With incumbent Councilman Mike Gabbard's decision to forgo a re-election bid in favor of a congressional run, a diverse choice of candidates awaits voters living in Honolulu's First City Council District, which includes the Wai'anae Coast, Kapolei and 'Ewa.
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TODD APO
AGE: 37
FAMILY: Married, two young children
OCCUPATION: Vice president, corporate operations, Ko Olina Community Association
ONE BIG IDEA: "I would like to put West O'ahu on the map in the eyes of the rest of the island and the rest of the state. It has been marked as a growth area for O'ahu and we need to have everybody understand that focus and understand the ramifications for that. That means more city and state resources redirected to this region."
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JAMES MANAKU
AGE: 58
FAMILY: Single, five children, 12 grandchildren
OCCUPATION: Unemployed, volunteer at Honolulu Community Action Program Wai'anae office
ONE BIG IDEA: More resources for the city's legislative auditor office so that it can conduct independent investigations into city agencies. "We're spending big money on designers and consultants," he said, adding that the auditor should look for savings within the city. "Once we correct all these things, we're going to start seeing more for our money."
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SHANE PETERS
AGE: 30
FAMILY: Single
OCCUPATION: Public access manager at the State Legislature
ONE BIG IDEA: "Our most viable, most immediate mass-transit solution is going to be fixed rail." Not a fan of either Bus Rapid Transit or double-decking the existing freeway, Peters believes the rail system could stretch from Makaha to Honolulu. A side benefit would be the creation of a "commuter culture" along the rail line, with people working as they commute.
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CYNTHIA REZENTES
AGE: 52
FAMILY: Single
OCCUPATION: A former engineering supervisor for IBM and recently a legislative aide to state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa
ONE BIG IDEA: "We need to start bringing the jobs in with the development because if not, we end up having a bedroom community and a nasty commute. And then we start getting into the traffic issues and all the other issues that make it more difficult (to obtain) a quality of life everybody can enjoy."
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PATTY TERUYA
AGE: 49
FAMILY: Single, two sons, three grandchildren
OCCUPATION: Legislative aide to Councilman Mike Gabbard
ONE BIG IDEA: The city needs to reclaim area parks for "our regular citizens." She supports an initiative by the state, which is eyeing lands mauka of Farrington Highway as possible transitional home sites for the homeless, who would be displaced. The city would have to work with other government and nongovernment agencies.
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Of the five hopefuls, nearly all are known for their community involvement, and two are the progeny of politically prominent families. If any of the candidates, all of whom live in the Wai'anae region, capture 50 percent of the ballots cast plus one additional vote, in what under the city election system is called the first special election on Saturday, he or she will win the seat outright. If no candidate can take more than 50 percent of the ballots cast, the two top finishers will face off in a second special election that will coincide with the Nov. 6 general election.
The five candidates are:
• Todd Apo, vice president of corporate operations for the Ko Olina Community Association. He has been active in the development of the Wai'anae Coast's resort area and is president of the Leeward O'ahu Transportation Management Association. An attorney, he is also the second cousin of former state Rep. Peter Apo and grandnephew to Margaret Apo, a former member of the Board of Education.
• James Manaku, a former Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board member and longtime community activist and advocate for the homeless known for his frequent appearances at council meetings providing testimony on various issues. Manaku ran unsuccessfully for the seat two years ago.
• Shane Peters, the public access manager at the state Legislature. He is also the stepson of former state Rep. David Hagino, the nephew of former state Rep. Henry Peters and grandson of Hoaliku Drake, former director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
• Cynthia Rezentes, a former engineering supervisor for IBM and recently a legislative aide to state Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha). A longtime community advocate, she is also chairwoman of the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board. Rezentes ran unsuccessfully in 2002 for the council seat.
• Patty Kahanamoku Teruya, an executive assistant to Gabbard and, prior to working for him, best known as a staff worker in the city's Neighborhood Commission office. Teruya, is also a member of the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board and once was assistant food and beverage manager for the Sheraton Makaha Resort.
Transportation is a top issue for many of the candidates.
Rezentes said she would push for speeding up construction of the North-South Road, connecting 'Ewa with Kapolei, as well as key connector roads that are on the books but not yet built. Additionally, she wants to revisit the idea of a second highway access out of Wai'anae, preferably either parallel to Farrington Highway or a tunnel through the Wai'anae Range.
Rezentes said she would push for development of a West O'ahu campus for the University of Hawai'i which would "bring in businesses that would be compatible with that type of environment and development, as well as other types of businesses."
Peters also believes the traffic can be alleviated by luring more businesses to the Kapolei area. "I think it requires coordinating city and state efforts, providing tax incentives and tax breaks for companies to move into the area," he said.
Infrastructure geared specifically for businesses should also be employed, and could entail investing in "high-technology-friendly" assets such as wireless Internet, a concept other cities are starting to explore, Peters said.
Apo said he would lobby for construction of two bridges that would connect the 'Ewa Plains with Honolulu, with one connecting the end of Fort Weaver Road in 'Ewa with the Waipi'o Peninsula, the other Waipi'o to Ford Island. "We need a new access route for West O'ahu," Apo said. "Spending nearly a half-hour to H-1 and through the H-1/H-2 merge and Pearl City-Aiea just doesn't work, especially for this growing community." Like Rezentes and Peters, Apo also believes in providing incentives to bring private industry to create more jobs in the region to help ease traffic woes.
All the candidates agree on the controversial issue of a new landfill — none wants a new one built along the Wai'anae Coast and say the city should accelerate plans that don't involve any landfills.
"We have two already," Teruya said, referring to the landfills at Waimanalo Gulch and Nanakuli, the latter a private site that handles construction and demolition waste. Teruya believes any landfill anywhere on the island should be far away from residential areas.
Apo, Manaku and Teruya said they're inclined to support expansion of the H-POWER plant, as well as other alternatives to a new landfill.
"Trash can be an asset to us," Manaku said, adding that electricity generated by H-POWER could be sold, with proceeds going to the city.
"We need to start looking at alternative approaches," Rezentes said, adding that any new landfill should be for emergencies only.
Peters noted that the current council is under a deadline to select a new site, meaning that it's likely that the new District 1 council member would have to live with that decision. "Really what we have to take a look at is further down the line, what happens with the selection of the dump site after that?"
Teruya said she would support a repeal of the city's mandatory leasehold conversion program, which allows leasehold owners to use the city's condemnation powers to force a landowner to sell the fee interests of their property. "Owners should be able to decide to sell their own property, or not," she said.
She added that native Hawaiian trusts have claimed their funding for programs has been jeopardized as a result of the leasehold conversion program.
Manaku said he wants to provide incentives that would encourage farming. Among his proposals is to provide breaks on city water for agricultural users. "We need to strengthen our agriculture so we can be less dependent," he said.
Four other council seats are up for grabs. Of those, incumbent council members Ann Kobayashi in the Manoa-Mo'ili'ili region and Nestor Garcia of Waipahu face no opposition.
On the Windward side, Councilwoman Barbara Marshall is being challenged by Richard MacPherson, a teacher who instructs the gifted and talented, and Merrily Prentiss, a retired retail merchandise manager.
In the Kalihi-Moanalula area, Councilman Romy Cachola is up against Rocky Ricarte, a pilot for a commercial airline.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
