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During election season, you can typically count on candidates to have down-pat answers, the “I’m-passionate-about-fill-in-the-blank” statement about any given topic. But that wasn’t the case for all the mayoral candidates when they were asked about Native Hawaiian issues at a voter forum over the weekend.

The forum was organized by the voter advocacy group No Vote No Grumble, and took place at the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It was planned as a way to connect voters and candidates, and to help voters better understand the key positions of those running for various offices. Four mayoral candidates participated in the event:

• Kirk Caldwell, the city’s acting mayor and former managing director
• Peter Carlisle, the city’s former prosecuting attorney
• Panos Prevedouros, an engineer and university professor
• Rod Tam, a city councilman

A moderator asked the candidates a series of questions, and gave each man two minutes to respond. The group had plenty to say on rail, homelessness, human services and themselves. But when asked to outline priorities with regard to Native Hawaiian issues, the story was different. Candidate responses ranged from vague and unfocused to decisive and specific.

“I am very much multi-cultural oriented,” said Tam, who answered first. “When you think about it, down deep inside of us, we’re all Hawaiian because we live here, we breathe the air, we eat the food.”

Tam went on to describe his vision for an international, multi-cultural center in Kakaako, an idea he’s outlined in the past, which he says would both boost tourism in its appeal to Chinese businesspeople looking to “sample the Hawaiian way of life,” and give elderly citizens a place to spend time together. Tam didn’t mention any issues unique to Native Hawaiians.

Carlisle responded next, and he began by reciting the state’s motto: “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono,” arguably a political statement in and of itself. He went on to list some of the local Hawaiians who have taught him about the culture over the decades he’s lived in Hawaii. But Carlisle didn’t identify any specific Native Hawaiian issues.

“The whole idea is to make sure that I learn more and more about what it is to be Hawaiian,” said Carlisle. “To make sure that we never ever lose what the host culture has given us.”

Carlisle then described himself as a “lifelong student” of Hawaiian culture before making a joke about how living in Hawaii would always be better than living in his native New Jersey.

Only Caldwell, who spoke next, seemed prepared to talk decisively about his priorities with regard to Native Hawaiian issues: “I have three. Well, I have many, but three that are most important.”

Caldwell first spoke to the Akaka Bill, promising to do everything possible “to make sure that this bill becomes a reality.” He next reiterated a commitment to passing revenue from ceded lands to Native Hawaiians entitled to it, faulting the state for its failure to comply with its own decades-old mandates. Finally, he listed reaching out to the Native Hawaiian members of the local homeless population as one of his top priorities.

“This is their land, this is their aina,” he said. “They need a home. They’re living on the beaches and living in parks, and we need to take care of this group of our population first. Absolutely first.”

Finally, Prevedouros used the question as a springboard into his argument against the city’s planned rail project, saying the rail plan infringes on sacred land.

“Hawaiian culture is righteousness of the land,” Prevedouros said. “A rail from Waianae to Hawaii Kai: Is there any less respectful thing to do to this island, this culture?”

Prevedouros’ response echoed statements he made earlier in the forum, when he drew parallels between Native Hawaiian values and the values of his native Greek culture. He emphasized preservation as a core value. Prevedouros also said he was committed to exploring whether the Akaka Bill is “really a good thing for Hawaiians, or a good thing for some Hawaiians,” as well as the implications the bill’s potential passage would have on the rail project.

Native Hawaiian issues remain extremely controversial, and politicians often avoid making clear their positions on topics they fear will lose them votes. But of all this year’s races, the leading mayoral candidates have arguably seemed the least likely to play it safe. For example, earlier this summer, Carlisle told voters the future would be filled with “blood, sweat and tears, yours and mine.” Prevedouros regularly refers to the homeless as “freeloaders and bums,” and Tam is downright infamous for his spoken gaffes.

To be fair, no one can be perfectly on point all the time, and two minutes is hardly enough time to even begin to delve into the complexities associated with Native Hawaiian issues. Besides, an ability to talk about something doesn’t promise the ability or willingness to do something about it. But it would seem a likely first step.