Fourteen state House seats on Oahu have contested races in the Aug. 11 primary election. Here’s the second in a three-part listing of the Star-Advertiser’s endorsements.
>> District 36 (Mililani-Mililani Mauka-Waipio Acres): Beth Fukumoto is leaving this office to run for the urban Honolulu congressional seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
Vying for the seat are four Democrats: Zuri Aki, a public policy advocate for the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Dean Hazama, business management officer for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Trish La Chica, policy and advocacy director for the nonprofit Hawaii Public Health Institute; and Marilyn Lee, a longtime community volunteer and former legislator.
In the 2016 primary, Lee and Aki ran against each other. Lee, who served as a state lawmaker for a 16-year stretch, 1996-2012, won, but lost in the general election to Fukumoto. Since 2012, Lee has served as a member on the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, and on the community council at Mililani High School. Aki is member of the Mililani-Waipio- Melemanu Neighborhood Board.
For Hazama and La Chica, this race marks their first for a House seat. However, both have experience in navigating the legislative process. As part of her job, La Chica oversees state legislative priorities tied to public health and has mobilized advocates to provide testimony on measures, such as raising the age of sale of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 21. Hazama has served as chair of the Honolulu Planning Commission, which advises the City Council and Honolulu Hale on big-picture land use and development. He also chairs the Mililani Mauka Neighborhood Board.
Each of these four candidates is well versed on the district’s challenges, ranging from traffic-related headaches to equipping schools for future needs.
Our endorsement goes to Hazama, who seems to have the right combination of leadership and public service experience to be an effective legislator.
The winner here will face Republican Val Okimoto.
>> District 41 (Ewa Villages-Ocean Pointe-Ewa Beach): Matt LoPresti is vacating this office to run for the state Senate seat being vacated by Will Espero.
Squaring off are Democrats Lynn Robinson-Onderko and former Rep. Rida Cabanilla, who will be trying to win back her old seat, which she lost to LoPresti four years ago.
Cabanilla, an Army reservist and nurse, was first elected to the state House in 2004. She raised eyebrows in 2014 for securing a $100,000 grant-in-aid from the Legislature on behalf of a nonprofit without publicly disclosing her status as a member of the board of directors.
Robinson-Onderko, who serves as a community liaison for Espero’s office, also is active in the health-focused Blue Zones Project in her area, the Ewa Neighborhood Board, and has served as a volunteer in Ewa public schools.
Top community concerns here include a need for traffic relief and sustained funding for school upgrades. Our endorsement nod goes to Robinson-Onderko, who can bring fresh perspectives to the state Capitol.
The winner will take on Republican Chris Fidelibus.
>> District 42 (Kapolei-Makakilo): Incumbent Sharon Har, a private attorney specializing in land use and real estate development, is competing against challenger Jake Schafer, a first-time candidate.
While Har has lived in Kapolei for more than two decades, Schafer is a newcomer, having settled there in recent years while phasing out several years of employment with nonprofit international humanitarian relief efforts. Schafer’s community-focused affiliations include Hawaii Medical Reserve Corps and the American Red Cross.
Both candidates underscore traffic woes as the the top issue for the district. First elected to the seat in 2006, Har is now a seasoned legislator and well versed on the district’s range of issues. She gets our nod.
>> District 43 (Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili): Andria Tupola is vacating this office for a gubernatorial bid.
The race pits Stacelynn Eli, a third-time candidate for the seat, against Michael Juarez, a carpenter. Both candidates have noted that untangling traffic-related snags in the district as a high priority. We’re endorsing Eli, who has deep Leeward roots, with service on a neighborhood board and other community involvement.
The winner here faces Republican Timoteo Sailau.
>> District 44 (Waianae-Makaha-Makua) Incumbent Cedric Gates is facing a winner-take-all rematch with former legislator Jo Jordan, who held the seat for six years, 2011-16.
Both candidates have backgrounds that include leadership on neighborhood boards and other community service-oriented roles. And both point to addressing transportation-related challenges and education issues as priorities.
As a freshman legislator, Gates saw success in pushing for the allocation of funds to initiate creation of a parallel access route into the coast, as well as for funding for other roadway upgrades. He gets our nod for a second term.
TOMORROW: Contested primary races in state House Districts 46-50.
Correction: An earlier version of this endorsement listing noted that Dean Hazama serves as chairman of the Honolulu Planning Commission. Hazama is not a current commission member. He was appointed to the commission in 2012, and his term ended in December.
