GaryHooser's Blog

As I’ve written just recently “Post-Lowell – policy, politics, and elections” , it’s time to pivot.

In response to many friends and neighbors asking for my input and voting recommendations, I’ll cut right to the chase and it’s mostly about Council races.

I’ve not yet come to any conclusion on the Kaua‘i Mayor’s race.
Ditto with regards to the OHA races.

I’m for sure voting 100% for U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda.

I may or may not in the future, review or comment on the Governor/LG and State-wide legislative races. Reviewing the 75 plus races and commenting on those who are “contested” will take some time…and with Lulu, and Lowell, and Nolo having already consumed so much…not sure I have the capacity. But maybe!

Ditto with the various County Charter amendments. SEE BELOW for links to each County’s proposed Charter Amendments.

The 2 State Constitutional questions, both get a YES from me. Extending the time for the Senate to evaluate judicial appointments AND granting the County governments additional authority to borrow money for infrastructure- both make sense to me.

In response to concerned friends and allies who are concerned about Con Amendment #2 I’ve outline my thoughts here “Digging into Con Amendment #2” and welcome your feedback.

*Further note – Because several friends and allies who I greatly respect have come out in a “Vote No” position for Con Am #2…I feel compelled to disclose this.

My position is still a Yes…but somewhat hesitant.

The reasoning for the “No” vote” recommendations seem based on trust that our government leaders will use this new power in a positive way (support affordable/positive housing and infrastructure) or negative way (have it be a financial windfall to developers building luxury or whatever). My friends feel that the new power should have been “boxed in” (my words) to ensure only affordable/positive/honest development benefited from its use. Further note – Each Council could enact a County ordinance to ensure appropriate use…but of course there is no assurances that this will happen. So…the fear of abuse…the lack of trust in our County governments…are motivating the No votes…and are also causing me some consternation.

On proposed Kaua‘i County Charter amendments – I’ve not yet had time to properly evaluate but am leaning NO on the Kaua‘i question proposing to eliminate the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The proposed Hawaii County Charter Amendments are here.

The proposed Honolulu Charter Amendments are here

The proposed Maui Charter Amendments are here.

My focus today is on County Council races.

How did I reach my conclusions as to who to cast my vote for?

I have spoken at length individually with each of the below candidates, some of whom I’ve known, and worked with, for years. I’ve also asked others in the community who have direct experience working with them, AND watched/listened/read their responses to questions posed at various public forums and on their websites.

I wrote more about my rationale, thought processes, and decision-making criteria, “Choosing from the imperfect”.

For the Kaua‘i County Council, I will only be casting 5 votes:

Bulosan, Addison

Coots, Mike

Correa, Michelle Kaleiohi

Holland, Fern Anuenue

Martin, Umi

Please join me in including the above 5 individuals on your list as well.

Because I also receive calls, texts, and emails from across the islands, below are “If I lived in the district, this is who I would vote for…” for the Hawaii and Maui County Council races.

FWIW – I know personally and have direct experience with every single individual listed below. I offer my support to them without any reservation whatsoever.

Hawaiʻi County Council

District 5 – Matson, Shannon Lopeka

Maui County Council

East Maui – Sinenci, Shane

West Maui – Paltin, Tamara Akiko Maile

Kahului – Kamekona, Carol Lee

South Maui – King, Kelly Takaya

Upcountry – Pahia, Bobby

Lanai – Johnson, Gabe

Molokai – Rawlins-Fernandez, Keani

Mahalo to you the reader for taking these recommendations in the positive spirit in which they are intended. But please do your own research, make a decision you are comfortable with, offer your help and support to the candidates as well – AND VOTE!

AND YES, IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT HELPING THEM WIN, WE NEED TO HELP THEM RAISE MONEY.

PLEASE CONSIDER HELPING ESPECIALLY THESE 4 I’VE WRITTEN ABOUT HERE: “CAN WE ACTUALLY STOP THIS INSANITY?”

Gary Hooser

With the General Election right around the corner, it’s crunch time.

I strongly encourage everyone to dig in, do some research, make your choices, and then VOTE.

Every candidate is imperfect, as is the case for all of us.

We each have positive attributes, AND we each have negative sides. The sum total of both, is who we are.

The candidates are no different. Few if any will score 100.

