Six candidates are vying to represent Senate District 21 — half of them inspired to run for the Leeward Coast seat because of incumbent Maile Shimabukuro’s special session vote last year in favor of gay marriage.
Republicans Tercia Ku and Johnnie-Mae Perry and independent Ruth A. Brown said the incumbent is vulnerable because they believe a majority of residents on the Waianae Coast are opposed to same-sex unions.
Shimabukuro, an attorney, must first overcome a challenge from former state House member Michael P. Kahikina in the Democratic primary, while Ku and Perry will face Randy Roman Jr. in the Republican primary. Brown is a lone nonpartisan.
Shimabukuro, 43, has been a state senator since December 2010, when she was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to fill the seat vacated by Colleen Hanabusa, who was elected to Congress. Shimabukuro was a state House member since 2003.
She said she maintains a philosophy of taking care of those who are most vulnerable, and her focus during the past legislative session was on victims.
She passed bills to provide hooponopono (the Hawaiian practice of reconciliation) for juvenile offenders and their victims and to allow abused children to change their names in divorces and sue the perpetrators. She also passed bills to increase disclosure of financial conflicts of interest of key decision-makers and got $50,000 allocated for illegally dumped tires.
Shimabukuro also won $1.5 million in improvements for Makaha Elementary School, as well as approval for a study that will look at relocating the Nanakuli Avenue crosswalk, which has drawn complaints because of speeding drivers.
One of her goals next session is to tackle the homeless and affordable-housing problems by looking at indigenous architecture and natural building. Shimabukuro hopes to come up with some building guidelines that will help clear the way for house construction with more affordable materials.
In addition, she wants to look into the possibility of allowing mobile homes and shipping containers as houses and allow them on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands or Hawaii Community Development Authority lands.
"It’s a radical idea," she said. "People are afraid of blight, but the Leeward Coast has been dealing with this issue for a long time."
Kahikina, 64, a longtime affordable-housing advocate and nonprofit professional, said he is committed to removing obstacles and working on solutions to the homeless issue.
"You have to look at the whole situation," he said. "There is too much division. Too many times the government is the enemy of the public."
Kahikina was a member of the House from 1994 to 2006 and served as Housing Committee chairman. He is currently a DHHL commissioner and executive director of Kahikolu ‘Ohana Hale ‘o Wai‘anae, a nonprofit that works for transitional housing, among other things.
Kahikina, an ordained minister and former member of the Waianae Neighborhood Board, pledged to work for better schools, an educated workforce on the Leeward Coast and an economy where people can make a livable income.
Ku, former Republican Party chairwoman for Honolulu, said homelessness continues to be a major problem on the Leeward Coast — one that needs more attention with social services and investment to help clean up the community. Education and economic development will also be top priorities, she said.
To deal with Farrington Highway congestion, Ku, 56, said she would create pullouts for bus stops and establish a pilot program with contra-flow lanes to help with traffic flow during rush hour.
Perry, Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board chairwoman, said there’s a lack of leadership from the incumbent regarding the illegal dumping of sludge from the Hawaii Kai dredging project.
"Reading the legal documents, the developer violated the permits … and still the ‘sludge or spoils’ remains in our community," she said.
Perry, 61, said the local public school curriculum is lagging behind other island and mainland schools, leading to poor academics.
"We need professional educators, administrators and staff that are willing to work beyond their contracts and committed to their students’ achievements as if each student is a family member," she said.
Republican Roman, 40, an electrical contractor, said he voted for Shimabukuro and likes her ideas and values. He said he wouldn’t have a problem if she were re-elected.
He said he entered the campaign as a way of pushing her to "keep her on her toes" and to make her "stay fresh."
If elected, he would work to better equip teachers and give them incentives so they can stay on their jobs on the Leeward Coast. He would also bring together agencies that serve youngsters to better support the schools.
Brown, a substitute teacher, said she was motivated to run by what she called the "irregularities" of last year’s special session. The Legislature, including Shimabukuro, refused to let the people vote on the issue of same-sex marriage, as many demanded, and ignored the will of the people, she said.
To deal with the government misconduct, Brown said she wants to return more control to the people by establishing term limits, a recall for elected officials and an initiative process for putting issues on the ballot.
"It’s really surprising neither of these items are here," she said. "Where’s the accountability?"
Brown, 56, has also signed a pledge not to raise taxes and supports the right to bear arms.
