City Council District 6 race packed with candidates
HONOLULU—A total of 15 individuals have either requested or filed papers for candidacy in the race for the Honolulu City Council District Six, making it the most hotly contested Council seat in this election year.
The seat is being vacated by Rod Tam, who must resign due to term limits and to run for Honolulu Mayor. Tam has held the seat since 2002 and been fined and sanctioned for multiple ethics violations. As this is a nonpartisan election, candidates are not required to declare party affiliation.
Honolulu City Council District Six is comprised of a portion of Makiki, Downtown Honolulu, Punchbowl, Liliha, Pauoa Valley, Nuuanu, Alewa Heights, Papakolea, Kalihi Valley, and a portion of greater Kalihi.
The following are individuals who have requested or filed papers for candidacy: Lei Ahu Isa, Lawrence Fenton, Timothy Garry, Shawn Hamamoto, Eduardo Imperial, Frank Lavoie, Carlton Middleton, Sesnita Moepono, Dennis Nakasato, John Sabey, Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo, Robert Vieira, and Christopher Wong.
Michael Ellis and Michael Wilcox requested papers but have since told The Hawaii Independent that they no longer plan to run for the City Council seat. Despite the nonpartisan nature of the election, Ellis says that running will “not be beneficial to either party.”
Michael Wilcox told The Hawaii Independent that he is not running because “the way the Council has been acting, they’ve left a big mess. I don’t want my name associated with that.”
Among the issues candidates will need to address while campaigning are mass transit, houselessness, and education. The Hawaii Independent will submit a list of identical questions to each candidate and publish responses that are received. Each candidate will also receive a question specific to their campaign. Readers are encouraged to submit their own questions for consideration by emailing [email protected].
See the responses of all District 6 candidates:
Lawrence Fenton 1| 2
Timothy Garry
Shawn Hamamoto 1
Frank Lavoie 1
Carlton Middleton 1
Sesnita Moepono
Dennis Nakasato 1
Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo 1
Robert Vieira 1
Christopher Wong 1