Challenger and incumbent win 2 seats on Hawaii State Council

West Hawaii’s incoming State Council member hopes to boost support for Kohala after one of the only election shakeups on the Big Island on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Cindy Evans was unseated Tuesday by her opponent, James Hustace. Hustace, who has served as president of the Waimea Community Association for the past four years, received 58% of the vote, beating Evans’ 42%.

Following the swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 2, Hustace will represent Council District 9, which includes parts of Kohala and Waimea.

Hustace told the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday that his opponent ran a good race, but voters in his district are “looking for leaders who listen to the wishes of the community.”

“There are many different communities in the area with different concerns,” Hustace said. “In places like Waikoloa, you have people worrying about ways out of the village in case of fire. And also in Waimea, people are worried about water… and that needs to be at the forefront of our discussions, not just to support housing, but also for agricultural production.”

Hustace said District 9 residents are also concerned about the cultural and historical preservation of the many wahi panas in West and North Hawaii.

Hustace said his first priority after taking the seat will be to build professional relationships with Council members and the district’s new department heads. He said he would need that support to devote county resources to large-scale infrastructure projects in the area, including septic tank conversions and new roads for the countryside.

Evans took the defeat graciously and said Hustace had run “a really traditional, tough race”. If elected, he said, his priorities in the district would include septic tank conversion and roads, as well as agriculture and the development of affordable workforce housing.

Following her resignation, Evans said she will continue volunteering to support domestic violence nonprofit Malama Pono Kohala, while also working to provide better roads for her district as a voter.

On the other side of the island, the only other Council seat up for contest Tuesday remained with the incumbent.

Puna Council member Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder defeated challenger Ikaika Rodenhurst with 57% of the vote.

Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder said she was humbled by her constituents’ faith in her, saying the district hasn’t had a Council member hold office for four consecutive terms in a long time, which is the limit.

“I hope it’s because of what we’ve done,” said Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder, touting efforts to improve roads in the area, such as shoulder repairs and repaving on the Stainback Highway, to ease traffic congestion.

When her final term begins in December, Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder hopes to make sure the county focuses on completing long-gestating projects for Puna, such as a new transit hub in Pahoa and exploring potential locations for a new alternative route. outside the area.

Rodenhurst, who briefly served as the county’s public works director from 2021 to 2022, said he will continue to work in the private sector but will do what he can as a citizen to help improve the county’s building permit process.

The other seven seats on the County Council were decided in the primary election.