

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

The Kekaha Landfill is one of Kauai’s most urgent infrastructure issues. My first priority would be moving forward with the Kekaha landfill expansion to buy needed time, while continuing the planning, permitting, design, and construction process for the new landfill site at Ma’alo or the final approved location.

At the same time, we need to think ahead and continue evaluating recycling, materials recovery, source reduction, reuse programs, and technologies such as waste-to-energy. Every strategy should be evaluated honestly for cost, feasibility, environmental benefit, and impact on residents and businesses.

Source reduction is important, but we should be careful not to pass policies that unintentionally place the greatest burden on local businesses that have limited resources.

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

Kauai should address climate change through practical resilience, not just broad statements. As an elected official, I would focus on decisions that protect people, infrastructure, and essential services before emergencies force reactive and more expensive action.

That means strengthening roads, bridges, culverts, drainage, wastewater systems, coastal access, and emergency response facilities. It also means using the best available data, including sea level rise and flood mapping, when making land use, permitting, and infrastructure decisions. We should avoid placing new infrastructure in obvious hazard areas and plan carefully for areas already at risk.

I would support continued updates to the County’s climate adaptation and hazard mitigation work, while making sure recommendations are realistic, prioritized, and financially responsible. Some solutions, such as relocating infrastructure or changing coastal uses, can be extremely expensive and disruptive, so decisions should be based on risk, cost, timing, and community impact.

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

I was born and raised on Kauai, and I am now raising my own family here. My perspective comes from living here, working in the private sector, owning a small business, coaching youth sports, and serving in County government through the capital improvement program, and the budget and finance committee.

I am running because the decisions the County Council makes directly affect local families and their ability to live, work, raise children, and build a future on this island. I do not believe government has all the answers, and I do not believe every problem is solved by another program or another layer of regulation. But I do believe government has a responsibility to provide reliable basic services, make fair and practical decisions, communicate clearly, and stop making it harder than necessary for residents and businesses to thrive.

The business community is a major part of Kauai’s strength. We create jobs, take risks, support local families, and help keep our island functioning. I am ready to serve, and I humbly ask for the opportunity to do so.