Four Kauaʻi County Council candidates weigh in on primary results and local issues as 1% separates 6th and 9th places

Following the Hawaiʻi Primary Election on Aug. 10, four candidates for Kauaʻi County Council appear to be in the most up-in-the-air positions as they advance to the general election.

The primary results reveal candidates in positions six through nine — current council members Felicia Cowden, Addison Bulosan, Billy DeCosta, and the highest-ranked non-incumbent, Fern Ānuenue Holland —  are in the most critical positions.

A total of 14 candidates are competing for one of seven seats, with final voter preferences to be determined during the November general election.  However, with only one percentage point and just over 1,000 votes separating sixth and ninth places, moving just one or two slots up or down would cause these four candidates to secure or lose a seat.

Kauaʻi Now recently spoke to candidates Cowden, Bulosan, DeCosta, and Holland to hear their thoughts on the primary election results, issues facing the island, and plans for their current campaigns. 

With Hawaiʻi having experienced the worst voter turnout in its primary history, with a turnout of only 25.2% on Kauaʻi, all four candidates hoped for and predicted higher voter participation in the general election. 

Additionally, DeCosta and Cowden discuss an incident involving a handmade poster made by local artist Glen Gruenhagen, which Cowden placed on DeCosta’s desk in January. DeCosta reported it as a threat, and Gruenhagen was sentenced to a year in jail in a plea deal. Candidates also discuss handling personal conflicts among council members.

Below are excerpts from separate interviews with the four candidates, presented in order of their ranking in the primary election. Note that responses have been edited slightly for clarity and brevity.

Felicia Cowden

• Council member (2018 – present)
• Placement in Primary: Sixth
• Number of votes: 5,849 (5.7%)

On finishing in sixth place: That’s exactly, probably where I expected to be. I’m usually fifth, sixth, or seventh.

It’s great to be in the top seven, and I look forward to really strengthening my campaign in the general.

On voter turnout: I think there will be substantially more voters in the general. So while I am honored and grateful to have been elected in the top seven, I know I have to continue to make an effort and to really reach out to the community and work with people. There was a relatively soft turnout for the primary because many of the positions were unopposed.

But I think for the general, there will probably be a very strong turnout, just like there was in 2020 because people feel passionate about the presidential election. So I think that’s when people are really going to turn out.

Biggest issue facing the county: Housing, infrastructure, and cost of living. The most important thing we are facing is that people are able to stay on the island that want to stay on the island and that we do not displace more of our population. 

I put a lot of focus on making sure that we have evacuation routes and that our emergency management and hazard mitigation plan is strong. We need to be working on our flood management, our fire management and our evacuation routes. That is something I am deeply committed to. I feel very hopeful that we can have measurable positive change.

On if she would have done anything differently regarding the Glen Gruenhagen case:  Looking backwards, I should have called the police right then, but I think that it would have been difficult for my colleague [DeCosta], because I would not have been calling the police on Glen [Gruenhagen]. I’d have been calling the police on my colleague … If I had called the police right there, I think it would have changed the whole outcome.

I don’t think Glen belongs in jail at all. He did not come into the building to threaten anybody. He came into the building because he felt threatened, and he was asking for help. 

I didn’t sense any threat whatsoever. That poster was meant to be an anti-campaign poster. It looked kind of childish to me. I did not see it as a threat, and I felt no threat whatsoever. And I had suggested to Glen that he should call the police, and he said, ‘Well, the police won’t do anything. It’s just my word against his.’ And I agreed with him. 

But had I called the police, or not taken the man’s directive to give it to Billy’s boss, who is Billy, nothing would have happened. 

On working in an uncomfortable environment or with conflict among council members:  

During a private council meeting in January, Cowden said she was afraid of DeCosta. However, Cowden declined to share more details of their conflict on the record. 

How am I going to get along with the others? I know what I could say here is, here’s something I could say that’s really important to frame: I am so empowered by the change that has come to the Council, where council people who have chosen to have personal staff – that has been an opportunity, and because of that, I have very good research help and a lot more reach to be able to assist the public and the constituents.

It’s empowering, and I believe that there will be an increase in the ability to have well researched, solid policy because it’s really important to base decisions on good information and facts.

The approval of $100,000 each, $700,000 in total, for personal support staff for council members was controversial among council members last year.

On whether she believes the Glen Gruenhagen case had any impact on the results: You know, maybe. But Arryl Kaneshiro, who is the person who pushed somebody out, Arryl Kaneshiro has come in first place before … People very much vote for their friends and family and people they’re familiar with. So it’s more of a people vote from the heart more often than from the statistics. 

Plans for campaign: I’m definitely planning to put up more banners. And then I am so happy to continue showing up for people, if anybody wants me to come to their events, come to listen to them, come to learn more from them. My phone number 808-652-4363 is open to the world, and I have time for people.

