WAIMEA, Hawaii – The North Hawaii community packed the Taylor Commons cafeteria for a buffet of political meet-and-greets on July 7th.
The scenic spot on the campus of Hawaii Preparatory Academy served as the location for the Waimea Community Association’s traditional candidate forum, in which candidates sit down with voters in a “speed-dating” format, spending 12 minutes with each small group before moving on to the next table.
Before the break-out sessions, Sherry Bracken introduced the participants:
County Council District 9
Incumbent councilwoman Margaret Wille and candidate Tim Richards.
County Council District 1
Councilwoman Valerie Poindexter is running unopposed.
State House District 7
Two democrats, incumbent Representative Cindy Evans and a former Representative David Tarnas. Republican candidate Jeffrey Coakley was also in attendance.
Hawaii County Mayor
Four mayoral candidates; a reduced selection includes some who are considered the front runners in the field of 13. Former Kohala councilman and council chair Pete Hoffmann, previous managing director under the Kenoi administration Wally Lau, Waimea resident Shannon McCandless, and former Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim.
There were a few other mayoral candidates who showed up to the event, but didn’t have a seat at the table. For example, Gene Tamashiro, who is considered a long shot for the elected position, spoke to us outside the forum.
Mayoral candidate Gene Tamashiro
The Primary Election Day is Saturday, Aug. 13th, although early walk-in voting begins on August 1st. The deadline to register to vote is Thursday, July 14th.
