Incumbent Kohala Councilman Tim Richards is finishing his first term while facing a challenge for his second from Hawi resident Maya Parish.
Both Richards and Parish are focused on county budget needs and raising more revenue, but their approaches are very different.
District 9 includes Mauna Lani Resort, Waikoloa Village, Puako, Waikii, parts of Waimea, Puukapu Farms, Puukapu Homesteads, Puukapu Village House Lots, Lualai, Puuopelu, Lalamilo, Waiaka, Kawaihae, Kohala Ranch, Mahukona, Hawi, Kapaau and Halaula.
The winner in the Aug. 11 primary takes the nonpartisan seat.
Richards, 59, of Waimea, is staff veterinarian at Veterinary Associates Inc. and a rancher. He has an advanced degree in veterinary medicine from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
Richards reflected on his accomplishments during his first two years, naming one of his top successes inserting language in a polystyrene foam food container ban that requires the county also comply with the ban. The original language had exempted the county, while requiring businesses to quit using the containers.
“I believe my greatest accomplishment is giving District 9 a credible and trusted voice in our county government that is collaborative, cooperative, but stands very firm on principle and accountability,” Richards said. “I have been able to do this by building bridges of communication with the directors of the county departments and other elected officials at our local, state and federal levels. I have met with, sat and listened to all constituents on any problem they might bring to me.”
He’s had his share of frustrations as well, frequently surrounding the county budget process. The budget process, Richards believes, should be more carefully thought out with all options on the table at the same time, compared to what he calls “silo legislation.”
But fellow council members balked at forming an ad hoc committee that would have taken budget negotiations behind closed doors, with the final proposed budget brought out in public for County Council vote only after the nitty-gritty details had been worked out.
Richards said the county’s economic crisis caused by the volcano emergency has changed some of his priorities, but he still wants to focus on workforce housing and affordable housing. One initiative he’s working on would bring more than 1,000 workforce housing units to market, he said.
“In order to address the needs of our community and society we must have the financial resources. Those resources come from a dynamic economy,” Richards said. Fixing our housing crisis is difficult under the best circumstances. A struggling economy makes the solutions more difficult. … I am putting this as one of my highest priorities, but we as a county also have to look to economic growth with other economic drivers.”
Parish, 40, of Hawi, is an educator and yoga instructor. She has a bachelor’s degree, Phi Beta Kappa, in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
A thriving county budget is also Parish’s priority, although she’d take a different tack.
Parish got into politics through community organizing, and then became active in the local and state Democratic Party. She said she believes elected officials are out of alignment with the values of the party, and she feels she can better address the issues at the state, rather than the national level.
“I think we are very out of balance these days,” Parish said.
“It feels like a calling to public service,” she said of her involvement.
The first issue Parish said she’d address as a County Council member is the current system of taxation, which she’d tackle through “proactive budget planning.”
Rather than a regressive tax such as the general excise tax, Parish prefers a progressive taxation system through property taxes. Part of that, she said, is establishing a luxury tax on higher-end properties owned by out-of-state investors who don’t live here.
Another part is revamping the agriculture exemption so that it’s used only by legitimate farmers, not gentleman farmers on small plots, she said.
“Closing some of these loopholes would bring more money into the county budget that would serve the people,” she said.
Richards mainly “collaborates” with Susan LeeLoy and Arron Chung.
He is being promoted by the same interests that tried to give us Sunny Shimaoka and Ron Gonzales.
His public disrespect and hectoring of Mayor Kim is appalling.
Do you mean he’s being promoted by the interest of the people and workers in Hawaii? Have you looked at his campaign contributions to see who wants him to be their voice? Do you know who is endorsing him? Residents. Workers. The everyday people of this island. Not the rich transplants who have invaded Kohala and are trying to take over and make it like California. Not mainland family members who are contributing like the contributions Maya gets.
You sound just like “shleabor”. I thought you were Terri. LOL
don’t know who shleabor is or what that means and don’t know Terri. I just pay attention to what Tim and his family have done and do for the island and Kohala and believe he is the best person for the position. Not someone who hasn’t been here for very long and who’s funders don’t live here and supporters are all transplants who want to make this island like the rest of the America the ran from.
“shleabor” was the name Terri Richards posted under in the 2016 election and recently, when she went after “bigislandfarmer”,
in the disqus comments of the West Hawaii Today
Hey qui bono. I think it’s time to make formal complaint and actually out who you are -people will be so pleased to know. I’m over here (Waving hands). Quit attacking Pualani. She speaks the truth- all of it- she did forget to mention that our opponents husband is a luxury home realtor/manager though. I’ve had this account for decades. It should read Shelabor — but I made a typo decades ago when I was replying to a comment on the Washington Post. Oops. You are attacking my children now? Shame on you.
We can chose to vote for someone who was born and raised in Hawaii, who knows the land and the people, who has government and political experience, and DOESN’T chose sides. Or we can chose a former B-movie actress who has lived here for three years, who’s campaign contributions have mostly come from mainland family members, who likes to throw parties (“community organizing”) for democrats, sides with democrats–which means she’s not for ALL people, and has no government or political experience other than what Margaret Wille whispers in her ear… The choice is clear! VOTE FOR TIM RICHARDS! This decision in made on August 11, so get out and vote today!
Were your kids born in Hawaii ?
born and raised
Are they twins?
No. and I said “raised.” How about you? You born and raised here? You have kids born here or you a rich mainlander trying to make Hawaii like where you from?
I have worked on the North Kohala Community Development Plan Action Committee for several years and have had times when I needed to contact Tim, either for support on a project or to discuss an issue facing the area. Although I like Tim personally, his record of responses has been terribly weak. At best I get an email reply over a week late and I generally got nothing at all. His statement, “I have met with, sat and listened to all constituents on any problem they might bring to me” hardly reflects my experience. If he so consistently fails to respond promptly to community leaders working on community problems, I can only wonder how he responds to private citizens. I think he might be too busy with other things to bring his full attention to our support.
Don’t forget that at the same time he was involved in the vacation rental bill, it was revealed that Richards lied on his financial disclosure forms and left off $50-100K of income from the property (WHT May 3). He, and particularly Karen Eoff, who lied twice, are not fit to hold office.
Whoever Parish is, she has to be a better choice, not even including the incredible imcompetence displayed in several areas by this island’s government over the past two years. She could hardly be worse.