Senate District 12: Democratic newcomer has momentum, but GOP voters may hold sway

Community activist Sharon Moriwaki is heading to the Nov. 6 general election with momentum from her defeat of incumbent Brickwood Galuteria in the Democratic primary for the Senate District 12 seat, which spans Kakaako to Waikiki.

After besting Galuteria, it would seem unlikely Moriwaki would falter against a Republican contender for votes in McCully and Moiliili. However, she may have to keep pushing to beat challenger Lynn Barry Mariano, a combat veteran whose campaign might resonant with the more conservative voters in Kakaako, Waikiki and Ala Moana.

Mariano, 61, grew up in Kalihi-Palama, graduated from Farrington High School and attended Chaminade University of Honolulu and the University of Hawaii Reserve Officer Training Corps. He is married to Jade Mariano.

A retired U.S. Army major with two bronze stars who was previously assigned to the Pentagon, Mariano serves on the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board and was appointed by former Gov. George Ariyoshi to the West Honolulu Subarea Health Planning Council.

Mariano, who returned to Hawaii nearly four years ago, works as a program manager at Camp Smith and is an adjunct professor at Chaminade. He said he is ready to serve his community with insight from a career that took him around the world.

“Hawaii has a one-party system that has been in place for over six decades with the same agenda of increased taxes and uncontrolled spending,” Mariano said. “I will bring fresh ideas and new vision.”

Mariano said he wants to keep taxes in check but supports “living wages” legislation, tax credits and incentives for emergency first-responders and physicians, and increasing rent-subsidy programs to maintain affordable housing for seniors and families.

He also wants to develop long-term solutions for homelessness, including tougher laws to improve public safety and keep public spaces accessible to all.

Waikiki Neighborhood Board Chairman Robert Finley, Mariano’s longtime friend and political supporter, said the candidate will have a good chance in Waikiki, which has a larger percentage of military retirees and Republicans than other districts.

“He represents new viewpoints. To me, (Moriwaki) has been part of politics since Gov. John Waihee’s administration, and you’ll get more of the same thing with her,” he said.

Campaigning in the many Waikiki and Ala Moana condominium towers is challenging, but Mariano has made himself extremely accessible, Finley said.

“He’s really made a point of getting out there and shaking hands,” Finley said. “He’s working very hard to win.”

It might not be enough. UH political science professor Colin Moore predicts a solid victory for Moriwaki, who once worked for him at the UH Public Policy Center.

Moore said Moriwaki, the founder and president of Kakaako United, is a longtime community activist who can “articulate what people are worried about in Kakaako, a rapidly changing area of the city.”

As a Democrat in Hawaii, where party identity is strong, Moriwaki “will have a lot of steam heading into the election,” Moore said.

“I think she’ll have a strong victory. There’s no reason to believe that it would be an upset.”

Moriwaki, 72, an attorney, lives in Kakaako but grew up in the Sheridan and St. Louis Heights area. A graduate of Kaimuki High School, she earned a doctorate from the University of Southern California and a law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

She served as deputy director of the Labor Department and director of Human Resources in the Waihee administration. Moriwaki also served in the Judiciary as the administrative director of courts and was an assistant vice president at UH.

She is married to former state Rep. Galen Fox, who stepped down from his post after he was convicted in 2005 of sexual misconduct for touching a woman seated beside him on an airplane.

Moriwaki said the incident happened before she met Fox. She said her husband’s past is a nonissue in her campaign, which has been about her “own merits.”

Moriwaki said she’s been reaching out to all voters, regardless of affiliation, and is not worried about relative newcomer Mariano’s potential appeal to Republicans in Ala Moana and Waikiki.

“I won every precinct. I should think what’s resonating with the community is finding someone that would listen to them. I’m a lifelong Democrat, but I believe there are good people regardless of party that want to do good for all of us,” she said.

Moriwaki said the key aspects of her campaign — focusing on increasing affordable housing, improving kupuna care and reducing homelessness — are important to all district residents across party lines.

“My mantra is that we should get back to caring for each other. Government is to serve ‘we the people,’” she said. “I intend to serve everyone.”