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Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Aug. 10 Primary 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 Kyle Jones, candidate for Hawaii County Council District 6, which includes Kau, portions of South Kona and Volcano. The other candidates are Michelle Galimba ²¹²Ô»åÌýIkaika Kailiawa-Smith.

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

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

The biggest issue facing our district is the lack of core municipal services and infrastructure such as water, sewage and trash services.

District 6 is rural and often neglected by the county budget, and it shows. Our county parks are in severe need of modernization, and there are many county roads in a state of abject disrepair, creating dangerous conditions for locals and visitors alike.

I would support legislation that prioritizes core improvements for District 6, which is the largest council district on the island.

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?

Tourism can have many negative impacts if managed poorly, but love it or hate it, it’s the No. 1 industry in the state. We need to strike a balance and create a managed, sustainable tourism economy that benefits everyone who lives here.

I believe there are many proposals that visitors would be happy to support, such as contributing to the maintenance of county beach parks. This has been successful for the state parks such as Akaka Falls and Hapuna State Beach.

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

The only reliable way to reduce traffic on the road is to encourage less driving. The HeleOn bus needs more consistent, frequent service to make it a reliable method of transit islandwide. There are often only one or two buses leaving a day.

It is also not currently possible to walk or bike around much of Kailua Kona, but I believe that if we improve our pedestrian and biking access, traffic will improve.

There are also road-related issues to address, such as the Lako Street bottleneck. Planning infrastructure improvements will be a focus of my platform and take priority in my term.

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?

One of the primary reasons that housing remains so expensive is because we simply don’t build enough and there are many obstacles to an efficient permitting process.

Around the world, the places with affordable rent have encouraged the building of housing, and where appropriate, upzoning. I support proposals that would encourage housing construction, including adjusting the permitting process that can be so onerous for people on Hawaii island.

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

We all have a special relationship with Mauna Kea. It should absolutely be protected from excessive or damaging development, at all costs.

Astronomy has held a special place in my heart since I was a small kid, looking up at the clear Milky Way here that so many don’t get to even see. I love that Hawaii is such a huge part of astronomical research, it’s a source of great pride for me.

Recently, an astronomer at the Keck proved the existence of a supermassive black hole and won the Nobel Prize in physics for her work. If the TMT upholds its extensive obligations to protect the Mauna, legally, it should be allowed to proceed.

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

Hawaii County is currently doing a good job at combating this problem. There was a 23% drop in the homeless population from 2023 to 2024.

I would continue to support the local programs that are doing good work. It’s extremely difficult for unhoused people to fix their situation, even if they want to, because of how expensive housing is here.

I support public housing projects in addition to adjusting the permitting process and upzoning.

Finally, those with substance abuse issues need help and treatment and to create trust with doctors and officials, not jail and punishment.

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?

I have lived on many properties in South Kona that have cesspools. It’s a very difficult issue for homeowners to solve because the terrain is very rocky, hilly, resulting in an extremely expensive process to replace cesspools, far out of reach for many people in our district.

The wastewater issue affects all residents, and it’s unfair to place the burden on individual homeowners, many of whom are now elderly, when the projects were originally approved with cesspools in the first place. This also affects housing availability because of the need for new projects to have expensive septic tanks installed.

District 6 is particularly challenged by this issue, because our residents tend to be more low-income. I would support directing county resources toward helping to subsidize this problem.

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

The best way we can truly get in front of climate change is to transition to clean and sustainable energy sources more quickly. Our energy prices are currently dictated by far-away global events because we are still reliant on fossil fuels for a huge portion of our power generation.

I support the expansion of geothermal energy because I think this is the most sustainable and reliable path forward to combat climate change.

County governments should also be considering climate change in county general plans. If sea levels do rise as predicted, it’s better to be prepared and resilient.

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

Power is extremely expensive in Hawaii County, some of the most expensive in the nation. We should absolutely pursue innovative ideas to lower energy costs.

That being said, I don’t know if burning trees is the best path for our specific circumstances. I would rather support expanding our geothermal potential substantially. We live on top of what could be nearly unlimited energy, and it seems unfortunate not to take advantage of this incredible natural resource.

Geothermal is also very safe, usually only emitting steam.

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

I want to work with the public to create a government that works for all of us. My door will always be open to anyone, and my goal is to comprehensively represent all the people of District 6.

In addition, I want to be a little more critical of mayoral appointees and make sure that they are the best people for the job. In the recent past, corruption within such departments as Affordable Housing have been a blight on our county.

District 6 has been critically underserved for a while, and I want to bring the county spotlight back to Captain Cook, Kau, Pahala and Volcano.