Traffic and crime stack up as the two overriding issues for voters in the Honolulu City Council 1st District, which runs from the Waianae Coast to Ewa. District 1 race
hotly competitiveEditor's note: This is the 10th in a series of profiles about political candidates for the primary election Sept. 21.By Gordon Y.K. Pang
gpang@starbulletin.comThe race for the seat is shaping into an intriguing election. Not only are there seven candidates, the most vying for any Council seat this fall, but each enjoys a small but loyal group of supporters.
Donna Broome, 56, is a longtime Maili resident. She has been a legislative aide and part-time secretary to City Councilman John DeSoto since 1994.
"Traffic is the biggest concern," Broome said.
One key would be to work with state, federal, city and union officials to come up with a better system of staggering work hours for government workers, she said.
Broome also wants to gather a blue-ribbon panel to address bottleneck areas along the route coming into town.
As for crime, "the only solution is to increase funding for HPD for various programs, and increase the number of officers to enforce laws already in place," Broome said.
Mike Chambrella, 39, has been a Kapolei resident for four years and previously lived in West Loch Fairways. He is in-house legal counsel and assistant to the president at the Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996, the union that represents TheBus employees, among others.
Chambrella said mass transit options for Leeward riders need to be increased. The city's Bus Rapid Transit project "is an excellent idea, although I have some come concerns about the rail portions of it."
Another idea is to move more city and state workers into the Kapolei area. "Influence can be put on the state by the city to help facilitate growth in the area," he said.
Mike Gabbard, 54, moved to Ewa Beach earlier this year, having lived in downtown Honolulu the past 10 years. Gabbard, a small businessman, is perhaps best known for leading the traditional-marriage movement, which fought successfully to prevent same-sex marriages.
Gabbard said he would use his position to lobby the state to speed up completion of both the North-South Road and Kapolei Parkway. For Waianae, Gabbard said he likes the idea of an additional, Waianae-bound carpool lane during afternoon peak hours.
Gabbard said he also would support development of Ko Olina and Kapolei to create more jobs for Leeward residents so that they can be closer to home.
John Kaopua, 59, has lived in Nanakuli for more than three decades. He is a legislative liaison for the Ironworkers Stabilization Fund and formerly was financial secretary and business manager for the Ironworkers Local 803.
Kaopua said he would press the state to expedite completion of the North-South Road that will connect Ewa with Kapolei as one way to alleviate traffic.
There needs to be more businesses, particularly those involved with high-tech industries in Asia and the Pacific Rim, drawn to the area, Kaopua said.
"We can give them tax incentives to relocate."
James Manaku, 56, has lived in Makaha since 1968. A community volunteer, he has been on the Waianae Neighborhood Board the past 16 years.
Manaku also said he would fight to bring more police officers to the Leeward Coast.
"We only have seven officers for our community from Kahe Point to Kaena Point," he said. "I believe once we start having them more visible, it becomes a deterrent."
On the traffic front, Manaku said he wants to make sure that developers help pay for the Leeward Coast alternate route that will run parallel to Farrington Highway.
Cynthia Rezentes, 50, has lived in Maili for most of her life. An engineer by training, she is self-employed. She has served on the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board since 1997, the last four years as chairwoman.
Rezentes said one thing she would do to help alleviate traffic is adjust the synchronization of traffic signals on Farrington Highway when Nanaikapono Elementary School moves to the mauka side of the street.
Planned growth is also a priority for Rezentes. "Development needs to be planned in concert with making sure that the infrastructure is there," she said.
Ensuring there is sufficient water also is critical, she said.
Pam Witty-Oakland moved from Mililani, where she had lived since 1987, to Kapolei earlier this year. Witty-Oakland has been an aide and budget analyst for DeSoto since 1994. She is also an accountant and chief financial officer for Hawaii Raceway Park.
Witty-Oakland said the key to solving many of the district's ills, be it traffic, crime or jobs, is to finish development of both Kapolei and Ko Olina to provide a job center for the region.
"The objective is to support our district as the place to live, work, learn and play," she said.
To facilitate traffic improvements, Witty-Oakland said she wants to sit on the state-county Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization to ensure "our district gets our fair share."