At the end of the day, our goal as voters is to choose between the candidates listed on our ballot that person we believe will do the best job of effectively representing our values.

For me, that means a candidate who puts people and the planet ahead of corporate profits, AND who believes in their hearts that we’re all in this together.

But, how do we know who we can count on to promote and defend these values, and thus who we should cast our vote for?

The absolute best situation is if you know the candidate personally.

You know they’ll return your phone call. You know “when the crunch comes”, on the big important issues of the day, they will vote the right way. You’ve witnessed them “in action”- testifying before the Council or State legislature, volunteering/serving with organizations, working in community.

They’ve been “tested” and clearly deserve your vote.

The best predictor of future performance, is past performance.

If they’re an incumbent, what have they done or not done since first being elected?

Do they keep their heads down, mouths shut, and always vote with the majority? Or are they proactive and willing to take on the tough issues?

When needed, will they stand alone and speak truth to power?

Are they willing to call out the waste, fraud, and abuse of public funds, or will they just look the other way, afraid of jeopardizing their own “funding requests”?

Does the non-incumbent candidate have roots in the community?

Have they served in a leadership positions of a nonprofit, youth sports team/league, business, school, community association, or other similar organization?

What’s the worst thing someone’s going to say about them?

What keeps the candidate awake at night?

What’s their “subject matter focus”?

Are they most concerned about the business climate or climate change?

Do they see environmental regulations as “impediments to development” or valuable protections for coastlines, reefs, and streams?

Do they believe “it’s their own damned fault” when considering the plight of the houseless?

Does the candidate believe in equity and inclusion for all people?

Do their religious beliefs prevent them from embracing all our brothers and sisters, even if they happen to believe in a different God or holy book?

Do they believe “We’re all in this together” or “It’s every man for himself”?

Who’s endorsing and funding their campaigns?

Are they primarily “grass roots funded” via small dollar contributions?

Have they publicly committed to rejecting corporate PAC donations?

Are the large landowners, developers, and big money SuperPacs supporting them?

Have they publicly stated support for publicly funded elections? Do they support closing the loophole currently allowing contractors with government contracts to donate directly to the campaigns of those elected officials funding those same contracts?

Will they say this out loud?

Yes, lot’s of questions to ask and lots of information to filter.

None, will check every box, but the questions need to be asked.

My instincts and naʻau are grounded in my own experience serving 16 years in public office as a State Senator and County Council member AND another 16 years working in the nonprofit world of public policy advocacy.

I don’t always get it right, but when an imperfect is choosing among imperfects, that can be expected.

Which is why YOU must do YOUR homework.

Visit the candidates website.

Google them and read the various “Candidate Q & A” articles you will find.

Call them up, email them, talk to them directly.

If they don’t return your call, call them back again. Keep calling until you connect.

Do the work, make an effort, and then and only then compare my conclusions with yours see blog post “I lived in the district this is who I would vote for – 2026 General Election”.

Don’t vote on name recognition alone.

Be an informed voter.

Our democracy deserves it.

Gary Hooser
http://www.garyhooser.blog
https://www.facebook.com/garyhooser

It’s 3 weeks into our “post-Lowell” recovery. I’m forced to pivot, AND I have the luxury of being able to do so, as my home, property, and family sustained only minor physical damage.

Many others, understandably, must remain focused on the here and now of survival, but those of us that can, must do both. We must continue helping our friends AND we must deal with the here and now issues of the day.

For me, “pivot” of course means begin focusing on policy, politics, and the upcoming elections.

The general election is on November 3rd. Ballots begin arriving in our mailbox on or about October 14th – less than three weeks from today.

Needless to say, every candidate is dealing with their own Hurricane Lowell experience and impacts, and standing on the highway saying “vote for me”, is not something the public would react well to at this particular moment in time – IMHO.

Campaign mailers will begin arriving in the mail, just before that critical October 14th date and continue through November 3rd.

The massive destruction caused by the surf, winds, rain, the ongoing recovery effort – make the choice for Mayor and Council all the more important.

Which Mayoral candidate is most capable of managing the multiple actions involved with juggling the County finances, begging and borrowing from the State and Federal government, granting of contracts (non bid and otherwise), and ensuring the quality of work meets standards?

