Training our existing residents and youth to also remote work has value such that they may also experience a healthy middle-income. Gary L. Hooser (born January 19, 1954) is an American politician who served as a member of the Hawaii State Senate representing Kauai and Niihau from 2002 to 2010. I agree it important to get everyones input, especially people who are working with community in the business world. Kauai lost its most popular County Council member on Wednesday when Luke Evslin resigned to accept Gov. If elected to council I will be an open door and listening ear for the business community. We have gone through numerous discussions on the siting of a new landfill namely the Maalo site in Hanamaulu. Right now our countys vision is to, Increase agricultural income and opportunities on Kauai through working closely with farmer groups to assist them in obtaining resources and other assistance to solve industry problems or take advantage of opportunities. My vision would to be to follow through with more programs focusing on educating the children and families in our community. I would prioritize projects and tackle projects one at a time. This is the first decade since statehood where home construction on Kauai has fallen far below our population growth and its this lack of homes that is the driver of our exploding costs. Kauai's newest County Council member is Ross Kagawa, a former councilman who was the first runner-up for a seat on the seven-member legislative body in the November election. We need to reestablish this pattern as it is essential to best governance. We have pressing infrastructure needs, bridges and roads and wastewater to list just a few, and I believe these are priorities before we increase our visitor counts and flights. The top two objectives that I work on daily are the focus on creating positive contributions to the quality of life for Kauai residents and supporting the maintenance, enhancement, and protection of Kauais natural resources. In addition to working with the administration and the department of finance on budget options to build towards a structured balanced budget, as part of the Countys Long Term Financial plan, I would continue to support our countys reserve fund policy that was guided through the assistance of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and continue to seek similar opportunities for financial sustainability is all areas. Shipping food in, rather than producing it here, is also a major factor in how we, in Hawaii, impact the climate. Josh Green appointed to represent House District 16 in the state House of Representatives earlier this month. I also think there are other ways that we can grow our economy by channeling, appropriately managing and harnessing the tourism revenue we do have in our local economy, so a higher percentage reach and benefit local residents. Our Kauai Climate Change Adaptation Plan will indeed include Managed Retreat, a difficult response to coastal erosion where oceanfront property structures are demolished and rebuilt inland. QUESTION #9What would you do as an elected council member to ensure that Kauai receives significant funding from the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill? As we increase demand, we must increase supply by supporting our local farmers and future farmers. Explore FeliciaCowden.com for more info! Support good ideas from the county level that makes logical sense. One part of the plan calls for us to transition to a new regenerative tourism; one that gives back more than it takes. We have had four years of additional emergency funding for either our 2018 flood event or the COVID pandemic. The Kauai County Code gives the County Council the exclusive authority to raise or lower property tax rates via resolution. Our County Planners are gathering critical public input in order to draft our first Kauai Climate Change Adaptation Plan which will guide development, natural resource protection and community resilience in the face of climate change-related impacts. We cant ignore the environmental crisis any longer. And I believe that that is one of the best tools that we have to increase the cost of traveling to Hawaii, reduce numbers at some of our overcrowded sites, and raise money for our infrastructure and natural resources preservation. I would oppose increasing the rental car stacked garage facility. Delays in permitting only adds cost to projects. Whereas a resort that falls into becoming a distressed property presents significant, even overwhelming, responsibility for the county and community. kauai parks and recreation. Making sure out County keeps us with proper maintenance of our four wastewater treatment plants which were built before 1980 and that we fund the necessary upgrades to our current systems; even if that means increasing sewer fees. can be prohibitively costly to maintain. The council was effectively permitted to select anyone to fill Evslins seat. QUESTION #4How would you effectively manage the County Budget and operations for the short term and long-term sustainability? While there is not clear research evidence showing or disproving the concept, I think its reasonable to assume that increased capacity will likely induce demand for traveling to Kauai or vice versa, that limiting capacity would limit arrivals. I am a strong advocate of performance audits. I continue to support reduce, reuse, and recycling programs and the need for a Resource Recovery Park where we can create a solid recycling program for our island. It may also serve as an invaluable stop-gap to help a resort faced with an uncontrollable crisis not collapse into full failure. 