The race for state Senate District 4 is a dash to the Aug. 11 primary election.
The candidates are incumbent Sen. Lorraine Inouye and challenger Heather Kimball, both Democrats.
The winner on that day will represent the district — which covers much of the north end of Hawaii Island from Honolii Stream in the east to Kona International Airport in the west — for the next four years.
Kimball, 46, of Papaikou, is a scientist, planning consultant and former Sierra Club chairwoman. She said she wants to help diversify the economy, and believes that the island can be a hub for research.
“Right now our economy is dependent on outside forces,” Kimball said, citing tourism and real estate development.
Inouye, 78, of Paukaa, is a political veteran and chairs the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee, giving her influence over policies affecting infrastructure and utility bills. That’s a position she hopes to hold if re-elected.
She was elected to the seat in 2014 and previously served in the Senate from 1998 to 2008 and was Hawaii County mayor from 1990 to 1992. Inouye, president of Aloha Blooms, a 10-acre nursery, served as a County Council member before that.
Inouye, who also previously worked in the hospitality industry, said she has built the relationships needed to get things done for the district.
“Just having the opportunity to work with my colleagues, the relationships, is so important for us on the Neighbor Islands,” she said. “You need to have the cooperation of your colleagues.”
Inouye plans to reintroduce a bill to create an airports authority to oversee the state’s airports. Currently, they are managed by the state Department of Transportation, which has been criticized for falling behind on repairs and upgrades.
The bill passed both chambers, but House leaders killed it in conference committee.
“It’s politics before progress,” she said.
Inouye noted the importance of the Kona airport starting direct flights to Japan, and, while perhaps a long shot, it’s something she also wants to see happen at Hilo International Airport.
“I’m still working on it, and that’s why I think I should get back into the Senate,” she said.
Inouye said passing a bill to create tax credits for energy storage devices, which would aid use of renewable energy, also remains a priority.
Kimball ran an unsuccessful challenge to Rep. Mark Nakashima in 2016. She said she considered that a trial run for her venture into politics, which began after she helped organize the “Take Back Lincoln Park” event in 2015.
That was aimed at getting James Borden to remove his graphic signs against President Barack Obama, Muslims and abortion, which she said weren’t appropriate for the children’s park.
While Borden didn’t stop displaying his controversial signs, Kimball said they reached an agreement with him that he would display them less often.
She said her experience as a planning consultant made her aware of disconnect between problems and solutions in government.
“They are always operating in crisis mode,” Kimball said. “… In order to really help, I need to be part of the process where decisions are being made.”
She has lived on Hawaii Island for 15 years, and has a degree in biology and a masters from the University of Hawaii at Hilo in tropical conservation biology and environmental science.
Kimball said she respects Inouye’s “30-plus years of service to the community.”
“I think it’s time for fresh ideas,” she added. “The challenges we face in the state are incredibly technical. I think that it requires the background in technology and innovation and really thinking outside the box in terms of how to address some of these issues that have been repeatedly issues again and again.”
Kimball said the state needs to focus more on “going after the big bites rather than just nibbling at the problem.” While it’s good that the state banned use of oxybenzone in sunscreen, runoff and overfishing are bigger issues, she said.
Both candidates said they support the Thirty Meter Telescope if it clears the state Supreme Court, and said that the state Department of Health needs to do more with holding Big Island Dairy accountable for releases of manure.
If voters in the general election approve a measure to tax investment properties to fund education, Inouye said she wants to see control over how the money is spent. She wants to see it go to school operations and not the administration.
Kimball said she supports the measure. While the state doesn’t currently tax properties, that revenue goes to the counties, she said schools should be the exception.
Inouye said she also supports use of a state lottery to give the state another revenue source.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.