Addison Bulosan

• Council member (2022 – present)
• Placement in Primary: Seventh
• Number of votes: 5,561 (5.4%)

On coming in seventh: I was focused on my newborn, and then recovering from healing from surgery. So I totally respect the voters that you know, maybe I wasn’t engaged with them as much as I would be in my most normal campaigns. So that makes me extra dedicated in my healing journey right now to make sure that the community feels connected with me and understand that I’m 100% in this race. When you go through an emergency surgery and then also having a newborn, you get a new sense of purpose, right? Like, everything is different. I look at things from the eyes of a dad now, and then from the eyes of someone who almost died. 

And it really reinforces my dedication to want to serve as a council member and the community. And so it’s pretty amazing to get the results of the primary. And I’m excited to go to work and at the same time heal. 

On voter turnout: I’m just super grateful for all the voters that came out and excited that the general election is going to be a real test for the community, because it’s aligned with our presidential race. I’m just really hopeful that people turn out and vote. I know the voter turnout was not what we hoped for. You know, as a democracy. So I hope the presidential election elicits both local and countrywide engagement.

Biggest issue facing the county: For me, it’s housing. It’s the work that we’re doing with housing. And so I’m excited that there are a couple of bills that we’re working on that will help increase housing for our local workforce and local families. 

A lot of our work, with the success that we found, is in budget. So the one big one is that we allocated more money to building local workforce housing that went to our housing fund by increasing the TVR and hotel tax rates.

So I think that’s the sort of small things that we need to keep doing. But there’s little things too. Like in the budget, we increased funds to the bus so that we can help more people who are underserved.  

And then really emphasized this year, protecting our community from not just the wildfires, but just emergencies in general. So that kind of decision-making is super important, especially at the level of our council.

 I feel like I represent our millennials and youth people and small businesses and just regular local working families. 

On working with conflict among other council members: For me, I’ve always been good at adapting around, or with, people to achieve a goal. It’s called being a synergist. It’s like you can enter a room and you can work with anyone in any type of situation, as long as the goal is clear. 

I mean, I have no personal issues with anyone. That’s the role of the job, right? Yeah, you sit in a room and you get the team that you get, right? I am not picking the team, and so my job is to have a clear vision, have a clear mission, and be on this team to achieve that mission and vision. 

It hasn’t affected my personal work or the work we have done so far. Does it distract and affect the community? I can see that happening, and it’s not what we as elected officials or public officials, I don’t think that’s ever what we ever intend to portray. I think that that can take away from the work. But for me, I’m a pretty straightforward shooter when it comes to getting stuff done. So if things get in the way, I’m really good at sidestepping things. 

Plans for campaign: My doctor has prescribed three months of resting, which is an interesting thing because it’s during the next three months of campaigning. So I’m gonna be engaging in a different way as much as possible. 

I’ll be engaging with the community, but not nearly as physical, I guess. So there might be a lot of Zooms. It might be a lot of sitting down and doing things together, versus, like heavy lifting or anything like that. But I decided, because a lot of the work is about collaboration. So mostly all of it is going to be talking story and really working on the issues from that place.

I see campaigning as community building. My campaigning is still the same strategy, which is just working with nonprofits, their missions, and just being in the trenches where people gather. And I feel like it’s a combination of that that gives me an ability to figure out legislation that is more rooted in community.

Billy DeCosta

• Council member (2020-present)
• Placement in Primary: Eighth
• Number of votes: 4,956 (4.9%)

On coming in eighth place: So I’m sitting in eighth place and it’s not the position I wanted to be in. But I believe a lot of my supporters don’t really vote during the primary. They’re more of a general election kind of voters. And the reason behind it is because it’s a strong presidential race that’s happening throughout our country, and I believe that’s going to bring out all the voters during that time. So I believe there will be a change in the polls. 

In the 2020 Primary, I was in eighth place like I am now, and then I moved up to fifth. That was a presidential election race, and a lot of my supporters are going to turn out in the general. They’re not the primary vote-getters. I believe some of the other council members or current people running for office, their votes have peaked.

Prior accomplishments and campaign:  I am one of the two top council members who have done the most bills and the most work.

De Costa summarized his work on multiple bills: Resolution 2024-13, which raises tax rates for hotels, transient vacation rentals (TVRs), and resorts; the guest house approval plan known as Bill 2919; and Bill 2907, which raised fees at the Wailua Golf Course. 

A lot of people go with name recognition, right? Some of the council members have not done any bills. Have you looked into what council members have done any work and who hasn’t? Yet they finished higher than I did.

Not taking any campaign funding: So the way I look at it is that people don’t really follow politics and the good work you do. People follow name recognition, and I don’t take any funding from anybody.

