Two vie to represent Waimea, Kohala

By TOM CALLIS

Tribune-Herald staff writer

One is a pastor, the other an attorney.

In the realm of politics, they are opponents, each vying to represent District 9 on the Hawaii County Council.

But despite their different backgrounds, and competing campaigns, Oliver “Sonny” Shimaoka and Margaret Wille may have more in common than they think.

Both, in separate interviews, described themselves as reluctant candidates urged to run by others but have since embraced their efforts to represent Waimea and Kohala.

They also believe the county needs to take a more collaborative approach to overcoming its obstacles.

“One of the problems of the last few years is having the head of the council and our mayor basically planning to be opponents in the mayor’s race and, therefore, so much was handled in an adverse way,” said Wille, a Waimea attorney.

Shimaoka, the pastor for New Hope Waimea Christian Fellowship, said he is frustrated by disunity on the council.

“I’ve seen a just a lot of division,” he said. “Things are just not getting accomplished.”

Shimaoka, 61, said he believes that could change after November with a new council.

“I think we have an opportunity for five brand new council representatives,” he said. “So that to me is a great opportunity to see if we can have collaboration and cooperation amongst the new council.”

Of the current nine council members, four are running for re-election. Two were elected during the primary, Dennis Onishi, who didn’t face a challenger, and J Yoshimoto.

Wille, 65, said the current District 9 councilman, Pete Hoffmann, and others asked her to run. Hoffmann is prohibited from running again due to term limits.

“I gave it some thought,” she said. “The more I thought about it, the more excited I became.”

Wille said she does much of her work on “public interest issues,” including access to public land, pro bono and sees joining the council as a way to continue that work.

Wille described herself as an independent person who is not “100 percent on one side.”

“I really try to solve problems,” she said, adding she looks at “how can we brainstorm in a way to maximize everybody’s interest and minimize harm.”

Shimaoka said his background as a pastor has made him experienced at being a mediator and “trying to work with people that come from, a lot of times, opposing sides.”

“We’re in an economic time where the problems are so complex that you will have to come up with complex solutions,” he said.

Shimaoka has been the Police Department’s chaplain for 28 years.

He said he supports “smart development” that takes into account needs and concerns of the island’s communities.

Shimaoka said he was encouraged to run by ranchers, farmers, retired business people, and retired police and firemen who were frustrated by disunity on the council.

He said he has been asked to run before but agreed this time because his wife gave her support.

“I really wanted her to say no,” Shimaoka admitted.

He said he was concerned about the time commitment, adding, “It’s a new arena for me. I’m not a politician.”

“Now I really feel I can make a difference on the council,” Shimaoka said, referring again to the perception of disunity. “I’m a firm believer that if someone on the opposing side has a great idea, I’m going to run with it.”

Wille said she supports reforming the county’s property taxes, which were said to be overly complex in a report earlier this year.

She also called solid waste the “most valuable resource,” and said she supports recycling and composting programs.

Wille said the county should look at waste-to-energy projects to reduce its waste and resolve the capacity issue at the Hilo landfill.

“I just think there’s a lot of components,” she said. “I think we just have to really tackle it together with the administration.”

Shimaoka said he supports expanding agriculture in the district and adopting a plan for geothermal energy.

“I live in an agriculture community,” he said. “We’d like to see more young people get involved.

“I think what the council can do is look for funding or come up with initiatives to promote that.”

A main difference between the two candidates is how they are funding their campaigns.

Wille is relying mostly on public financing, which she said makes up about $11,000 of the $14,417 she has raised.

She said a political action committee, Citizens for a Sustainable North Hawaii, is being formed to spend money on her behalf.

Shimaoka is using only private fundraising and has received campaign contributions from several unions.

He has raised $14,238 to date.

Shimaoka said he doesn’t seem himself as a union candidate.

He said he supports maintaining jobs but would not back increases for wages or benefits.

“I won’t try to take away what you’ve already got,” Shimaoka said he told them, “unless there’s no other choice.

“But for me, right now, it’s about how can we maintain jobs for you in the unions.”

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.