As residents of state House District 46 prepare to cast their vote for a new representative, two friendly rivals are spending the last weeks of their campaigns trying to convince potential constituents that they have what it takes to meet the myriad needs of Oahu’s largest and arguably most diverse political district.

Larry Sagaysay, 59, and Gil Riviere, 51, are vying to succeed Democrat Michael Magaoay, who vacated his seat in an unsuccessful bid for the state Senate.

Sagaysay, a retired Hawaii Army National Guardsman who spent 10 years as Magaoay’s office manager, garnered 1,234 votes in the primary election to easily defeat three Democratic challengers. Riviere, a mortgage banker and president of the Waialua Little League, ran unopposed on the Republican side and received 656 votes.

As both candidates noted, the district is composed of communities with distinct values and priorities.

"We have Poamoho and Kunia, which are very concerned with agriculture because they live it," Riviere said. "Then there’s Schofield Barracks and Wheeler (Army) Airfield. There’s Waialua and Haleiwa, where I live, and we like our lifestyle. And we have Sunset Beach, Kahuku and Laie, which are all very different. I’d say we’re very diverse."

While accounting for the singular needs of each precinct, the candidates said they have identified key issues of shared concern.

For Sagaysay it is homelessness. "This is a tough one for our district," he said. "People complain about it all the time, but what’s the good of complaining if you’re not going to do anything about it?"

Sagaysay said the state and city need to coordinate their efforts in a more efficient way and incorporate a multipronged approach that includes nontraditional ways of addressing the problem. For example, Sagaysay said, he would like to offer tax credits for homeowners who rent units to the homeless.

Riviere, chairman of the North Shore Neighborhood Board’s traffic and transportation committee, cited traffic as the top priority. He has already been active in pushing for a solution to the daily traffic jam at Laniakea and would like to see a comprehensive study of traffic in Waimea Valley. He said he would also push for low-cost projects to help improve traffic flow along Kamehameha Highway.

"I don’t foresee us getting a four-lane highway," he said, "but there are several areas that are wide enough at the center to put turn lanes so traffic doesn’t stack up. We also need more bus turnouts so cars aren’t stuck behind the bus every time it pulls over."

Both candidates say their broader plan for the state is helping the local economy recover from nearly three years of recession.

Riviere said he has found voters receptive to his message of fiscal conservatism.

"We’ve got to balance the budget however we can," he said. "People understand what’s going on with the economy. This is our chance to balance the books by being fiscally responsible and not increasing taxes."

Sagaysay agrees that raising the general excise tax would be counterproductive. After 10 years on the sidelines observing the way consensus is built and leveraged in the Legislature, Sagaysay said he hopes to serve on a committee directly involved with finding ways to stimulate the economy.

"Schools, health and welfare, and everything else we identify as important issues cannot be addressed until we fix our economy," he said. "Until we do that, it’s just talk."

Neither Riviere nor Sagaysay has previously held office, yet both insist they are prepared to represent their district.

Sagaysay, who has Magaoay’s backing, said his 27 years in the Hawaii Army National Guard developed in him the attention to detail and appreciation for protocol that are necessary to succeed in government. Likewise, he said, the 10 years he spent dealing directly with North Shore constituents, sitting in for Magaoay at neighborhood board meetings and other functions, and getting to know other legislators and their staffs will allow him to hit the ground running should he win on Nov. 2.

Riviere points to his extensive community work as evidence of his willingness to fight for his community. In addition to his work with the North Shore Neighborhood Board, he also heads Keep the North Shore Country and the Let’s Surf Coalition, and represents the North Shore Chamber of Commerce on the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Coalition.