A huge infusion of outside money wasn’t enough Tuesday to propel Council District 9 challenger Ron Gonzales over first-term incumbent Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille.
With all precincts reporting, Wille led Gonzales by 1,005 votes, or 3,154, to his 2,149.
“It’s a victory for better government and a victory against puppet politics,” Wille said when reached just after the first returns were released. “It’s a victory for open government and transparency in government.”
Gonzales thanked his supporters, emphasizing that there’s no shame in trying to better the community.
“I do wish we would have devoted more time on discussing the issues rather than on frivolous made-up charges,” Gonzales said. “Although we came up short, we ran a clean campaign.”
It’s been a bitter battle between the two, with a Honolulu super political action committee contributing more than $100,000 supporting Gonzales or opposing Wille. Wille’s supporters, meanwhile, challenged Gonzales’ residency, forcing him to use valuable campaign time defending himself before the county clerk and the Board of Registration.
On their own, Wille raised $33,339 and Gonzales raised $34,723, making the race one of the most costly council races on the island.
The two candidates differed on a range of issues, most notably Wille’s strong stances against genetically modified organism, or GMO, crops and a proposed waste-to-energy incinerator for the island. Forward Progress, a super PAC funded solely by a pro-construction group, sought to support those issues by backing Gonzales.
Wille is a lawyer who was pushing for community projects before her election. Among the accomplishments she cites during her first term is opening a videoconferencing site for County Council meetings in Kohala and a community emergency response team in Waimea. She also co-chairs the Real Property Tax Stakeholders Task Force that is making recommendations on changes to tax code to make it more equitable and close loopholes.
Gonzales is an Air Force veteran and graduate of Honokaa High School who has worked 20 years in the restaurant industry and four years in the building industry. He resigned his post on the Windward Planning Commission to run for office, a move that spurred questions about whether he lives in District 1 in Honokaa or in the Kohala District.
Wille had also bested Gonzales in the primary, but she was short of the 50 percent plus one vote needed to survive without the runoff. In a three-way race, she secured 1,664 votes, or 48.3 percent. Gonzales won 968 votes, or 28.1 percent.
