Big Isle mayor’s race could last until fall

The Hawaii County mayor’s race took a dramatic turn when retired mayor and civil defense chief Harry Kim, known for his voice of calm during impending disasters, made an 11th-hour bid against one of his former executive assistants, Mayor Billy Kenoi.

What had essentially been a two-man race — with the heavily funded incumbent pitted against Council Chairman Dominic Yagong, 52, of Hamakua — now is wide open, political observers say, likely with no clear winner in the primary, forcing a runoff in the general.

Also running are Share Christie, Daniel Cunningham and Rand Walls.

"Billy has the strategic advantage," said Todd Belt, University of Hawaii at Hilo associate professor and Political Science Department chairman. "His supporters are always out in big numbers. … The wild card is Harry Kim, who he will take votes away from. … because a lot of people who supported Harry supported Kenoi."

The 72-year-old two-term mayor (2000-08) said he entered the race June 4 because county government has not embraced "local input, local control, local determination," a 2008 mandate that government use its resources to give voice to community members.

Kim also opposes the state’s proposal to exempt geothermal exploratory drilling from the scrutiny of environmental impact statements and assessments, testifying against it in June before the state Environmental Council.

He said he was disturbed by the passage of Act 97, which has taken away county control of geo­thermal resource permits and given it to the state.

"Geothermal is not the issue," Kim said. "The issue is local government. The issue is community involvement, community input."

His top two opponents support geothermal as part of a portfolio of alternative energy sources. Yagong says solar needs to expand as well.

Belt said the biggest issue is jobs — "who can stimulate the economy and get us more jobs," with integrity another major factor.

Yagong, a councilman for 12 years, prides himself on bringing a business perspective to the council. He left his job as district manager for Food Pantry in March to run for mayor.

He advocates prudent spending and fiscal responsibility.

To stimulate the economy, he advocates loosening the building code, contending it is based on stringent standards applicable for Florida, not Hawaii island. This would lead to affordable homes and boost the construction industry, he said.

Kim, with a master’s degree in economics, said he would work with every segment of the community to improve the economy. To help with agriculture, for example, he would ensure taxes favor farmers, that more reservoirs are dug to provide irrigation water, and he would control the fruit fly, Kim said.

"There’s no one answer."

He advocates government working with the private sector, and not getting in the way of business.

Kenoi takes credit for more direct flights to Hawaii island because the county spent $300,000 on the Big Island Visitors Bureau to encourage direct airlift. Both arrivals and visitor spending have gone up.

The mayor has also initiated a one-stop permitting system that speeds up plan reviews and approvals.

Yagong also contends public-private partnerships offer viable solutions to county problems. Rather than trucking garbage to Kona, he proposes to contract a private company to build and run a landfill facility on a 40-acre county-owned site adjacent to the current Hilo landfill, which is nearing its limit. This would create jobs but wouldn’t require the county to pay workers’ salaries and to foot the bill for a new facility, he said.

Kenoi says to expand the Hilo site would require a waste water treatment plant, so a permit may be unattainable.

Kim says he’s against any future landfills, and would prefer no waste disposals in Kona.

Yagong said Kenoi "lied to the people of West Hawaii when he said he had no plans of trucking trash from Hilo to Kona" when county workers had been doing it for two months.

But Kenoi said it was a 90-day pilot program, not a long-term policy decision.

Local newspapers and Yagong have slammed the mayor for his spending priorities, such as groundbreaking ceremonies and $20,600 for a videographer and equipment to help Kenoi with his TV show and staff training.

"People may be wondering, ‘If there’s money for this, why not for my job?’" said Belt of UH-Hilo.

Yagong, one of the mayor’s biggest critics, said he liked the local newspaper’s editorial cartoon portrayal of himself as a guard dog protecting Hawaii County taxpayers against Kenoi.

"He should have focused on dealing with core services," Yagong said, pointing to a $70 million backlog in fixing aging facilities and infrastructure.

But the mayor said he’s reduced the size of government, cutting 222 county positions and reducing the budget from $430 million to $365 million while maintaining core services. Kenoi points to parks, roadways and other projects being built during his term, saying, "It’s the perfect time to move public works projects," due to cheaper costs and lower interest rates.

Kim’s opponents say he grew the county operating budget, while serving during good economic times.

Kim says people forget the island had been suffering an economic low from 25 years of shortages due to sugar plantation closures. His predecessor had an eight-year, 100 percent freeze on hiring, maintenance and repairs.

Then 9/11 hit.

So when revenues later picked up, he recalls, he hired 300 more police and firefighters and made needed repairs.

While Kenoi has the public worker union endorsements, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, Yagong has the support of pensioners.

One of the starkest contrasts between the candidates is in campaign contributions.

Kim has resumed his low-key style, limiting donations to $10, doing his own radio spots, and has dug out his 2000 campaign sign.

As of June 30, he received $1,420, compared with Kenoi’s $388,249, which Kenoi acknowledges comes mostly from outside the county, from Oahu fundraisers and from friends in Hono­lulu and Washington, D.C.

Yagong, who has raised $15,060 as of June 30, says, unlike Kenoi, he is a political outsider, not beholden to anyone, and doesn’t seek endorsements.

"I’m a forceful guy," Kenoi countered. "Nobody has walked in and exercised any influence on me."

As for Kim’s decision to run against him, Kenoi said he wasn’t upset, expressing only aloha for him at a July mayoral forum.