Name on ballot:

Michelle Galimba

Running for:

Hawaii county council – District 6

Political party:

No answer submitted

Campaign website:

votegalimba.com

Current occupation:

Councilmember and rancher

Age:

56

Previous job history:

Beef cattle rancher

Previous elected office, if any:

No answer submitted

Please describe your qualifications to represent the voters of your county.

Broad experiences in business, government, and even academia. Advocate for agriculture and entrepreneurship, which is important for my rural district. Experiences include: US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency County Committee, American AgCredit Nominating Committee, State of Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture, Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaiʻi Board of Directors.

What is the most pressing issue facing the voters you seek to represent, and how would you address the problem?

The biggest issue specific to my district is lack of basic services due to our remote location. If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for increased basic services for my district such as increased police, fire, and animal control personnel, as well as the facilities and facility repair that allow these public servants to do their jobs.

Do you support or oppose the development of the Thirty Meter Telescope? Please explain.

The movement to protect Mauna Kea was a watershed moment for the Hawaiian community and for young people. That outpouring of love and determination to protect Mauna Kea (and by extension other places of high natural and cultural value) must be respected. As such, I cannot support the construction of the TMT until a broad consensus is reached around a plan for the management of the summit.

What are the best ways for county government to alleviate homelessness on the island and to increase the availability of affordable housing?

Our County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development recently presented a progress report to the Council that included the quote: “Homelessness is the result of the profound and catastrophic loss of family.” This rings very true to me. Families have a key role to play in providing individualized, organic support. Supporting families so that they can support troubled family members is an important element in addressing this problem. However not everyone has a family to help them and so we need to also support family-like environments such as the kauhale villages that provide simple housing and social support.
Getting better resources to rural districts such as District 6 is also important, as most of the resources of the social safety net are only accessible in urban areas.

What can the county do to help island residents cope with the overall high cost of living in Hawaii?

The biggest issue facing people living in my district – and every other district in Hawaiʻi – is the lack of housing that regular people can afford, even in my rural district where land is relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately our building codes make it more and more expensive to build affordable homes – either by developers or by individuals. We need to build more flexibility into the current system which requires our County to adopt International Building Code (IBC) standards. These standards only make it more and more expensive to build or even repair a legally permitted home. Some of the standards make sense and some of them are not relevant to our climate and way of life.

How prepared is the county to deal with a major natural disaster and what would you do to improve preparedness and responsiveness?

Because our county has faced a number of natural disasters in the last decade, we are relatively well-prepared. Investing in fire and emergency facilities will go a long way to improve preparedness.

What measures, if any, should county government take to regulate short-term vacation rentals?

The HawaiʻiCounty Council is currently working on refining legislation to regulate TARs. It is a give and take process, and not an easy process, but it is critically important.

What more needs to be done to reduce crime on Hawaii island?

Continuing to hire and retain police officers, as well as advocating for more capacity to hold arrestees would help to reduce crime. In the long range we need to address affordability and a more balanced economy so that more of our citizens have the opportunity to thrive.

What will be your top priority if elected?

Advocating for critical services for the rural communities our district

Is there anything more that you would like voters to know about you?

No answer submitted