Wai'anae Coast is Hawaiian stronghold

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward Writer

The two Leeward districts have a combined population of 44,000 — of which approximately 10,000 are Hawaiian. While there is also a good share of Filipino, Caucasian, Japanese and Samoan residents, Native Hawaiians average 23 percent between the two districts.

No other ethnic group comes close. Filipinos — at roughly 10 percent between the two districts — are the only other group in double digits.

The House 44th District of Nanakuli and Honokai Hale and the House 45th District of Wai'anae and Makaha have long been components of one of Hawai'i's most economically depressed regions.

45th House District Maile S. L. Shimabukuro (D) • Address: 86-024 Glenmonger St. • Occupation: Attorney • Family: Single • One big idea: Tap into the state's underutilized volunteer work force by creating volunteer coordinator positions at the public school level. Emily J Daniel Auwae (R) • Address: 84-775 Hanalei St. in Makaha • Occupation: House member and marketing assistant to West O'ahu Community Federal Credit Union • Family: Married; she and husband David have two sons. • One big idea: To push for the legislative funding that will make the UH West O'ahu Campus become a reality. 44th House District Karen L. Awana (R) • Address: 89-1110 Pikaiolena St. in Nanakuli • Occupation: Administrative assistant for a Waikiki hotel • Family: Single, two daughters • One big idea: To do everything possible to help create jobs that will keep students here in Hawai'i after graduation instead of leaving for the Mainland. Michael P. Kahikina (D) • Address: 89-416 Nanakuli Ave. • Occupation: House member and grants administrator for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawai'i • Family: Married; he and wife Naomi have five children. • One big idea: To establish the state's "core services" — such as education — and focus the Legislature's attention on supporting those governmental priorities.

"It's been that way forever over here," said Makaha resident and outgoing City Council member John DeSoto, who lost in his primary bid against Brian Kanno in the 19th Senate District. "It's an attitude of 'It doesn't matter what I say or do — if I go out and vote for somebody, they aren't going to listen anyway.' "

That attitude will persist, he says, as long as Wai'anae Coast residents continue to have low self-esteem, which he says in turn feeds the area's drug and crime problem. It's a downward spiral that he believes could change.

DeSoto is one of many residents who like the idea of Weed & Seed Hawai'i, the neighborhood anti-crime program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has had dramatic results in the three O'ahu areas in which it has been implemented — Kalihi-Palama/Chinatown, Waipahu and 'Ewa.

Maile Shimabukuro of Wai'anae, who is running as a Democrat for the 45th House District seat and has served on the Wai'anae Weed & Seed Task Force, agrees.

Shimabukuro said she's running for office because it's important that legislators grasp the difficulties of society's most vulnerable citizens, such as many who live on the Leeward coast. She said she has the necessary insight because of her work with the Welfare and Employment Rights Coalition.

Shimabukuro doesn't support school vouchers because she believes that government money should be used for public schooling.

She believes that Hawai'i doesn't offer enough professional-level opportunities, and she would try to diversify the economy by working to attract more alternative energy, high tech and eco-tourism to the state. She does not favor legalized gambling.

Shimabukuro said she also would like to pass a constitutional amendment to allow the Board of Education to raise some money.

Her Republican opponent, incumbent Emily Auwae of Makaha, has also attended numerous Weed & Seed meetings. Auwae said she's committed to making the Wai'anae Coast a better place to live and raise a family. She disagrees with Shimabukuro on school vouchers and says the idea is worth exploring if it can improve education for children who aren't being adequately served by public school.

However, she agrees that legalized gambling would have a negative impact on the community.

Auwae said she would work to develop sustained economic growth by lowering taxes and encouraging a business-friendly atmosphere that would create job opportunities.

She would also work to pass legislation leading to the creation of a "mauka highway," an alternative to Farrington Highway.

The race for the 44th House District seat pits Democratic incumbent Michael Kahikina against Republican Karen Awana.

While Awana is a new face on the legislative political scene, she is familiar with those acquainted with the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board, on which she has been a member for the past four years. She heads the board's health/safety committee.

Awana said she wants to make the Wai'anae Coast more prosperous. Like her opponent, she opposes legalized gambling and favors school vouchers.

One subject on which they differ is taxes. Awana doesn't favor raising taxes for any government service. Kahikina said he would vote to raise taxes for services affecting the young and elderly, "the most fragile citizen population."

The big issues as far as Awana is concerned are the economy and education. She thinks they go hand in hand. The area has too few quality jobs — a scarcity that adversely affects the economy and forces a brain drain, she said.

She said she would work to pass legislation to make government more business-friendly.

Kahikina wants to continue his eight-year service to his Wai'anae Coast constituency. As a third-generation Hawaiian living in the Nanakuli homesteads, he said, he believes he understands the needs and mood of that community.

He supportsvouchers because he said public schools fail to prepare students for post-high school education and the work force. He does not favor legalized gambling.

One issue that concerns him is affordable housing. He said he would work to pass legislation that would leverage federal, county and state money to build affordable housing and support Barbers Point. He also believes that legislation should be passed to specify what governmental "core services" should be.

On the issue of Hawaiian self-determination Kahikina favors nation-within-a-nation status as opposed to independence or the status quo. Nation-within-a-nation status, he said, represents a realistic means for Hawaiians to better their lot.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8038.