Race Shaping Up For Empty House Seat
It’s early yet, but four people have already pulled papers to run in the race to fill Rep. Derek Kawakami’s seat.
It’s only been seven days since state Rep. Derek Kawakami announced his intentions to run for Kauai County Council this fall, but four familiar names have already thrown their hat in the ring to replace him in the Legislature.
Fellow Democrats Nadine Nakamura, Fern Anuenue Rosenstiel and Jan Kimura along with nonpartisan candidate Sandra Klutke have all . Nakamura and Rosenstiel filed theirs聽this week.
Nakamura, a former County Council member and top vote-getter in her last election in 2012, now works for Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. as managing director.
Kimura is the former chair of聽the county Planning Commission. Klutke聽is聽a former planning commissioner and member of the state Agribusiness Development Corporation.
And Rosenstiel actively聽fought聽for the聽county law (since overturned by a judge) to impose mandatory disclosure requirements on the use of certain pesticides and growing GMO crops.
The District 14 seat聽runs聽from Wailua on the east side through Hanalei on the north shore. Kawakami held it for five years after being appointed by former Gov. Neil Abercrombie in 2011.