5. We would need to work together to look at giving incentives to property owners who rent out their home for a reasonable rate i.e. Again, this would be investing into our local future workforce & creatives while being able to make money from out of state student enrollment. Coco Palms is an extreme example of a small resort being too expensive to condemn and throw away, even after thirty years. Our landfill is depleting and we need to have a program established. We allocate proper funding in our budget process to ensure all capital improvement projects are moving in a timely fashion. Making plots available at all our County housing projects for vegetable gardens; these could be the training grounds for future vegetable farmers. For many, the barrier to converting to an EV is access to charging stations. But, for the reasons stated I think its the right decision. I will be following this issue diligently and am interested in public opinion. Regardless of what happens with the Master Plan, its vital for us to work to reduce the number of visitor accommodations on Kauai as that is still the Countys best tool for managing the industry. Another example is ina Hookupu o Klauea, Waip foundation, and Hui Makainana o Makana and the work they are doing on the north shore of the island. With my experience as a small business owner and experience in managing budgets with several local nonprofits, my focus will be ensuring our taxpayer dollars are used effectively and efficiently. Luke Evslin was the top vote-getter with 7.6% of the vote, according to. And, by pursuing these, we can also save taxpayers money and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. These products can be made a certified community kitchens in partnership with our local slaughter houses. So I know that this is a hard decision for all of us. Similar numbers transitioned into the vacation rental tax class in 2021 and 2020. what states require consummation of marriage; new milford ct police scanner; reply to opposition to motion to compel california; environmental opportunities and threats in business; So we really need to analyze, Well what do we do? If elected, as the legislative body for our county, our impact on infrastructure projects is to make sure they are funded to be able to accomplish the job. This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. From a zoning perspective, we also need to reduce the demand for developing on agricultural land. All members of the County Council are elected on a nonpartisan, at-large basis to two-year terms. E-mail: mchock@kauai.gov Council Direct Line: (808) 241-4098 Cell Phone: (808) 651-7013 The other candidates for seven positions are Addison Bulosan, Bernard Carvalho, Felicia Cowden, Billy DeCosta, Luke. I have tried to raise the vacation rental rate to equal the resort rate twice at budget (2019 and 2022). I will also support efforts to ensure TVRs are properly providing recycling and other ways we can work to limit the waste that ends up in our landfill. Although Kauai Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. In little and big ways, we all need to be doing whatever we can to reduce our carbon footprint; and, as institutions and industries, like our county, our business community and our visitor industry, we need to be leading the way. Our County should also work in partnership with private entities wherever possible to create additional wastewater treatment facilities. We need to site a new landfill. Addison Bulosan Luke Evslin Lila Balmores Metzger Bernard Carvalho Fern Anuenue Holland Nelson Mukai Felicia Cowden Ross Kagawa Mel Rapozo Billy DeCosta Kipukai L.P. Kualii Rachel Secretario Search by Questions Search by Candidate QUESTION #11What is your solution to best manage solid waste on Kaua`i? I believe that I can relate to and understand the needs of our diverse community and honor our unique and valuable history and culture while making good decisions for our future. The 2016-2018 Kauai Tourism Strategic Plan (KTSP) was unique among government sponsored reports in its clear-headed recognition that we are over capacity for tourism, that we need bold change, and that we should strive to keep our visitor count within 23,000-25,000. While there is talk about airport expansions, tourism management and focusing on the right visitors, we fail to acknowledge the horrific impacts that tourism is having on our local residents. It will be sad, if a local family (2-3 generations) needs to sell their vacation home because they cannot afford the taxes. We have created a circular economy around retail. I also want to dive into the things holding approved projects up and work with County departments to understand and address the ways things can be improved and streamlined. Allowing rapid development of new visitor and investment luxury housing currently underway is in direct conflict with our priorities. My individual choice is to honor the will of the voters and support the next person in line according to the vote totals from our election just three months ago, said Council Vice Chair KipuKai Kualii, voicing a sentiment shared by the five councilmembers who voted in favor of Ross Kagawa. 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