Former Sen. Kanno elected to Makakilo board
A former state senator is back in politics after being elected to the colorful Makakilo/Kapolei /Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board.
The election of former Democratic Sen. Brian Kanno to the neighborhood board came as the city released the results yesterday of the biennial neighborhood board elections.
The elections began March 27 with 231,351 ballots mailed to residents in areas with contested races. A total of 505 candidates ran for 444 seats.
Voting ended April 16 and a total of 44,067 ballots were cast. The city said 62 seats remain unfilled and that the respective neighborhood boards will appoint community members to those seats.
Kanno, who decided against running for re-election to the state Senate, received the second-highest vote tally for the Makakilo/Kapolei board. The top vote-getter was Kioni Dudley, who is currently on the board. Current board Chairwoman Maeda Timson was also re-elected.
In recent years, the Makakilo/Kapolei board was at the center of several controversial meetings, including one last September when police were called due to rowdiness.
But while Kanno made a successful comeback, another former lawmaker wasn't successful. Former state Rep. Romy Mindo, who lost re-election to the state House in 2004, didn't make the cut for the Ewa Neighborhood Board.
That board's current chairman, Kurt Fevella, also did not get enough votes to retain a seat. Fevella was one of the leaders in Ewa to support a rail transit route that would have served Ewa and Ewa Beach.