Four of the nine seats on the Honolulu City Council are up for grabs this election season, and voters in two of those Council districts will be choosing from a fresh slate of candidates.
Council members Ernie Martin and Carol Fukunaga are seeking new four-year terms, while members Stanley Chang and Breene Harimoto are forgoing re-election bids to seek other offices.
Much is at stake with the Council expected to take on several key issues in the next few years. Among the hot issues: approvals for several landmark land use development proposals, how best to tackle affordable housing and homelessness, and whether to support extending Oahu’s half-cent tax surcharge for any possible extensions to the upcoming rail line.
With Chang running for Congress and Harimoto opting to make a state Senate bid, Council District 4 (East Honolulu) and District 8 (Aiea-Waipahu) feature the more wide-open and competitive races to watch.
It’s rare to see no seasoned veterans running in a Honolulu Council race, but that’s the case in District 8. All four candidates have worked for various government agencies, and three have at least some familiarity with Honolulu Hale. Three of the four are current or former members of the area’s neighborhood boards.
Brandon Elefante, the first to announce his candidacy, has been an aide to Harimoto for about four years and has his boss’s endorsement. A lifelong Aiea-Pearl City resident, he is a former member of the Aiea Neighborhood Board.
Also counting on her City Hall experience is Baybee Hufana-Ablan, who worked for three mayors and has held the titles of Neighborhood Board Commission executive director and senior adviser in the Department of Emergency Services. Currently operations manager of a medical supply company, she is a member of the Pearl City Neighborhood Board.
Pearlridge resident Russ Grunch, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and federal civil servant, is a member of the Aiea Neighborhood Board.
Pearl City resident Brysen Poulton is a small-business owner and onetime City Council liaison to boards and commissions and the Legislature. He previously held positions in two other state agencies.
The District 4 election is also being closely watched at Honolulu Hale.
Former state Rep. Tommy Waters, who served in the state House from 2002 to 2008, is the only one of four candidates to have held elective office. An attorney, he moved to Kahala from Waimanalo in the last year.
His late candidacy will face several hardworking campaigns that have been working the area for months. Trevor Ozawa, an aide to Chang for a brief period, has the support of most of Chang’s key backers. The attorney is a lifelong East Honolulu resident.
Hawaii Kai resident Natalie Iwasa is a certified public accountant and Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board member. Known by many as "Bike Mom" because of her support for bike-friendly programs and initiatives, Iwasa often testifies at the Council as an advocate for fiscal responsibility and transparency.
Also in the race is small-business owner Carl Strouble.
Fukunaga, a former state senator, won the 2012 Council District 6 special election to serve out the two remaining years on the term of Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned to run for Congress. To do so, Fukunaga beat out 15 other candidates. This year’s field features only four candidates.
Sam Aiona, former Hawaii Republican Party chairman and onetime state representative who finished second to Fukunaga in 2012 by about 1,300 votes, is seeking a rematch this year.
An interesting entry into this race is Joli Tokusato, a hotel worker and member of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 5. Tokusato is active with the "Aikea" grass-roots movement, which expressed frustration that Fukunaga’s Public Safety and Economic Development Committee twice shelved Bill 16, requiring a property owner who seeks to convert a portion of a hotel into a condominium to obtain a permit. The permit would be denied if found to have a negative impact.
Also in the race is Makiki resident Steve Miller, a small-businessman who finished ninth out of 16 in the 2012 special election.
In District 2, Council Chairman Martin faces off against two political newcomers with backgrounds that reflect the diversity of the Council’s most far-flung district.
Dave Burlew, a Waialua resident, has a farm in Punaluu and is a member of the North Shore Neighborhood Board. Longtime Mililani resident Dan Hara is a financial adviser and former economic consultant.
City Council elections are nonpartisan and are conducted in a runoff style. Any candidate who garners half of the votes actually cast plus one vote on Aug. 9, what’s known as the first special election, wins election outright. Otherwise, the top two candidates advance to a face-off on Nov. 4, what’s known as the second special election. New terms begin Jan. 2.
Besides Chang, Council members Ikaika Anderson and Joey Manahan are also running in the Democratic primary of the 1st Congressional District election. Unlike Chang, however, who has chosen a Council re-election bid, Anderson and Manahan are both in the middle of four-year Council terms. City law allows them to run from "safe harbor" and does not require them to resign to seek congressional office.
Should either Anderson or Manahan win the congressional seat, a special election would be held to choose a replacement, just as a winner-takes-all special election was needed in 2012 to replace Gabbard.
