in 
Politics, Commentary, Community
Politics, Commentary, Community Saturday
28Apr
Naeole set to back cousin Billy Kenoi
Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 10:00AM 
Billy Kenoi
Before Billy Kenoi entered the Big Island mayor’s race recently, Councilwoman Emily Naeole had considered supporting Dominic Yagong, but was leaning more toward her other Council mate, Stacy Higa. Although both may enter the 2008 Mayor's race, neither one has announced he's a candidate.
But this week Naeole said she will support the only announced candidate in the race so far -- her cousin, Kenoi.
Kenoi, an aide to Mayor Harry Kim, “is a blood relative,” Naeole told me this week. "I believe I will support him. I believe in him. He’s good-hearted.”
State Sen. Lorraine Inouye and another Kim aide, Andy Levin, are also preparing to join the race, and would likely be strong candidates, but they have not announced that they are running.
Kenoi, 38, was born in Kalapana in the rural Fifth Council District, where Naeole won a surprising victory over incumbent Gary Safarik in November with 2,839 votes (53.6 percent) to Safarik’s 2,227 (43 percent). While some anti-Safarik sentiment was probably a factor in the race, Naeole’s ability to build a motivated base of support with hundreds of newly registered voters likely contributed more to her success.
Naeole now will rally her grassroots support around Kenoi as well as her her own expected re-election bid in 2008. “If I pull in my people they will respect me for my mana’o,” Naeole said. “Us local people deserve a chance.”
But she'll have to explain her decision to Higa first. “I thought Stacy," said Naeole, before her cousin entered the race. "I have to talk to Stacy."
Kenoi recently was named one of Hawaii's "25 People for the Next 25 Years" by Hawaii Business magazine, which speculated on his run for mayor, even governor. The article was also featured in the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law alumni page.
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to FriendReferences (1)
References allow you to track sources for this article, as well as articles that were written in response to this article.
-
Response: polomurinureon 36 postall about polomurinureon and top news
Reader Comments (1)
Given the lame and evasive response the Mayor recently made to my fairly direct question about Puna, being in his camp may do Mr. Kenoi more harm than good among those of us in Puna who value strong policy and results more than the usual excuses. Given Ms. Naeole's continuing inablility to get out of the starting blocks when it comes to producing any meaningful improvement in our lot, her endorsement may not get him any votes outside her core group and big family, which he would get anyway.
So what are his ideas about dealing with Puna's problems? It is early enough for him to announce his candidacy, but is it too early to expect some policy statements? I don't know the Big Island ettiquette for such things, but I think saying what you plan to do comes with the territory of announcing that you are a candidate. In fact, most successful candidates think out their policy points BEFORE they announce. (Maybe he doesn't want to offend his boss, the Mayor.)
Since I seem to remember Mr. Kenoi making a point to let Hunter know that he is a candidate, perhaps he would agree to be interviewed by Hunter. (I wouldn't mind if you ask him the exact same question I asked the Mayor, Hunter.) If he gives the same sort of answers (excuses) Mr. Kim gave to my question, then we will know what we are dealing with.
I sincerely hope that this gentleman is a breath of fresh air and not just another aspiring good old boy. If this posting sounds cynical, just remember the history of ever-smiling local politicians and how they have dealt with Puna in the past.