HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL
Incumbents win, skirting runoffs in 3 of 5 races
Three Honolulu City Council incumbents won handily with enough votes to bypass the general election ballot.
With more than 50 percent of the vote in their districts, Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall and Councilmembers Romy Cachola and Nestor Garcia have been re-elected. It was a repeat of the 2004 primary election.
"It does take a tremendous amount of time, money and energy, so to avoid (more campaigning) will be good," said Marshall, who represents Council District 3 (Heeia-Waimanalo). "I can put my energy into the job."
"We need to get going on affordable housing for sure, I want that to move ahead," she said. "The whole issue of transit is far from over. I will continue to oppose it, I think it's wrong for the city," said Marshall, who has served six years on the Council.
"People know that I work very hard," said Romy Cachola, who has held the District 7 (Kalihi-Foster Village) seat for eight years and represented the area in the state House of Representatives for six years.
His family hosted a celebration party at their Kalihi Street home last night after he and supporters waved signs in all precincts as long as the polls were open, he said.
Nestor Garcia will represent District 9 (Kunia-Mililani) for a third term. He had eight years as a state lawmaker.
"The Council needs to follow through with the elevated fixed guideway," said Garcia. "One concern I have for the coming years is the transit-oriented development ahead, especially in Waipahu. We are the first stretch where the existing community will have to live with whatever comes, and we need to be concerned that new development is the right fit for Waipahu.
"The idea that values must be behind decisions we make was ingrained in me tonight," said Garcia, who attended the Hawaii Plantation Village legacy awards dinner last night.
The race between incumbent Todd Apo of District 1 (Waianae-Ewa Beach) and opponent Garry Smith will be decided in a runoff in the Nov. 4 general election.
Also on the Nov. 4 ballot will be Duke Bainum, who is the only candidate for the seat vacated by Ann Kobayashi in Council District 5 (Manoa-McCully-Palolo). He will need only one vote to win.
CORRECTION
» Barbara Marshall was elected in City Council District 3 (Heeia-Waimanalo) and Duke Bainum will represent District 5 (Palolo-Manoa-McCully) after the Nov. 4 general election. The district numbers were transposed in a story on Page A3 Sunday.
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