Former County Council Chairman Stacy Higa is throwing his hat into an increasingly crowded ring for mayor.
Higa, 56, president and CEO of Na Leo public television, said he’s encouraged by the interest candidates are showing in the county’s top seat. So far, eight candidates have filed and another 10 have pulled nomination papers. The filing deadline is June 2.
“When you have this much interest; this many people stepping up, it gives the people of our island choices,” Higa said. “There are daunting issues going forward (and) the more people showing interest, improves our democracy.”
Still, Higa said, his experience and background make him a good choice.
“Now more than ever, we need bold and dedicated leadership to guide our county through these turbulent times and towards a brighter future,” he said in a press release. “I believe that I have the vision and the experience to be that leader.”
There’s going to be a lot of work for the next administration, Higa said. Affordable housing, rising unemployment claims and “much-needed” infrastructure improvements top the list of his priorities.
Higa said many people on the island have been asking him to run. He said he’d step back from his public presence on Na Leo as it’s an “ethical thing” for him. But he’ll continue with his other duties.
“I would like to offer my services to the people of Hawaii Island as a choice,” he said.
Higa’s 2004-2006 tenure as council chairman wasn’t without controversy. He sued the county for legal malpractice after an employment complaint alleged he sexually harassed an aide. Higa claimed county officials’ comments following an almost $250,000 settlement the county paid to former aide Melissa Chang cost him the 2008 mayoral election.
He ended up losing the case, but a court ruled he didn’t have to pay the county’s legal expenses of more than $95,000.
Mayor Harry Kim hasn’t yet said whether he’s running for re-election.
But 17 other candidates, in addition to Higa, have either pulled papers or filed to run for mayor, a nonpartisan office.
Those who have filed include:
• Mitch Roth, 55, Hawaii County prosecutor since 2012.
• Bob Fitzgerald, 67, former director and deputy director of Parks and Recreation in the administration of former Mayor Billy Kenoi.
• Kelly Greenwell, former North Kona County Council member, and a farmer and nurseryman.
• Grayden K. Ha‘i-Kelly, a musician and entertainer who also works at two Kona-area resorts.
• James “Jiro” Yuda, 44, a former deputy public defender and currently an attorney in Family Law Division of the state Department of the Attorney General.
• Mike Ruggles, 63, a longtime marijuana advocate and activist and father of former Puna Councilwoman Jen Ruggles.
• Ikaika Marzo, a Puna tour operator who became a social media phenomenon during the 2018 Kilauea eruption.
• Tante Urban, a former Kailua-Kona restaurateur who’s taken a leave of absence from the Maui newspaper, Fil-Am Voice.
Those who have pulled nomination papers but have not yet filed include:
• Wendell Ka‘ehu‘ae‘a, 77, a Hilo security guard and perennial candidate for more than a decade.
• Abolghassem Abraham Sadegh, a former government official in Iran and frequent testifier at County Council meetings.
• Ted Shaneyfelt, a lecturer in computer science at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
• Daniel Cunningham, who ran unsuccessfully for County Council District 5 in 2014.
• Harvey Eli, 65, a Kona resident who identifies himself as a subject of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
• Neil Azevedo, division chief for the Highway Division in the county Department of Public Works.
• Yumi Kawano, 59, of Volcano, is a forester-conservationist and former teacher.
• Michael “Mikey” Glendon, a Hawaiian Homes beneficiary actively protesting the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea
• Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder, a freshman County Council member representing Puna.