In what could be among the most competitive Democratic primaries this year, Robert Harris, director of Sierra Club Hawaii, and Kika Bukoski, executive director of the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, have shown interest in a likely vacant Windward state House seat.
Rep. Jessica Wooley (D, Kahaluu-Ahuimanu-Kaneohe), a progressive and environmental advocate, will give up the seat if she is confirmed by the state Senate as director of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control.
The Democratic Party would recommend three potential candidates to Gov. Neil Abercrombie to replace Wooley on an interim basis before voters decide her successor in the primary and general elections.
Harris said he intends to apply for the appointment and run in the primary. "I grew up in Windward Oahu. I went to Kalaheo High School. I know the area. I know the people, and I think I can do a good job in representing them," he said. "Also, I do believe we need more progressive voices within the Legislature."
Harris, an attorney who has led the Sierra Club since 2008, campaigned for Wooley in 2012 as part of a progressive and labor coalition that helped the representative defeat former state House Majority Leader Pono Chong, a moderate. Wooley and Chong were drawn into the same district after political boundaries were adjusted after the census.
Bukoski is a former Republican who served in the state House from 2000 to 2004 until being defeated by Rep. Kyle Yamashita (D, Sprecklesville-Upcountry Maui).
The Building and Construction Trades Council and the Sierra Club are often on opposing sides of debates at the Legislature on land use policy.
Bukoski, who grew up in Kaneohe, had pulled papers to run against Wooley before she was nominated to lead the QEQC. He said he would also consider applying for the appointment. "I’m from the area and I know it very well," he said. "I’ve got roots in the area."
He said his work with the construction trades does not make him anti-environment. "I believe in balanced and responsible sustainable growth," he said, "and I think that there’s a possibility for the two to coexist."
