New Kaua‘i Council Candidates Are Raising The Most Campaign Cash
The 26 candidates racing for the seven council seats have raked in a combined $108,000 so far this election.
Two first-time candidates for Kaua‘i County Council are leading in campaign contributions ahead of the August primary when voters will decide the top 14 to advance to the November general election.
Todd Ozaki has pulled in $33,000 and Michelle Kaleiohi Correa raised $27,000, according to their most recent campaign finance reports that cover contributions received through June 30. Ozaki is an executive assistant in the mayor’s office, and Correa manages the Waimea Neighborhood Center. Correa is the daughter-in-law of former council member Maxine Correa, who served in the 1980s and ‘90s.
Their contributions are more than three times greater than council members Fern Ānuenue Holland and Arryl Kaneshiro and over 54 times more than council member Addison Bulosan — the only three incumbents in the race.
Colin Moore, a political scientist at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa, said the first-time candidates’ fundraising efforts are both impressive and surprising when incumbents generally have an easier time raising money. First-time candidates especially need the funds to establish name recognition and introduce themselves to voters.
While the contributions don’t decide who’s going to advance to win a seat, they do show who is running credible and serious campaigns.
“It’s not going to determine ultimately who is going to win in a small county like Kaua‘i, but it does show you have some fairly robust support if you’re a strong fundraiser,” Moore said.
Altogether, the 26 Kaua‘i County Council candidates have raked in $108,000 so far this election.
Four seats are open this year as three council members run for mayor and a fourth terms out, leaving room for a shift in the council’s majority. The county of roughly 73,000 residents continues to struggle with where to put its solid waste, an affordable housing shortage and the spread of the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle. The council sets policy, dictates property tax rates and approves an annual county budget of nearly $500 million.
Taylor Shigemoto, Paul Noboru Applegate and Umi Martin raised between $5,000 and $9,000. Another five candidates — Dane Smith, Jeremy Haupt, Mike Coots, Michael Poai and Keola Kaiminaauao — brought in $1,000 to $3,500.
Five others — including Bulosan, John Mattos, Cheree Rapozo, Yelena Okhman and Nelson Mukai — brought in under $750. Former council member Billy DeCosta, Rachel Secretario and Herman Wilson reported receiving no contributions. DeCosta served on the council from 2020 until losing in 2024.
Trysten Fernandes Caberto, James Langtad, Thomas Lindsey Jr., Skyler Workman, John Montemayor and James Trujillo are not required to file a campaign fundraising report until after the general election because they expect their contributions and expenditures to be $1,000 or less.
When it comes to cash on hand, Kaneshiro, who served on the council from 2014 to 2022 and since 2024, has a whopping $81,500, followed by Ozaki’s $23,400 and Correa’s $12,460. Five candidates — Kaiminaauao, Mukai, Poai, Applegate and Rapozo — owe more than they had, according to their latest reports filed last week.
Ozaki, Correa, Holland, Applegate and Martin lead in total expenditures, with each spending upwards of $8,000 on banners, yard signs, bumper stickers, fundraisers, advertisements and other campaign needs.
Kaneshiro, despite having such a large amount in his war chest, only spent a little over $4,500, with much of it going toward banners and logo merchandise. Moore said Kaneshiro’s hefty campaign funds and small spending indicate that Kaneshiro may be banking that money to run for a more expensive race in the coming years.
Haupt, DeCosta and Secretario spent none of their campaign money.
“It would be hard to run with no money,” Moore said. “You need some media to at least remind folks of your name. But, again, it’s not decisive.”
Kaneshiro received $2,000 from the Masons Local 630 political action committee — the sole PAC donation in the Kaua‘i County Council race.
Other major donors in the race included Ozaki’s family (Nikki Ozaki-Simpson and Caroline Ozaki), Grove Farm CEO Don Horner, various retirees and Maui-based technology administrator Kiai Barretto. Jean Iida, who formerly served on the Kaua‘i Liquor Control Commission, donated $1,750 to four candidates. She also donated $4,000 to mayoral candidate and current County Council chairman Mel Rapozo.
Read their candidate Q&As here.
Civil Beat’s reporting on Kauaʻi is supported in part by a grant from the G. N. Wilcox Trust.
