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Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Nov. 8 General Election, 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 Grace Manipol, candidate for Hawaii County Council District 2, which covers Hilo and a portion of South Hilo. The other candidates include Blaine Kenji Bautista, Jennifer Kagiwada and Gary Napoleon Jr.

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

1. What is the biggest issue facing Hawaii County, and what would you do about it?

High school graduates moving to the mainland, especially to Las Vegas, for job opportunities and due to the shortage of doctors. 

We need to promote a trade school at Hilo Community College so our new high school graduates will have access to skills that will help them get a job that will give them income immediately without having financial problems or college debt. Training some of our high school graduates with electrical or plumbing skills will help them land a job or be self-employed individuals.  

Medical practitioners and health professionals should have the same salary brackets with other mainland doctors. The disparity of employment rates should be addressed by the county and state legislators.  

2. Overtourism can degrade the environment, threaten biodiversity, contribute to wear and tear on infrastructure, generate traffic and disrupt neighborhoods. What do you think about the amount of tourism on the Big Island and how it’s managed? 

Tourists on the Big Island are not as plentiful compared to Oahu. The airline companies and cruise lines can help educate tourists coming to our island by informing them to be mindful of their own trash. No littering. The county imposed fines and penalties for littering.

On the other hand, Hilo needs to build some hotels to cater to tourists in the Hilo area especially for Merrie Monarch Festival season.  

3. What needs to happen to relieve traffic congestion in and around Kailua-Kona and along the Puna-Keaau-Hilo corridor? 

Traffic in Puna-Keeau-Hilo corridor is minimal compared to Manila traffic. Kidding aside, commuters can share a ride to minimize congestion or extend their patience. Fifteen minutes stuck in a traffic is not that bad compared to Manila’s two hours.

Share the road with aloha and avoid car collision or accidents to avoid heavy and long traffic.

For the Kona area, we should encourage more of our hotel workers to ride the Hele-On bus if they’re coming from Hilo to avoid road congestion or traffic.  

4. The cost of living on Hawaii island is rising rapidly. How are working and middle-class people expected to buy a house or pay the rent as well as take care of other expenses? And how can the county government help?  

The county government can help by lowering the taxes. We will help our local businesses, the backbone of Hawaii’s local economy. Pass an estate tax law that will help local business owners to pass on their assets to their heirs without them paying too much taxes. By lowering their taxes, we can make sure that they will not move their headquarters to the mainland, or sell their assets just to maintain the status quo.

By helping our local businesses, we can save the jobs of our neighbors, family members and friends.

If they have jobs, they can pay their bills, and they can buy a house. We can give a tax break of $10,000-$15,000 to the first-time homeowner buyers as long as they have a full-time job.  

5. Do you support the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea?  

Yes, I support the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. It can help create jobs for the people of Hawaii. Make a moratorium not to hire mainlanders for 10 years and use the labor force of local people only. That should be in the agreement.

For every 10 hired employees that are local residents of at least five years there could be one mainland-hired employee. 

Remove the two dilapidated buildings that were there and build the TMT in replacement. 

6. Homelessness remains a problem statewide, including on Hawaii island. What would you do to come to grips with this persistent problem?

Redo the house tax codes and permitting so it’s easier for some people to build their own house.

Create micro or tiny affordable housing for homeless people. Local taxpayers for at least 10 years should be given more priority compared to some “homeless” who just moved to Hawaii from other parts of America.

Create a rehabilitation center for the mentally incapacitated “houseless” individuals.  

Send back the other homeless people to their respective states, so they will not use the resources of Hawaii local residents.

7. Half of Hawaii’s cesspools are on the Big Island, some 49,300. Seepage from cesspools can make people sick, harm coral reefs and lead to a variety of ecological damage. By law, cesspools must be upgraded to septic systems by 2050. What can be done to help people who may not be able to afford the conversion?

The county may allocate part of its budget to help those local residents that cannot afford to change their cesspools by 2050 with loans. Those who can afford to change their cesspools can be given a tax deduction break or credit.

8. What is the first thing Hawaii County should do to get in front of climate change rather than just reacting to it?

Honestly, my approach to climate change is to plant more trees, fruit trees that can give oxygen and food to the people. Trees excrete oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide in the air.  

9. Should the Hu Honua biomass energy plant be allowed to start operating? Why or why not?

Biomass energy is a good alternate source of energy aside from fossil fuels. Burning mature trees to use as energy is better compared to just letting the trees go rotten or become a fire hazard. Why not use it as a source of energy?

Monitoring is the key. Hawaii is a good place to plant trees, we have fertile soil here. Trees produce oxygen, and when these trees are ready to be harvested, use them as a renewable source of energy. Maybe the plant can operate two to three times a week only. The ashes can be used as a fertilizer, too. For every cut tree, plant another five trees as replacements. 

10. How would you make the county administration more transparent and accessible to the public?

To make the county administration more transparent and accessible to the public, there should be a calendar of events posted outside the county building as to what issues or hearings will be conducted for the whole month ahead of time. This is for people who don’t have any access to computer systems or digital portal.

To those who have access to computers, the county should have a user-friendly system that can allow them to share their thoughts and opinions concerning the issues that affect the constituents.  

Zoom links should be provided to those who want to participate in the meetings.

There will be e-newsletters for all the meetings, hearings and events, at least twice a month to update the people.  

Lobbyists and their gifts will be posted in the bimonthly e-newsletter, too.