Kauai candidates vow Superferry opposition
LIHUE » Kauai County candidates received a standing ovation last night at the first political debate of the year by noting they would oppose the return of the Hawaii Superferry without an independent environmental impact statement.
The four mayoral candidates and 19 of 22 County Council candidates signified their opposition by raising their hands to a question from the Kauai Eco-Roundtable, a group of nonprofits with environmental and ecological concerns, at the Kauai War Memorial Conventional Hall.
But two candidates changed their minds later in the evening.
Cristobel Kealoha, a Council candidate, said she was pressured by the audience to raise her hand in support of the anti-Superferry majority in the audience. And, she added, the protesters did not show aloha last August to the visitors or kamaaina, many of whom support the ferry.
Mel Rapozo, a mayoral candidate, said he did not understand the question, especially about the independent EIS, and could not make an informed decision on the question as posed.
The Superferry started service from Oahu to Kauai until protesters and a Maui court order stopped the operation, and it resumed service in December to Maui but not Kauai.
The majority of Council candidates said finding a solution to Kauai's garbage problem would be their main goal.
The Kekaha Landfill, Kauai's lone landfill, was supposed to be closed years ago but has been expanded because the county has not found a new site.
The four mayoral candidates also agreed that finding a solution for Kauai's trash must be made in the next administration.