What 7 individuals on the Council will provide the best new ideas, oversight, and support for the same daunting tasks?

Kauai needs a proactive council, one that will initiate and support new policy initiatives AND watch ever so closely how the money is spent.

A full-time County Auditor, is needed now more than ever before.

The amount of money soon to be flowing through the County in support of rebuilding roads, parks, and County buildings such as the Civic Center – will be in the hundreds of millions.

Rebuilding the technological infrastructure lost in the Civic Center fire will take specific expertise and time.

It is yet unknown how many records, permits, and applications – (both paper and electronic) in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Department of Taxation, the Planning Department and others – were irretrievably lost.

Hopefully the vast majority of information contained in these departments had been “saved” electronically and backed up to the “cloud” on a daily basis and prior to the fire.

Ensuring a timely, consistent “information back-up mandate”, if not already in place, must be one of the first items on the new Council’s agenda. The Mayor can set this as administrative policy, but to absolutely ensure it actually happens, requires an actual ordinance initiated by the Council.

Working with KIUC and exploring the costs and benefits of “going underground” and “hardening” our main transmission lines must be a priority.

Expanding and incentivizing solar photovoltaic and water catchment systems for single family homes and businesses is a public policy discussion that needs to take place, at BOTH the State and County level.

Extending the property tax deadline now set at September 30, to allow Transient Vacation Rentals (TVR’s) the opportunity to convert to long term affordable rentals, and reap the benefits of that tax reduction is something that needs to happen now – ASAP.

Implementation of a “$500 gift card” program helping the unemployed, supporting locally owned small food establishments and farmers markets, similar to what occurred during COVID could provide important assistance to those who need it most.

Yes, the needs and the challenges of the coming months are formidable.

And the lions share of this work will fall upon the shoulders of the new Mayor and Council who will be sworn into office on December 1, 2026.

It’s up to us as citizens to also ACTIVELY engage and support our new Mayor and Council.

We must show up, suggest ideas, provide community oversight, and both support and applaud the positive while shining a light and calling out the shortcomings.

This is what Democracy looks like – all of us working together towards the common good.

We got this.

10 days later, after the fear and fury of Hurricane Lowell, after waking up to the destruction, after cleaning up, helping neighbors do the same, and checking on friends and family – the primary thought that comes to mind today is one of gratitude.

Gratitude and appreciation for our Kaua`i community.

I’m thinking today about the friends, neighbors, and community volunteers from every corner of our beautiful island, who’ve been working daily with chainsaws, backhoe’s, shovels, rakes, and just their bare hands – to help those in need.

Friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors, and people just helping people they’ve never ever met before – just because they can.

Some of our friends and neighbors have lost everything, and some of us survived without significant loss of property or personal injury.

Now we pull together, Kaua`i style, and help each other.

We continue delivering food, ice, and other essentials to those areas still without power.

We help recharge telephones, provide internet connections, or restart the generator that’s been sitting in the garage, unused for years.

And we do the unavoidable tasks, of sweeping, raking, loading and hauling away the debris.

I’m so very proud to call this island my home, to have raised my children here, and to see my grandchildren grow up here.

The important work of rebuilding our community will not end next week, next month, or anytime soon. While the electricity will be on, and the roads open, the rebuilding of homes and businesses will take time, and we must all continue to help and support each other.

While I’m not much good with a chain saw, or with repairing generators, or tools in general – I can, and I will, and I am, using the skills and energy I do possess, to help as best I can.

To support those friends who’ve lost their farms and orchards, we must focus now more than ever on “buying local” and shopping at the local farmers market.

Friends from across the islands and around the globe, have been reaching out, and checking in to make sure we’re ok.

The short answer is while many of us are ok, many also have been hit hard, knocked to the ground by this storm, and we really need your help.

Whether it’s a financial contribution to a local nonprofit such as Mālama Kaua`i or the Waipā Foundation, or direct assistance to families – the need is great and the time to help is now. Other worthy organizations are listed here in Civil Beat.

To those Kaua`i residents who’ve managed to get their own homes in order and want to help further in the community, a good place to start is your own neighborhood.

Take a walk down the block, talk to your neighbors, look for that yard or house that clearly needs attention, seek out that older person who may live alone – knock on their door, say hello, and offer to help.

