Some councilmembers go through tight races

HILO » Several members of the Hawaii County Council faced close races from their chief challengers.

Emily Naeole edged incumbent Gary Safarik during Saturday's election, and the two will meet in a runoff. Naeole had 1,664 votes compared with Safarik's 1,213.

In the county's 1st District, Dominic Yagong defeated incumbent Fred Holschuh by a count of 2,153 to 1,919. Virginia Isbell and Brenda Ford will meet in a runoff for the county's 7th District seat. Isbell, the incumbent, had 1,220 votes compared with Ford's 1,229.

Incumbent Stacy Higa collected 2,220 votes to beat Wendell Kaehuaea's 626 and Justin Avery's 323 in the 4th District.

Bob Jacobson beat Gerald Holleman, 2,232-978, in the 6th District.

J Yoshimoto won over Paula Helfrich, 2,706 votes to 1,442, in the 3rd District.

In the 9th District, Pete Hoffman beat Leningrad Elarionoff by gaining a slight majority. Hoffman had 2,119 votes to Elarionoff's 1,406. Christopher Thomason trailed with 315 votes.

Donald Ikeda and K. Angel Pilago were unopposed.