The population shift toward West Oahu over the past decade prompted the creation last year of a new state Senate district in Ewa Beach. No incumbent in
Ewa Beach race
Editor's note: This is the third in a series of profiles of political candidates for the primary election on Sept. 21.By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com
With no incumbent to defend this district, two Ewa Beach Democrats -- Willie Espero, a state representative, and Tesha Malama, a community leader -- find themselves in a winner-take-all primary election to be the first incumbent for the new political district.
Both served together on the area's neighborhood board but have differing styles toward handling community issues.
Espero, 41, is in his third year as a legislator, having been appointed as representative in 1999 by Gov. Ben Cayetano to replace retired state Rep. Paul Oshiro.
Espero, who was born in Yokosuka, Japan, into a military family, had unsuccessfully run for the state Senate as a Republican in 1992. He became a Democrat two years later. Following his appointment, he was elected to the Ewa House seat in 2000.
With 90 percent of his current House district now part of the new Senate district, the former Ewa by Gentry Community Association general manager said he knows the issues and has experience addressing them.
Traffic concerns are the top issue for the area, and, if elected, Espero said he will ensure the state widens Fort Weaver Road to six lanes in 2004 and that the North-South Road, between Ewa and Kapolei, breaks ground in 2004.
"Those two improvements will have a major, major positive impact in the Ewa-Ewa Beach area," Espero said.
Espero served as vice chairman of the House Transportation Committee this past legislative session and helped repeal the controversial traffic camera photo enforcement project.
Malama, 37, has lived in Ewa Beach for 32 years and holds a master's degree in organizational management. A longtime Bobby Sox coach, she first got involved in the neighborhood board in 1999.
Her advocacy prompted the board to pass a resolution last year asking for a moratorium on housing development in Ewa until infrastructure and traffic issues were addressed.
Today, Malama said, she is working alongside developers and planners to ensure future housing projects have the community interest in mind.
While serving on the neighborhood board, Malama also realized the area needed better leadership, one that focused on the entire district and not just on someone's pet projects. Malama chose to run for the new Senate seat instead of a state House seat because the Senate's four-year term allowed her more time to address community issues at the state Legislature, she said.
Her grass-roots candidacy has raised more money than Espero's, based on the most recent campaign spending reports. It also has sparked endorsements from the ILWU, the painters union and, most recently, the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter.
Malama said Espero had encouraged her to run for a state House seat so they would form a strong team, but she refused.
"Some of my concerns were that his decision making are very special-interest and individual driven, so I really did not feel comfortable teaming up with him," she said.
"Really, I could not team up with him because I don't agree with him or his politics. But it's not personal; it's not like I have any animosity. It's just, I do not agree with his ideas, politics and action."
Espero said he is not taking Malama's campaign lightly and is focused on winning this election. He walks the district a minimum of five days a week and said he is working just as hard as during his last election.
Here is a snapshot of state Senate District 20 (Ewa-Ewa Beach), based on Census 2000. District 20 at a glance
Total population: 46,871 (50 percent male, 50 percent female)
Major ethnic populations:
Filipino: 34 percent
People with two or more races: 23 percent
White: 16 percent
Japanese: 8 percent
Native Hawaiian: 4 percent
Samoan: 3 percent
Chinese: 2 percent