Then, get out your phone and start checking on those friends “on the other side of the island” you haven’t seen or spoken with in years.

Trust me, they will appreciate the outreach, and you will feel good after making the effort.

Remember always to say mahalo, mahalo plenty to all who are working so hard to help bring our lives back to normal in the aftermath of this terrible storm.

Mahalo to the staff and management of K.I.U.C. (Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative) who stepped up to the daunting task of restoring our electrical service. They’ve been working 24/7, in dangerous conditions, clearing the trees, replacing poles, transformers, and getting our electricity flowing again.

Mahalo also to the airline workers at the Līhuʻe airport, especially those having to manage the endless lines at the TSA checkpoints. And to County and State workers, police, fire, and emergency responders holding down the fort, and keeping us safe.

There’s much work still yet to do, and we must get to it. But we must also pause for a moment in gratitude and appreciation for the many who’ve stepped up, and continue stepping up to help.

We are truly all in this together.

Gary

PS.
For those interested in more detail of my experience with Hurricane Lowell.

The short story is the evening when it hit was positively frightening. Fortunately, my home and family survived without significant damage. However islandwide the impacts have been devastating and it will take months to get back to any semblance of normal. Some, who have lost it all, will never recover.

On September 5th, I wrote “So tired, yet totally consumed by the waiting for Lowell”

On September 7th, “Wailua Homesteads, the morning of Hurricane Lowell”

Hurricane Lowell struck Kauai on the evening of September 9th and immediately we lost power and internet connectivity.

The next few days was spent in limbo, cleaning up, taking stock, checking with and helping friends and neighbors

And most recently, prior to today’s posting, I also posted on September 14th, a “Post Hurricane Lowell update – summary”.

Just realizing today that I’ve failed to post anything “post hurricane Lowell”.

I wrote earlier “Waiting for Lowell” and I wrote about “The preparations and morning spent waiting for Lowell” but until now I haven’t written about what actually happened when Lowell struck our island.

So here’s a first draft pass with no real editing or grammar checks…just want to get the thoughts out.

We lost electricity in our home on Monday night September 7th…and got it back on Wednesday September 9th. During that time we also had no “connectivity” via internet, phone, nor even commercial radio…both AM and FM stations were “off the air” at least from our home on Kaua`i in the Wailua Homesteads.

Even after getting our power back, our internet/phone connectivity was limited and we had to drive to find “hot spots” to use phones to call, text, check email etc.

Needless to say, except for a few FaceBook posts, I’ve not done much writing during or since then.

It’s been 7 solid days since Lowell arrived and departed.

The first day Monday September 7th…started out ominous and ended up verifiably frightening. The winds came up during the late afternoon and continued building through the early evening…then the power went out (I saw the flash of what was probably a transformer blowing up)…and then there was just darkness.

Darkness and the sound and fury of the wind.

Claudette and I were mostly sequestered in our bedroom which seemed to be the safest and furthest from the winds…but all night long it seemed…the entire house would flex and shudder…and you could feel the pressure changing…and hear the thuds of whatever objects were flying through the air in the darkness…as they hit our roof.

We lay on the bed fully clothed with our shoes on…ready to run and hide further should the roof go.

We had not put plywood on our windows (which I regret) and we kept thinking that at any moment the wall of windows we have facing the winds…was going to blow in…with shards of glass everywhere…but thankfully that did not happen.

Fortunately the winds subsided and the sun came up the next day…as my mother would always remind me was the case.

Probably about 5:45am I ventured outside to an absolutely beautiful orange/red sunrise and light winds…which quickly turned to clear skies and no winds as the morning progressed.

A quick walk around the inside of the house discovered zero issues or problems, outside a small section of roofing shingles had blown up and off, but nothing major, and no water had come through the roof/ceiling.

In our back yard, both our mango and our ulu trees had lost large branches…our young papaya trees had been pretty much shredded…and the ground was littered in avocados…probably 70 of them at least…on the ground…large and small…some ready to ripen and eat and others not so much. Fortunately the tree survived…but lost 90% of its fruit.

(more on the avocado story later (IYKYK) )

On the State lands behind our house several large African Tulip trees were knocked down…but not in a way that was harmful or dangerous to anyones home or property.

