Richards ousts Wille: West side council incumbents Kanuha, Eoff, David win primary

KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii County District 9 Councilwoman Margaret Wille fell short to Herbert Richards by about two percentage points in Saturday’s election after all three precincts reported results.

Richards out-gained Wille 2,172 votes to 2,083.

Wille was the only West Hawaii council incumbent who lost in the election, although results still have to be certified, denying Wille her third term on the County Council. She was first elected to the council in 2012.

Wille currently represents District 9, which includes North and South Kohala.

Neither candidate responded to phone calls Saturday night.

The west side’s other incumbents all held strong leads over their challengers by the time precincts reported vote totals.

In District 7, council Chairman Dru Mamo Kanuha defeated challenger Nestorio Domingo with 63.5 percent of the vote.

Vote tallies show Kanuha finished the race with 1,782 votes to Domingo’s 1,025.

After early results showed Kanuha with a large lead over his opponent, the sitting chairman said the returns were “looking good so far.”

“I’ve worked really, really hard for the last four years,” said Kanuha, who has served on the council since 2012. “Hopefully it was noticed by the community.”

This was Kanuha’s first election in which he had an opponent. Kanuha ran without opposition in both 2012 and 2014.

Domingo, a retired engineer for the U.S. Air Force, said he was still optimistic about the race when interviewed after early results came in.

Overall though, he said he was very pleased with his campaign, saying that even before he filed, he knew he would be “up against a strong opponent.”

“We did our best,” he said. “I’ve been getting very positive feedback.”

Domingo said the race between him and Kanuha was a very positive contest.

Kanuha said he welcomed the competition this time around.

“It’s great to have competition. It gives voters a choice,” he said.

“It made me work harder,” he added.

Domingo said he was proud to at least give the voters in the district another option.

“If nothing else, I gave voters of this district a choice,” he said. “It would not be very democratic if we only had one choice.”

In District 6, councilwoman Maile David finished with a similar margin, 2,311 votes to challenger Raina Whiting’s 1,275 votes. David has served on the council since 2014.

That’s despite Whiting out-raising David in the council race.

Whiting, a Naalehu kindergarten teacher, raised $6,407 compared to David’s $3,890, according to finance reports.

Reports showed that 97 percent of the donations Whiting received were $100 or less. The challenger said she eschewed donations from corporations, unions and special interest groups, saying she wanted a “community-supported” campaign.

Comparatively, only 7.7 percent of donations David received came in at $100 or less.

David though said the race shouldn’t be about who raises more money.

“It should be about what you can do for your community,” she said.

David said she has strong roots across the Big Island, which inform her decisions and beliefs.

“I don’t look at my job as a politician,” she said, instead saying she considers herself a “community servant.”

David also commended Whiting for running the race she did, saying both sides stayed cordial throughout.

The councilwoman extended her thanks to the community that has supported her since she joined the council in 2014.

“I will work really hard for this community,” she said.

Councilwoman Karen Eoff in District 8 won with the largest spread in the race. Vote tallies showed she finished the night with 2,310 votes compared to Jeffrey Citron’s total of 703.

Eoff was first elected in 2012.

“I’m very, very happy and humbled by the support,” she said.

Eoff said she has worked hard for her community and Saturday’s results demonstrate that voters trust her to continue representing them on the council for another two years.

She cited her “broad base of support” and endorsements from unions and organizations like The Sierra Club.

The councilwoman said running a campaign “really makes you analyze what you have accomplished” and that, overall, campaigning has been a “really rewarding experience.”

On the other hand, she said, it can also take time away from the work of being on the council.

Eoff said she’s looking forward to working with her fellow council members and taking up the work of doing “what’s right for the whole island.”

“I hope that I’ve earned the trust of the voters and I hope to keep that,” she said.

A call to Citron was not returned by press time.