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Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Nov. 5 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 Mel Rapozo, candidate for Kauai County Council. The top 14 primary vote-getters advance to the general election. The other primary candidates are Abe Apilado Jr.,��Addison Bulosan, Bernard Carvalho Jr.,��Felicia Cowden, Sherri Cummings,��Bill DeCosta, Fern Holland,��Ross Kagawa, Arryl Kaneshiro, W. Butch Keahiolalo, KipuKai Kualii, Jacquelyn Nelson and Bart Thomas.

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 Kauai County, and what would you do about it?

Our solid waste crisis is the biggest issue facing Kauai right now. Our existing landfill is nearing capacity, and we don’t have a plan for a new site.

We must look at expanding our recycling programs to extend the life of the current landfill and explore other options for dealing with our trash. While there are many issues facing Kauai, the consequences of reaching landfill capacity will be dire.

2. Kauai has proven vulnerable to natural disasters especially on the island’s north shore. What would you do to improve disaster preparedness?

I believe that our emergency response teams on Kauai are second to none. They are experienced and well trained. I believe that keeping the public informed and prepared can always be improved.

We are very limited in evacuation routes on Kauai since we have limited roads for our residents and visitors to get out of danger. I have been a strong advocate for opening emergency routes on our island, using old plantation roads, to get our people to safety. I will continue to advocate for this. 

3. There are nearly 14,000 cesspools on Kauai that must be removed by 2050. With an average cost of $15,000 to $30,000 to convert to septic, many homeowners say making the transition is not affordable. How can the county help to jump-start cesspool replacements?

The cost for a cesspool conversion is significantly higher on Kauai. I am hearing that estimates are in the range of $50,000 to $75,000. This is simply not possible for many residents.

The county needs to expedite the implementation of sewer systems in the most vulnerable areas. We also must work with state and federal agencies to make funding available to assist our residents with their conversions. I do not see how we will have all conversions completed by 2050.

4. Traffic is getting worse on Kauai, and different regions face different challenges. What would be your approach to improve Kauai’s transportation problems?

We need more lanes of travel. I have met with our state and federal delegations to express the necessity of a new mauka highway. While this will take decades to materialize, we need to start the discussion and planning.

Until then, we need to open alternate routes using our network of old cane haul roads. We either get access through these old roads with rights of entries from the current landowners or seek eminent domain. Our traffic is getting worse every day here on Kauai, and we need to do something about it.

5. The median price for a single-family home on Kauai has topped $1 million. What would you do to help address the shortage of low-income, affordable and middle-class housing?

We recently increased the property tax rates on the hotel/resort and TVR classes. The revenues generated from these increases will be used to purchase lands that can be used for the development of local housing.

The County of Kauai does not have an inventory of vacant lands. Without lands, it is impossible to create affordable or workforce housing. We also restructured our tax classes that will hopefully incentivize property owners to convert their high-market rentals into long-term affordable rentals.

6. Kauai’s landfill in Kekaha will soon run out of capacity and there’s still no timely plan in place to build a new one. What can the county council do to address what could become a garbage crisis for the island?

We have been strongly urging the administration to expedite their efforts to find a solution, including passing a resolution to look at alternative technologies to deal with our crisis. We will continue to advocate for solutions.

7. Overtourism can degrade the environment, threaten biodiversity, contribute to wear and tear on infrastructure, generate traffic and disrupt neighborhoods. What more can be done to better manage the island’s tourism sector?

The state’s heavily funded visitor promotions have created many issues for our delicate island. Our infrastructure is inadequate to handle the current level of visitors on the island. We simply don’t have the resources to keep up with the demand required by overtourism.

While I am cognizant of the fact that tourism is our main industry, we are over-capacity and the quality of life for our residents has diminished. I am working on a bill that will amortize TVRs so that visitors will be staying in visitor destination areas only and not in our neighborhoods. We don’t control flight routes or visitor promotions so I am afraid that it will only get worse.

8. Should more be done to encourage agriculture and food sustainability on Kauai? What would you suggest?

Absolutely. We need to incentivize agriculture production here on Kauai. We have large tracts of lands controlled by the Agribusiness Development Corporation that sit empty. I have spoken with the ADC and encouraged them to do what they can to open these lands up for local ag production.

We have a generous ag dedication program that provides tax incentives for landowners that dedicate their lands to farming or ranching. We continue to explore ways to create opportunities that will encourage agriculture and food sustainability on Kauai.

9. What would you do to ensure transparency and accountability in county government?

As chair of the Kauai County Council, I am committed to strictly adhering to the state’s Sunshine Law. All discussions occur in the open and community engagement is strongly encouraged.

Our local news media does not cover our local government, so I have worked with Hoike, our public access TV station, to air a weekly “Kauai County Council Roundup” show that recaps the council and committee meetings. This program is also available on my personal YouTube channel.

This has been beneficial for our residents to keep up with the County Council.