DECISION 2018
West Hawaii County Council Races
DISTRICT 6
(PORTION OF NORTH KONA, SOUTH KONA,
KA‘U AND THE GREATER VOLCANO AREA)
Richard Abbett
Maile David*
Yumi Kuwano
DISTRICT 7
(PORTION OF SOUTH KONA,
AND PORTION OF NORTH KONA)
Kelly Drysdale
Bronsten Kossow
Cynthia Nazara
Rebecca Shute-Villegas
DISTRICT 8
(NORTH KONA)
Karen Eoff*
DISTRICT 9
(NORTH KOHALA
AND SOUTH KOHALA)
Maya Parish
Tim Richards*
* incumbent
New faces vie for council spot
DISTRICT 7 HOPEFULS ADDRESS ISSUES AT WEST HAWAII FORUM
KAILUA-KONA — The race
for the Hawaii County Council
District 7 seat is one of the 2018
election cycle’s most hotly contested
on the Big Island.
But no matter who voters
from the portions of South Kona
and North Kona that comprise
the district choose to represent
them, the seat’s next occupant
will be a political newcomer.
None of the four candidates to
replace three-term councilman
Dru Kanuha, who is running
for state Senate this year, have
ever served in office.
The District 7 hopefuls
include Kelly Drysdale, daughter
of Los Angeles Dodgers
baseball player Don Drysdale
and current director of logistics
at the Kona Coffee and
Tea Company. Then there’s
Bronsten Kossow, a West
Hawaii native and college student
at the University of Hawaii
at Hilo, who is also the grandson
of Hawaii County deputy
managing director, Barbara
Kossow.
Also running is Cynthia
Nazara, raised in Kailua-Kona
and a member of several
community organizations
including the Hawaii Island
Burial Council and the Kona
Historical Society. The final
candidate is Rebecca Shute-
Villegas, also born and raised
on Hawaii Island and who
formerly worked as marketing
manager for Kona Brewing Co.
She also served as president of
Kohanaiki Ohana for nearly a
decade.
Drysdale cited a diversity of
work experience that includes
BY MAX DIBLE
WEST HAWAII TODAY
mdible@westhawaiitoday.com
Drysdale Kossow Nazara Shute-Villegas
SEE NEWCOMERS PAGE 18
Governor’s Race
•Selina Blackwell (N)
•Jim Brewer (G)
•Ernest Caravalho (D)
•John Carrol (R)
•Colleen Hanabusa (D)
•David Ige (D)*
•Wendell Kaehuaea (D)
•Richard Kim (D)
•Ray Lheureuex (R)
•Link El (N)
•Van Tanabe (D)
•Terrence Teruya (N)
•Andria Tupula (R)
Lt. Governor’s Race
•Bernard Carvalho (D)
•Will Espero (D)
•Josh Green (D)
•Renee Ing (G)
•Kim Coco Iwamoto (D)
•Marissa Dipasupil Kerns (R)
•Steve Lipscomb (R)
•Jeremy Low (R)
•Ernest Magaoay (N)
•Paul Robotti (N)
•Jill Tokuda (D)
U.S. House Race
•Sherry Alu Campagna (D)
•Anthony Tony Austin (D)
•Brian Evans (R)
•Tulsi Gabbard (D)*
U.S. Senate Race
•Consuelo Anderson (R)
•George Berish(R)
•Ron Curtis (R)
•Rocky De La Fuente (R)
•Charles Haverty(N)
•Robert Helsham Sr. (R)
•Mazie Hirono (D) *
•Michael Hodgkiss (R)
•Matthew Maertens (N)
•Eddie Pirkowski (R)
•Arturo Pacheco Reyes (N)
•Thomas White(R)
West Hawaii
Senate Races
3RD DISTRICT (KONA AND KA‘U)
•Brenda Ford (D)
•Dru Kanuha (D)
•Michael Last (L)
4TH DISTRICT (NORTH HAWAII)
•Lorraine Rodero Inouye (D)*
•Heather Kimball (D)
(D) = Democrat; (L) = Libertarian; (R) = Republican; (N) =
Nonpartisan; (G) = Green; * incumbent
SEE CANDIDATES PAGE 18
Where to vote?
There are 43 polling places across Hawaii Island. Finding yours is easy. Log on
to http://elections.hawaii.gov/ and click on Find Your Polling Place. Submit your
island and street address and it will tell you where to cast your ballot on Aug. 11.