Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Contributing Editor
Enock Freire at his election night headquarters in Kona.
Six council seats were up for grabs in Saturday’s Primary Election; only three were settled.
One incumbent was shot down and the other two face a run-off in November’s General Election.
Here’s the break down:
Hilo Councilmen J Yoshimoto and Dennis ‘Fresh’ Onishi, as well as Hamakua Councilman Dominic Yagong, were unopposed and retain their seats outright in the Primary Election.
The other Hilo seat still belongs to Donald Ikeda, who easily fended off challenger Sammye-Ann Young.
Also, in Kohala, Pete Hoffmann held off William Sanborn and Raynard Torres.
In South Kona, two-term incumbent Brenda Ford brushed off newcomer Enock Freire.
Meanwhile, the Puna, Ka‘u and North Kona districts were being watched closely by constituents and residents across the entire island.
In North Kona, incumbent Kelly Greenwell came in fourth out of four candidates. Joining him on the sidelines is former councilman and state representative Jim Rath.
It is still unclear whether former councilman Angel Pilago has won the North Kona seat outright or whether he will face Debbie Hecht in a run-off.
To win outright, a candidate must record 50 percent plus one vote. Although the final tally had Pilago scoring 46.6 percent of the votes, which includes the 8.8 percent blank votes.
If, however, the blank votes are tossed out, Pilago wins with 51.1 percent.
Emily Naeole-Beason, who for two terms has held the Puna seat, is in a run-off against grassroots community leader Fred Blas.
In the Primary, Blas topped Naeole-Beason by 136 votes, while James Weatherford and Barbara Lively were eliminated.
Next district west, Ka‘u incumbent Guy Enriques came in second to newcomer Brittany Smart by 151 votes. They also will meet in the November run-off.
Maile David, who fought a court battle to be prove eligibility, and Marie Burns are out.
On the Big Island, 100,061 people registered to vote in the Primary Election. In all 38,999, or 39 percent, cast ballots.
For complete numbers and percentages, see below or visit hawaii.gov/elections/results/2…
* For more election coverage, listen as Hawaii 24/7 Contributing Editor Karin Stanton shares insights on the election Sunday morning on the radio. Stanton joins Island Issues Sherry Bracken to discuss election results at 6:30 a.m. on KKOA 107.7 and at 8 a.m. on LAVA 105.3 FM, or online at www.lava1053.com
click on image above for PDF of results for County of Hawaii. Final printout.
You might be interested in:
