Honokaa woman tosses hat in mayoral ring

BY NANCY COOK LAUER | WEST HAWAII TODAY

HILO — A Honokaa woman said Monday she’s running for mayor.

Anne Marsh, 52, who moved to the Big Island from Alaska seven years ago, has never run for public office before. But she said she decided to get into the mayor’s race after many of her friends urged her to do so.

“I have some very wonderful ideas and I think I make the best candidate for mayor,” Marsh said.

Marsh said she is a lifelong environmental advocate with extensive experience with nonprofits, and she could “bring the island back from the brink of extinction.”

She said the county needs to rehabilitate its old infrastructure and get a handle on social ills and crime before trying to lure more tourists here. Otherwise, she said, they leave with a negative experience and pass the word around that Hawaii Island isn’t a good place to visit.

Marsh is the third candidate to announce a run for mayor, but she’s not likely to be the last. Eight candidates vied for what was then an open seat in 2008, with current Mayor Billy Kenoi taking 45.5 percent of the primary vote and going on in the general election to beat runner-up Angel Pilago with 55.6 percent of the vote.

“I welcome her to the race,” said Kenoi, who said he doesn’t personally know Marsh. “I look forward to meeting with her.”

Marsh said her decision to run is unrelated to the announcement of candidacy for the mayor’s office by fellow Honokaa resident and County Council Chairman Dominic Yagong.

“I was contemplating running for mayor prior to his announcement,” she said.

Yagong declined comment, saying “this is her story.”

Another name frequently mentioned as a possible candidate is former Mayor Harry Kim. Kim reiterated Monday that he hasn’t made a decision and, in fact, hasn’t even been thinking about the prospect lately.

ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com