Amazingly our 3 bunches of banana’s survived the winds AND I was greeted by 3 enormous and incredibly beautiful Dragon Fruit Flowers…they only “bloom” for one day and must have started the process during the night as the winds started to dissipate. Was amazing to see them. An omen perhaps?

By this time it was just after 7am. The winds had definitely subsided…and I then decided to “walk the neighborhood”…and was greeted on the street by several neighbors all who had survived the storm with minimal damage but lots of “clean up” to do.

There was one home where the trees had fallen across the driveway and myself and others on the street proceeded to help the owner who was home alone at the time…one neighbor grabbed a chain saw…and with about 5 of us (from 3 different neighboring homes) helping…the driveway was clear after 30 minutes or so.

I’m thinking 2 or 3 homes sustained serious damage…out of 30 or so on my road. I did not see any structures that appeared to be “totaled”.

On the main “feeder road”…Kuamoo Road…I started to see cars driving up and down appearing to indicate the road was “open”.

Later that day I drove down towards the main Kuhio Highway and was able to drive into Kapaa Town…all of the traffic lights were “out”. People were very courteous at the intersections, taking turns letting each other drive through the intersection.

I drove around seeking a “hot spot” that might have “2 bars” or more so I could find out the extent of damage island wide and to contact my son and his family who live in Koloa on the other side of the island. They lived in a 100 year old plantation house…and own a “food truck” business “The Smash Cafe”…and of course I was concerned about their safety.

Unfortunately it was not until late that afternoon when I finally found a place with the much sought after “2 dots or more” and I parked at the side of the highway near Hanamaulu and was finally able to connect…discovering much to my relief that my family was ok…no major damage…but also no electricity…but the home was intact and the family of 4 (including my 2 grandchildren) were ok…stressed and worried about their food business and losing all refrigeration…but ok.

Wednesday morning we continued struggling with the lack of power and connectivity…but slowly started hearing news of major damage on the south and west coastlines from the waves and storm surge…, there was major flooding from the rains on the north shore…and some of our farmer friends had entire orchards flattened by the winds…avocado trees especially seemed to have been a favorite target of Lowell…and there were avocados everywhere…we literally could not give ours away…even though they were beautiful and tasty. But yes…our farmer friends were hit hard…and it will take years to replace those trees that were lost.

Late afternoon on that same Wednesday our electrical power and internet connectivity was restored to our home…which was a HUGE relief.

We woke up on Thursday feeling good…and then read that during the night there had been a major fire at the Lihue Civic Center – which houses numerous Kaua`i County services including the Department of Motor Vehicles where you get your drivers license renewed and pay car license fees, AND the Real Property Tax Office, AND the Planning Department and I think the Building Department…this is potentially a MAJOR disaster itself depending on the extent of the fire and how well the County has “back up” electronically all of the information held by these offices…all the tax records for the entire county…all the building approvals and permits for the entire county…and the history of those permits (think Coco Palms Resort)…it’s going to be a mess that is for sure…how big a mess we do not know…AND it will be a mess that the NEXT mayor will have to figure out.

So…now here it is one week later…the full extent of the damage island wide is still not fully known. It’s bad…but we don’t know how bad…

But I do know we will survive this…as we survived Iniki and Iwa…and Dot…and yes Lala brushed against us as well.

Now that I have electricity, connectivity, and some basic life stability…I’ll return again to my regular writing…though it’s hard to write about politics, elections, and policy…when you remain surrounded by the very real struggles of everyday life following a natural disaster such as hurricane Lowell…but at the same time “life goes on” and the statewide elections will go on…and the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be scheduled AND it is essential that all of us…make our voices head…

Bye for now…apologies for the disjointed nature of the above ramblings…but it’s the best I got at the moment.

gary

Was hard to sleep last night.
Phone kept “going off”, loudly and persistently, with emergency beeps, and messages telling me that dangerous and damaging winds were on the way.

It’s 5am as I write this.

The rain in Wailua Homesteads has been beating down since about midnight.

There doesn’t seem to be much wind.

We’ve closed tight all the windows, and it’s pitch black so all we have are the sounds.

Trying to let go of the apprehension.

We’re prepared as best we can be I think.

1) Cut down a beautiful “pony tail palm” that was too close to both our house and our neighbors. Made me sad.

