There are many characters on our island but no one quite like Wendell.
His name is Wendell Kaehuaea and like Forrest Gump, he won’t stop running.
He’s running for mayor, again. This will be his fourth try at the office. He also ran for County Council many times, state Representative once or twice, state Senate, Board of Education, just about everything but dog catcher.
But he can’t seem to get a break.
For 40 years, on this island he has run for office 21 times and lost every time. Poor Wendell. He is the original “also ran” candidate, but our hero just won’t give up. He takes his lickings and keeps on ticking.
I asked him why he keeps running and he laughed and said, “Win or lose, I just keep jabbing at ‘em.”
My kind of candidate, a fellow jabber.
When I asked him about his views he said he was “half Trump and half Bernie and will get the job done.” He also said, “most people just talk, but I’m all action.”
And like every politician when asked to talk about himself, the phrases and praises just tumbled out.
He called himself an outsider, not born here so not part of the local Hilo family of politicians. He made some reference to Al Capone that I didn’t really catch, but he did go on and on …
He said when he comes to Kona as mayor, he will not meet with the Chamber of Commerce or bank presidents but go down to Kainaliu and meet with the folks on the street, the real folks. He’d talk to janitors, people at bus stops to find out what’s really going on. I liked the part when, not if, he was coming to Kona as mayor. You gotta love this guy.
Maybe he’ll win, he’s only lost 21 times. It could happen, 22 is the charm.
Hawaii is known to favor the underdog. I remember the famous mayor’s race back in 1988 between slick, rich man Dante Carpenter and a sugar cane worker named Bernard Akana. Carpenter had the wavy silver hair, the chiseled chin, and the used-car salesman smile. Akana was plain-looking and honest.
One spent thousands on ads, the other spent 40 bucks for some flyers. Carpenter was real cocky and in the end lost to humble old Akana. That’s Hawaii.
Which brings us to Wendell, he is the underdog but not very humble, he’s feisty and, in his words, half Bernie and half Trump. I asked him why he has lost so many times and he had the answer, explaining that the unions run the county and he’s “never going to roll over for the unions.”
He has to blame somebody, it’s politics after all.
He’s tired of “putting the same old clowns in office.” He’s right, we need some new clowns. When Wendell gets in, he will audit the Department of Finance and the county’s new budget because he sees some “shenanigans” going on.
If you want to meet this inspiring, stubborn person who refuses to give in, come to a forum of candidates at the Elks Club in old industrial at 11:30 a.m. Friday. It should be quite the time.
There once was a politician who came from humble beginnings, was mighty feisty, lost quite a few races and ended up as the president. That would be Abraham Lincoln.
Wendell might not be Lincoln, but you have to admire his spirit. I say we skip the election and just make Wendell the mayor. God knows he’s earned it.
Dennis Gregory is a writer, artist, singer, teacher and Kailua-Kona resident who mixes truth, humor and aloha in his bi-weekly column. He can be reached at makewavess@yahoo.com