Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi General Election on Nov. 3 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Seaula Jr Tupa’i, nonpartisan candidate for Hawaiʻi County Council District 5 representing the communities of Kurtistown, Mountain View, Glenwood, Orchidlands Estates, Ainaloa, Hawaiian Acres, Fern Acres, Eden Roc, Fern Forest Estates, mauka of Pāhoa Town, Kaohe Homesteads, Kamaili Homesteads, Kalapana, ʻOpihikao, Kehena and Kaimu.

His nonpartisan opponents are Dawn Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder, Chantel Mākuaole-Perrin, Shannon Matson and Seaula Jr Tupa’i.

Why are you best suited for the job of council member? And why do you want the job?

We believe that the community not only knows the issues but they also have the solutions. We feel we are best suited for this job because we have the political will to translate these solutions into actionable items. We don’t have a lack of ideas; we have a shortage on political will. The gumption and wherewithal to take these solutions and start implementing them at a rate that the community can be content with and sense that their council members are working to mitigate longstanding issues.

What is the biggest issue facing Hawai‘i County, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

We need to alleviate the traffic along Highways 11 and 130. A longstanding issue that needs a solution. Cost of living is another concern for our community. The county just passed Resolution 574-26 to reduce taxes on net taxable value for affordable rental housing. A great initiative but we believe we can give more relief. The General Fund is $730 million with 80% coming from real property tax. At the county level we can explore ways to reduce property taxes for kūpuna.

Here’s one question from a constituent: How would you make it safer to get in and out of Puna?

Families should not spend hours of their day sitting in traffic. We will work with the state legislators, HDOT and other elements involved to push for an alternate route from Upper Puna to Saddle Road. We will also look to improve surface roads in Puna along Highway 130 to alleviate traffic congestion. We will also look into adding acceleration and deceleration lanes along Panaʻewa stretch to make our commute safer when vehicles merge onto or exit Highway 11.

The county’s Homelessness and Housing Fund is due to expire in 2027 and some council members are skeptical that the fund has helped solve the problem. Would you vote to extend the fund, and what would you do to come to grips with this persistent problem?

Yes with reservations. Yes because we need these programs that address long-term housing, support programs and outreach projects and we mahalo them for their service to our community. However, we say with reservations because the differentiating between administrative vs. program funding is murky and must be clarified and we also must be compliant with county codes. Otherwise the community will continue to question the use of their tax dollars and if it is truly addressing this demographic.

Vacation rentals — illegal or not — are often blamed for reducing availability of affordable housing on the Big Island. What steps should the county take to deal with the proliferation of vacation rentals and create more affordable housing?

The creation of Bill 108 in 2018 to the introduction of Bill 147 this year was to help enforce and regulate STVRs. My issue is that for many in our community an STVR is their only source of income, especially our kūpuna. What the county should do is start by looking at ways to regulate non-residents owning and operating STVRs. That money is not cyclical and does not stay here. This would keep money in the pockets of our community and it would also add units to our housing supply.

Half of Hawai‘i’s cesspools are on the Big Island – an estimated 49,000 –  and Mayor Kimo Alameda has already said the county will not meet the state’s 2050 deadline to convert them to cleaner systems. What steps should the county take to address the cesspool issue?

We need to look at mauka vs. makai and the location of homes that would affect beaches, swimming areas, etc. If we look at elevation of homes relevant to its proximity of groundwater some homes shouldn’t require conversion. With prices for conversion ranging from $40K to $70K per the CCTF’s (Hawaiʻi County Cesspool Conversion Taskforce) report many in our community can’t afford this. Since the state passed Act 125 in 2017, perhaps the state should re-allocate a portion of the TAT to fund tourism and repurpose those funds to help with conversions.

What specific steps should the county take to relieve traffic congestion in and around Kailua-Kona and along the Puna-Kea‘au-Hilo corridor?

Once the alternate route study results return we must work with the state legislators, HDOT and other elements involved to push for an alternate route from (Upper Puna) Highway 11 to Saddle Road. We will also look to improve surface roads in Puna along Highway 130 to alleviate traffic congestion. We must also add acceleration and deceleration lanes along the Panaʻewa stretch to make our commute safer when vehicles merge onto or exit Highway 11.

Investors have sunk more than $500 million into the Pepe‘ekeo bioenergy plant known as Hu Honua or Honua Ola, but the plant has still been unable to begin producing power. Should the biomass energy plant be allowed to start operating? Why or why not?

An EIS must be conducted and an independent EA completed regarding the brackish water being used for the injection wells and that will enter the ocean. A special area management permit was issued in 1985 to Hilo Coast Power Co. and then modified in 2011 and is the reason stated for not requiring an updated EIS or lesser EA. Clean water is vital to our ecosystem and way of life and until an EIS is completed, we cannot risk our water being compromised.

Both the state and county are showing interest in expanding production of geothermal energy on Hawaiʻi island. What is your position on geothermal power, and what constraints should be placed on it?

The plant produces just a little over 25 megawatts of electricity despite plans to attain at least 38 megawatts. An independent EIS (Environmental Impact Statement), not a DEIS, must be conducted and PGV should demonstrate that their cumulative impacts do not harm the Lower East Rift Zone in a pressurized Kīlauea volcano. Also, the air quality monitors should be repositioned to the trajectory of the winds carrying gases to affected areas in the community and the community should be involved in every step of the process.

What specific plans do you have to improve disaster preparedness and response on the Big Island?

We must strive to expand emergency readiness outreach and messaging in our community, especially in certain rural areas of District 5. Meaning: the last house on the last road in the last subdivision must know the proper response and possess the correct disaster preparedness items relative to the type of disaster. Whether hydrometeorological, geological or biological, our community must be prepared. If more of the community is prepared then collectively our resiliency as a whole is more effective.

What should Hawaiʻi County do to get in front of climate change rather than just reacting and adapting to it?

Big Island is a very special place as we possess 11 of the 13 climate classifications. With Hawai’i committing to cut emissions in half by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2045 and with the release of the UH report last year advising that wind, solar and batteries will not get Hawai’i to zero carbon by 2045, they suggested that Hawaiʻi go in the contentious direction of nuclear. In other words, we must move at the speed of ingenuity and we must pace policy with technology.

Hawai‘i has a long-stated goal of growing more of its own food. What would you do to further that effort toward increased food sustainability?

It looks good when we take pictures picking kalo and ʻulu, however talk is cheap. With 11,800 farmers in Hawai’i we must champion their cause by creating policy that would incentivize the farmer-creation programs to establish food independence. This is extremely important as our farmers are in an older demographic which means we must invest in programs like FFA and community agencies that instill the love for farming. We must also look at regenerative farming practices for replenishing the land.