Roth and Alameda discuss issues at Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement meeting

WAIKOLOA – Hawaii Mayor Mitch Roth and his challenger Kimo Alameda presented their policy platforms Thursday at a mayoral debate in Hawaii, ahead of the most important campaign in the state’s upcoming general election.

The debate concluded the three-day conference of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement entitled “Experience Hawai’i Island,” which attracted around 2,087 participants to the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort.

CNHA Executive Director Kuhio Lewis said, “I think it was important to have this debate at our convention because we need to strengthen civic engagement as part of the overall process. What the candidates say will determine the future. We can have all these discussions in these rooms (at the convention), but ultimately we need to work with these decision makers. This was an opportunity for us to learn from them so that we can make the right decision in the elections.”

The crowd was subdued and applauded until the end of the debate. Still, this campaign may be more exciting than any other in the general election, especially because it was a close race in the primaries.

Roth, who is running for a second term, received more votes in the primary than Alameda, his nearest challenger, but not enough to avoid a runoff in the Nov. 5 general election.

Alameda, a psychologist who formerly headed Hawaii County’s Office of Aging and was CEO of Bay Clinic Health Center, received 26.6% of the vote, compared to 36.5% for Roth. More than half the vote was needed for an outright victory in the primary.

Colin Moore, a political scientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, expects Roth to face strong competition from Alameda in the primary and also expects a “close” general election.

Over the course of the half-hour debate, Roth and Alameda talked about the importance of shifting to regenerative tourism, a model in which tourism gives as much as it takes. And while Hawaii is often viewed as the last bastion of affordable housing, they made clear that affordability is an issue there, too.

They talked about how to ensure a fair distribution of county resources across the island of Hawaii and discussed how to address social problems such as drugs, poverty and homelessness.

Roth, a former Hawaii County prosecutor, said, “We are in a better position than we were when we started.”

Roth said his administration had reduced homelessness by 28 percent and increased the number of affordable housing units from 1,200 to more than 8,100.

“This election is not about rhetoric, it’s about actually solving problems, and that’s what we’ve done on this island,” he said. “Our permits have been improved not by my words, but by the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii. We’ve reduced poverty — that’s not Mitch Roth saying that, but the Aloha United Way talking about the ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained and Employed) numbers. Our homeless population has gone down — those are not Mitch Roth’s numbers, but numbers from organizations that Kimo works with and supports. We’ve doubled the number of roads we pave in a year.”

Alameda, whose charismatic personality is often compared to that of the late Hawaii Mayor Billy Kenoi, emphasized his multigenerational connection to the island of Hawaii and his social background, which includes experiences dealing with mental health issues, drugs and some of the problems that cause homelessness, such as broken relationships. He also emphasized that he stands for change.

“I feel for the people, and that’s why it’s such a humbling opportunity for me to be able to have this experience and potentially be your leader. This is very dear to my heart because being able to serve this island has always been what I wanted to do and that’s all I’ve done so far,” he said. “I just want to ask you not to be afraid of change. I know change can be scary because it’s unpredictable. But we have to change, and I’m the right kind of change. I have a team that has the same vision, and we want to do better for this island because you deserve better.”

Moore said it is significant that Alameda has received support from the two largest public sector unions in the state, the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers. Alameda has also received support from the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers and the Iron Workers, as well as the Kanaka Movement.

Moore said Roth failed to win her support primarily because he opposed COVID-19 hazard pay for county employees.

Still, Roth has received the support of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142, the Laborers’ International Union, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America, the International Union of Operating Engineers and the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union. He is also endorsed by the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association, the General Contractors Association of Hawaii and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii.

Roth also raised and spent more money in the run-up to the general election, receiving $310,105.99 and spending $210,870.31, leaving him with $99,235.68 left, according to the Campaign Spending Commission’s final disclosure report for the July 27-August 10 primary election.

By comparison, Alameda received $150,687.32, spent $147,033.56, and had only $3,653.76 left.

“Money always helps, and I think if Alameda wants to run a competitive campaign, he’s going to have to raise more money. I mean, just the flyers, the signs and all that are important,” Moore said. “But on the other hand, politics in Hawaii is very local, and so I think the support of the unions is going to continue to be hugely important. They have the ability to mobilize their members, and that will give Alameda an important advantage, even if he doesn’t have as much money.”

Moore said another key question for the general election is where the votes received by third-place challenger in the primary, Breeani Kobayashi, will go. Kobayashi is general manager of the Hawaii SCP Hilo Hotel, owner of the Keaukaha General Store and president of the Hilo-based nonprofit Hawaii Rise Foundation.

“In my opinion, Alameda will get the majority of those votes because those voters are looking for a change,” Moore said. “Roth is still the favorite. He did well in the primaries, and incumbents always have an advantage. And in this case, he has a fundraising advantage. But no one is going to be able to predict the outcome of this race. I think Alameda has a chance, a pretty good one. This is still an extremely competitive race.”