People say they don’t take funding from large lobbyists. I don’t take funding from even individual people. Remember, there’s corporate employees that can give you individual donations, and they can get away from the corporate category. So instead of getting $10,000 from a corporation, they can have 10 people give you $1,000 a piece, and you can get away with that. So basically, I take no donations at all. I am your true, no strings, no attachment, speak for the people, without anybody controlling my decision, except the people.

DeCosta shared an Instagram photo posted by OurHawaii808, which lists various candidates statewide that have pledged to reject bribes from corporate PACs and lobbyists, which included one Kaua‘i County Council candidate, Fern Holland.

They don’t put me. Why don’t they put me? Like nobody covers Billy DeCosta. I don’t know why I have done something wrong to any media organization that they don’t like Billy DeCosta, because nobody seems to print anything positive on Billy DeCosta. 

On being investigated as a teacher at Kapa’a High School and placed on administrative leave: The school investigation, nothing was found as far as the criminal charges, zero. Yeah, and I’m actually back working for the Department of Education.

I’m not allowed to talk about it, is what the parties agreed on. So I’m not allowed to discuss it. I don’t want to discuss it. It’s not pertinent right now. It’s done, it’s over.

On the Glen Gruenhagen case:  I think I’m just moving on with my life. And hopefully, no other human being will feel the threatening, you know, type of presence that he put on me. And it’s just not a good feeling.

But I just feel like I think what I would have done if somebody came in to see me and was angry and had a note like that, and he was homeless, I wouldn’t have put that note on my fellow council member’s desk. I would have gone to the police. I would have gone to our Council Chair Mel Rapozo, and I would have gone to our county clerk, Jade Tanigawa. And I would’ve said, ‘Hey, this council member could be in danger. I’m not sure. I just don’t want to leave this on his desk without telling somebody, because what if this person comes back, and this person was yelling. Glen was yelling when he was here.

Plans for campaign: I’m going to campaign harder. I want to make myself more visible, and I’m gonna try and get other people besides myself to spread the message of how many laws I put into place, and my fellow council members have voted with me in favor. That speaks volumes when you have people vote in favor of you because that means you’re a good leader. 

But if nobody votes for you for your bills, you know you’re not a leader. I believe Felicia Cowden had two bills that never made it. Nobody voted for it. So how effective is that?

You’re not here to just talk to the community and be a good story to hear. You’re here to make laws and make this a better place. 

Fern Holland

• Food Systems Director at Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action
• Placement in Primary: Ninth
• Number of votes: 4,784 (4.7%)

On coming in ninth: I think I was kind of expecting to come in ninth, because I know that there are eight established names that I’m running against. And again, I kind of expected that to be right on the tail of the incumbents. Of course, I’m shooting to get into that top seven and seeing what that looks like, and I’ll continue to shake hands and meet people along the campaign trail over the next few months and hopefully garner more votes. 

On the biggest issue facing the county: The landfill will reach capacity and be shut down in just a couple of years, and the cost to taxpayers is going to be substantial. We need to address that, and that’s an urgent thing. It’s not as ‘interesting’ or ‘attractive’ to think about a landfill, but it’s really important for the functioning of our county and for our responsible use and dumping of waste. 

 My main priority is creating diversion tactics that start to move away from having so much trash. Obviously, the slower that we can fill up the landfill, the better, because a new landfill will take a long time to build. It’s probably a decade in the making, when you look at everything, and we need it urgently. 

And so trying to expedite that process is a priority, but also trying to divert waste out of the system and being responsible and pushing for things like curbside recycling and a Material Recovery Center.

On dealing with conflicts among council members: I’ve worked in a lot of situations and a lot of different jobs in my life where I’ve had different personality clashes or situations where people didn’t get along. And so, you know, I think one of the most important things we bring to the council is our ability to be professional and respectful to the other council members and to work together for the betterment of our island. I definitely think that there have been dynamics that aren’t healthy and that we need to focus on the healthiest and best way to interact that allows us to be effective.

I feel like I can work with everyone. So I just keep that mindset as I go into it that the people of Kauaʻi will choose the seven people that they want in those seats. The better we’re able to all work together, the better we’re able to serve Kaua‘i.

Plans for campaign: I’m feeling confident about the campaign. I know it’s a hard race this year, going up against eight incumbents. So I’m just doing my best to get my name out there and connect with the people that don’t know me, and turn out the vote in November, and just kind of plugging along.

I’ll be doing sign waving, September and October. I’ll be fundraising for a mailer. I’m trying to get my message out more on the west side, where I’m less known. 

 I would just strongly encourage everyone to turn out the vote and cast their vote in November for local government. To the people of Kaua’i, please make sure your vote is counted. It really does matter. And if you turn it in, we win.