Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Aug. 11 primary, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following came from Debra Kekaualua, one of six candidates for Kauai Mayor. The others are Derek S.K. Kawakami, Leonard A. Rapozo Jr., Mel Rapozo, Clint A. Yago Sr., Ana Mo Des and Joann Yukimura.

Go to Civil Beat’s Elections Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the Primary Election Ballot.

1. The April flooding demonstrated some homes and infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to heavy rain. Should this change the county’s approach to development, and if so, how?

Yes, especially when a man-made weather system is stalled over Hanalei. The county must change all aspects of their governmental delivery, especially their approach to development, controlled tourism, nepotism, and to firmly dismiss all military including RIMPAC, the Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility, NASA, etc. How? A 90-day exit strategy for all that have not learned truth and integrity, life’s rules, living in Hawaii-nei.

The Hawaii National Guard is the only force we need for protection from war with the United States or other countries that have Hawaii in their sights to take over, and as has happened 125-years earlier without ever exercising a treaty of annexation.

Ban TVR homes islandwide. Hotel stay or dismiss tourism.

Remove destroyed TVR structures of the wealthy. Infrastructure repair should be completed via mandating wealthy and corporates, LLC, nonprofit corporates, foundations, GMO corporates and turn them into profit-sharing to not only enhance their employees’ income needs, but “fix” all the outdated roadway infrastructure, clarifying land “ownership issues” without valid title and the decades of fraud that the title guarantee insurance mortgage programs and bank institutions that have promoted the current status all the way down to homelessness.

2. Are changes needed in how the County Council is run, and if so what are they?

Absolutely need changing to a manager system, dismiss council entirely, and implement konohiki council for each of Kauai ahupuaa appointed by the mayor manager system, not by vote.

3. Kauai County recently implemented a 0.5 percent GET surcharge for public transportation. Do you support this decision? Why or why not?

Our island is 30 by 33 miles round. I have worked the Kauai bus knowing intimate details and thus never supported the transportation Iniki bus, nor Superferry. Smaller footprint buses and taxi coupon paratransit. Currently, paratransit 30-passenger buses used and statistically carry only two to four passengers. Paratransit taxi is cost effective, timely, to those of us that are in the lower income bracket and that, our current/past county mogul hierarchy does not understand.

“Free” Iniki and Hele-on has gone to extreme costs. We are drowning in taxes while billionaires are also given free rein over we the people. Career politicians known for being above the law, bought off by agri-GMO, and other transplants that have allowed greed in rental properties too costly, unless you come from California, or unless both parents have two jobs each, never home. Our child suicide rate is directly affected by these kinds of latch-key keiki lives.

4. There is a desire to grow the economy through new development yet also a need to protect our limited environmental resources. How would you balance these competing interests?

Moratorium, moratorium, moratorium.

5. What would you do, if anything, to strengthen police accountability?

Few if any of the county departments, HR, parks, police or state judiciary without jurisdiction are capable of accountability for their questionable actions and activities. The behavior on Kauai is similar if not worse than that of Honolulu mayor, HPD, chief, and prosecuting attorney/wife. Our mayor and county prosecuting attorney are known for unfinished business. Their behavior is known islandwide with the recent CocoPalms rebuild fiasco, 30 officers on steroids flown in to Kauai from Oahu for “ejectment,” three raids and road closures. Now federal investigations have begun check on the judiciary, the supposed LLC Coco Palms builders not having credentials nor permits and liabilities with other development in Hawaii and Santa Cruz, California.

6. What specific steps would you take to strengthen Hawaii’s lax lobbying, ethics and financial disclosure laws?

I would hire Michael Jay Green to work out those details.

7. Would you support eliminating Hawaii’s high fees for (hiding) access to public records when the request is in the public interest?

Yes.

8. Voters complain their elected officials don’t listen to them. What would you do to improve communication?

Hire or appoint those that I/my manager team know are holding proper, correct and updated credentials and are as brilliant as the Ali’i, when it comes to aloha aina malama aina, never-ever “ownership.”

9. What more should Kauai County be doing to prepare for the effects of climate change, including sea level rise and threats to the reefs?

Moratorium on growth, vehicles. Allow generations of tenants monitoring what resources we have remaining. Water, the new gold.

Currently only available to PMRF, monitored by military police 24-7. Their very own water well. My people from Hanapepe to Kekaha must buy their drinking water.

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative steals millions of gallons of water daily and sells it to Department of Water and a new water bottling corporate.

10. What do you see as the most pressing issue facing your district? What will you do about it?

Corporate take over (Waikiki Beach Boys example). Child/young adult suicide, autism spectrum, rat lungworm, GEO-thermal, GMO sprays that poisons lehua island and kills reefs, humanity, animals, plants and ecosystem. Eliminate military microwave environment — all their extreme unhealthy conditions. Discontinue inundation by droves from everywhere, that we are supposed to entertain.

The more we say no, the more this regime says go.

Lock this island down. Allow us to heal and become self-sustaining, as we the people know and have known generations ago.

Kauai sets the precedent. Aloha will save the world.