One legislative race to watch in this primary election is the Democratic battle for the Kapolei-Makakilo-Waikele Senate seat. Veteran Democrats
vie for Kapolei
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of profiles of political candidates for the primary election on Sept. 21.By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com
The new Senate district race pits Democrats John DeSoto, a 16-year veteran and chairman of the Honolulu City Council, against Brian Kanno, a 10-year state senator who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee and is the district's incumbent.
The winner of this heated primary faces Republican newcomer Gerald Nakata, 36, a Kapolei registered nurse, in the state general election.
Already, DeSoto and Kanno are blaming each other's respective political spheres for problems in the district.
Kanno, 40, said a much-needed Royal Kunia Elementary School is lacking because the city did not ensure the developer built the school first before putting up most of the housing.
"I think that anybody looking at it has got to say the City Council has a role in the problem," Kanno said.
DeSoto, 55, countered that the Council ensured the developer held up his end of the deal and that the state needs to be held accountable for not building the school.
"We did our job; we held their (developers') feet to the fire. We made sure all the infrastructure was in place," DeSoto said.
The Senate district originally included Ewa, Ewa Beach and part of Waipahu. But it was cut in half during reapportionment last year because of huge population growth in the West Oahu region.
Other major issues in the district are the site of the new University of Hawaii-West Oahu campus, the future of the Waimanalo Gulch landfill, the development of Kalaeloa and the continued infrastructure improvements to the second city of Kapolei.
Kanno, a father facilitator at Parents and Children Together who grew up in Waipahu, said he has worked hard to make his community better and knows what it takes to get legislative resolutions to its problems.
Kanno voted against the Senate confirmation of Margery Bronster and later apologized for his actions. In 2000 he beat Republican Hank Makini by just 66 votes to win re-election.
Kanno has received major endorsements from the state's public worker labor unions, as well as support from the Hawaii Carpenters Union, the Hawaii Women's Political Caucus and the Coalition of Conservation Voters.
"Our strategy is not changing," Kanno said. "Our plan is to work hard. Nothing is going to change with that."
DeSoto, Council chairman for five of his 16 years in office, was inducted into the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1999 as a motocross champion in the late '60s and early '70s.
He contemplated the lieutenant governor's seat and retirement after Council term limits prohibited another re-election bid this year. Others in the district persuaded him to run for the Senate seat, he said.
If elected, DeSoto pledges to continue to bring opponents together on issues and will hold government accountable for its actions and promises.
"People know I'm not a rubber stamp," DeSoto said. "I'm a fighter. I never give up."
Republican Nakata said he entered the race because he was upset with state government for legislation such as the failed traffic camera program, as well as for the recent convictions of Democratic politicians for campaign spending violations and bribery.
Also, he said, the legislative raid on special funds to balance the state budget is a shortsighted approach that "is just one step ahead of a growing snowball."
"Somebody is going to have to do something, whomever gets into office," Nakata said.
Here's a snapshot of state Senate District 19 (Kalaeloa-Makakilo), based on Census 2000: District 19 at a glance
Total population: 46,285 (50 percent male, 50 percent female)
Major ethnic populations:
People with two or more races: 24 percent
Filipino: 27 percent
White: 17 percent
Japanese: 11 percent
Native Hawaiian: 5 percent
Chinese: 3 percent
Samoan: 3 percent