2) Moved or secured various items in the yard that might otherwise become “missiles” when the wind kicks in.

3) Bought charcoal, bottled water, and various food items that don’t require refrigeration.

4) Double checked – we have a spare flashlight, portable radio, and batteries.

5) Keeping our phones and laptop fully charged.

6) Diverted one of our gutter “downspouts” so if the 14” of rain arrives over our house, the water will be diverted away from and not at risk of flooding our garage or filling our cesspool.

7) Checked-in with our immediate neighbors.

8) In contact with son and family who live on the other side of the island in Kōloa, AND with daughter now living on the continent with her young family. Both grew up in this same Wailua Homesteads home, and both have their own “post-Iniki” memories.

9) Called Mom and reassured her again that we would be ok. She assured me that she had her “prayer circles” working overtime asking the Lord to look out for us.

10) Considered installing plywood over windows and perhaps “retrofitting” hurricane straps in our open beam, mostly single wall construction, 70 year old home, that survived hurricane Iwa and Iniki – but did not. Some of our neighbors have put plywood over their windows, but we did not.

11) We have “to go bags” already prepared as we were actually hoping to take an off-island trip anyway, which we’ve now postponed.

12) Important papers, insurance documents, etc are in a secure container and area.

13) Developed a plan to move as much “stuff” as possible into “safer areas” that would not be directly impacted if the winds get crazy and it looks like the roof might go or windows blow out. Stuff like art and photographs hanging on the walls, small “memories and mementos” now sitting on counters and tables, etc.

14) At this moment Claudette is filling up a large “picnic water cooler” to store extra drinking water should the electricity go out and disrupt the County’s water transmission pumping ability.

15) We’re also are filling random 5 gallon buckets to “flush” the toilets if needed (TMI).

16) Claudette baked banana bread yesterday. Lots of it. Will share with the neighbors once the storm has passed.

There’s more…but mostly now it’s just constant checking the news, texting friends, following social media etc –

If you are reading this – I also posted on my blog thoughts and memories from the “thinking about Lowell” and “aftermath of hurricane Iniki” which ripped the roof off our home on September 11, 1992 – (located just 4 houses from where we are living today).

Love to all.

Be safe.

Will keep you posted as best I can.

We got this.

Gary
(look closely and you can see Kauaʻi “just on the edge of the purple”)

Like you, I’m oh so tired, yet totally consumed by the “waiting for Lowell” – speculating, predicting, watching one weather report after another, waiting for that inevitable “turn to the north and north-east”. My “go to” weather source is the NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER and CENTRAL PACIFIC HURRICANE CENTER (NOAA)

But at the end of the day, I’m waiting, wondering, and thinking about September 11, 1992.

Hurricane Iniki ripped the roof totally off our Wailua Homesteads home.

Fortunately we were “off island” when the storm hit but I’ll never forget those post-Iniki days.

I remember going through my half destroyed home, salvaging photos and personal memories – praying that I’d paid the insurance bill.

Our family of 4 moved into a nearby house, along with my brother and his family of 4, plus my wife’s parents and her sister – 11 of us living in a 3 bedroom house.

We lived without electricity for weeks, perhaps months.

The National Guard brought food through the neighborhood in the form of MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat), and I’ll never forget standing in long lines waiting patiently with cooler in hand, for ice.

I remember seeing those South shore ocean front homes, devastated by the monster surf that washed completely through the ground floor units, pushing furniture and appliances out into the yards.

My business at the time included publishing “Kauaʻi Magazine”, a hotel “coffee table magazine” which depended entirely on advertising sales from tourism based businesses.

On 9/12 every single one of our customers was closed, along with every single hotel on the island. Some would never open their doors again, and certainly none were interested in purchasing advertising.

The entire Kauaʻi economy shifted overnight from tourism to construction, and stayed that way for a long, long time.

I remember wondering if our lives would ever return to normal again.

But we survived, adapted, and learned from the experience.

And here we are, waiting and wondering, rehashing our memories, and praying and hoping Lowell will pass us by.

In any case, we again will survive – of that I am sure.

Stay safe my friends.

Stay safe and check on those friends and neighbors who might be without a support network, but too embarrassed or shy to ask for help.