Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi elections to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from incumbent Jennifer Kagiwada nonpartisan candidate for Hawaiʻi County Council Member District 2 which includes portions of South Hilo, Downtown Hilo, Bayfront, Wailoa, a portion of Waiākea Houselots, University Heights, Komohana Gardens, a portion of Waiākea Uka, Lanakila, Mohouli, Ainako, Kaumana, Pi’ihonua, Wailuku and Waiānuenue.

She is running against candidates Blaine Bautista, Wendy Botelho, JoNelle Fukushima and William Halversen in the Aug. 8 primary.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job of council member? And why do you want the job?

Experience, responsiveness and focus on local needs. For over three years, I have worked as the D2 CM, making myself available to listen to residents’ issues and supporting their civic engagement. Although the job is challenging, I love helping people and improving their lives. Whether its getting a neighborhood’s streetlights turned on, helping to slow down traffic on someone’s street or creating property tax rates that support local families, it is rewarding to problem-solve and support community.

What is the biggest issue facing Hawai‘i County, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

For District 2, the issue is revitalizing Downtown Hilo and making it a place where local residents want to spend their time and money. I’m collaborating to clean up the streets, including actual cleaning of the sidewalks, beautification projects and assisting unhoused folks with moving housing and shelter. I’m working on county code changes that make it easier for property owners to improve their buildings, a tax exemption for long-term rentals and a plan for a 2027 Summer Streets program.

Here’s one question from a constituent: How would you make it safer to get in and out of Puna?

See my answer on traffic congestion, below.

The county’s Homelessness and Housing Fund is due to expire in 2027 and some council members are skeptical that the fund has helped solve the problem. Would you vote to extend the fund, and what would you do to come to grips with this persistent problem?

With prices skyrocketing and federal rental assistance ended, for every one person we housed another two people became unsheltered. However, we need to re-focus on what works, including: Kauhale, Return-to-home programs, long-lasting injectable medications, and mental health and addiction services. The county must work with state agencies to coordinate efforts to stop low-income folks from becoming homeless, quickly assist those newly becoming houseless and care for those who are chronically homeless.

Vacation rentals — illegal or not — are often blamed for reducing availability of affordable housing on the Big Island. What steps should the county take to deal with the proliferation of vacation rentals and create more affordable housing?

I support a registration system to collect data and give us the resources to respond to residents experiencing negative effects of vacation rentals. We should not ban existing, legal vacation rentals if they follow the rules and become registered. Given our limited land and water resources, we should encourage new housing developments to address local housing needs, not prioritize investment properties. Property tax policy should also encourage housing for locals over investments.

Half of Hawai‘i’s cesspools are on the Big Island – an estimated 49,000 –  and Mayor Kimo Alameda has already said the county will not meet the state’s 2050 deadline to convert them to cleaner systems. What steps should the county take to address the cesspool issue?

Environmental concerns vary greatly between the 49,000 cesspools based on location, terrain and other factors. Targeting the most harmful cesspools and finding federal, state and county resources to help remedy those should be our first priority. DEM should charge a moderate monthly fee to those currently using cesspools with the funds being held in accounts to use when connecting to county sewer or transitioning to newer technology, thus reducing large out-of-pocket expenses for residents.

What specific steps should the county take to relieve traffic congestion in and around Kailua-Kona and along the Puna-Kea‘au-Hilo corridor?

Multi-modal transportation is the key to solving our traffic problems on Hawaiʻi island. Making sure high traffic corridors have adequate bike lanes and bus service is a must. Mass transit must be reliable and get people from where they are to where they need to go. This means investing in the “final mile” shuttle service in places like Puna. We should also encourage ride-share programs and provide park-n-ride lots.

Investors have sunk more than $500 million into the Pepe‘ekeo bioenergy plant known as Hu Honua or Honua Ola, but the plant has still been unable to begin producing power. Should the biomass energy plant be allowed to start operating? Why or why not?

Burning trees is not a sustainable or healthy model for our community. In addition, the price of the energy produced by Hu Honua would be too much for Hawaiʻi County residents to bear. Instead, I support re-purposing the Hu Honua energy plant to be used for a healthy, sustainable endeavor and to retrain and rehire the local people who were promised jobs at Hu Honua.

Both the state and county are showing interest in expanding production of geothermal energy on Hawaiʻi island. What is your position on geothermal power, and what constraints should be placed on it?

Community-focused geothermal development should be supported on Hawaiʻi island. Clean, renewable, energy that is derived from geothermal should fully benefit the people of the island, bringing the cost of energy down and not being an extractive practice. All health and safety issues should be in place and consideration of location must be addressed.

What specific plans do you have to improve disaster preparedness and response on the Big Island?

Education starting in the schools and and flowing up through the community is critical: a well-educated, empowered community is the key. More resources for developing and supporting CERT Teams, Resilience Hubs, and HAM radio operators in collaboration with our public services is essential for us to be prepared and respond to the disasters that will come.

What should Hawaiʻi County do to get in front of climate change rather than just reacting and adapting to it?

Hawaiʻi County is well positioned to lead the state in reducing carbon emissions from energy production and transportation. We should invest in more solar, wind and geothermal power with battery storage. We should also invest in electric vehicle infrastructure. Our county fleet and rental car companies should transition to zero-carbon emitting vehicles and we should encourage airlines to use sustainable aviation fuel and zero-emissions aircraft as they become available.

Hawai‘i has a long-stated goal of growing more of its own food. What would you do to further that effort toward increased food sustainability?

Incentivizing home gardens, supporting community organizations who are providing food (Food Basket, Vibrant HI, etc.), directing our Research and Development Department to support our farmers, with programs like “Malama Da Farmer” and “Kokua Harvest” will all be a part of the solution. Developing new farmers in programs like “Go Farm” and supporting agriculture parks is also critical.