With an estimated 90% of votes counted, Naalehu cattle rancher Michelle Galimba appears to have come out on top of a four-way County Council District 6 race, rounding up 54.27% of the votes, enough to win the race outright against contenders Colehour Bondera, Shane Palacat-Nelson and Henry “Bo” Cho III.
“(I’m) feeling very grateful for the support,” Galimba said.
In the other open West Hawaii council seat, former state Rep. Cindy Evans overcame two other candidates — Jeff Kalani Coakley and Chris “Kalei” Toafili — to take a decisive 59.77% of the votes, winning the election without having to go to a runoff.
“I’m just so excited. I felt I should run again to make a difference,” Evans said. “There’s a whole lot of big, big ideas to help bring out communities back after the pandemic. … I think government can help people transition to news ways of doing things.”
In both races, the votes followed the money, with the top fundraisers also garnering the most votes.
Galimba, vice chairwoman of the Windward Planning Commission, and active in several agricultural organizations, was also the top fundraiser, receiving $17,389 so far during the election period.
Top donors included executives from Parker Ranch and KTA Superstores, as well as Operating Engineers PACs and coffee industry principals.
Bondera, a Honaunau coffee and avocado farmer who is active in many agricultural and producer groups such as the Kona Coffee Association, had 16.23% of the vote. He raised $3,225. His top donors include former state Sen. Russell Ruderman, owner of Island Naturals, and Larry Ford, husband to former County Councilwoman Brenda Ford.
Henry Bo Cho III, an ulu farmer and owner of Keonaona Farm in Honaunau, and a member of the Hawaii Ulu Cooperative, had 15.89% of the vote. His campaign spending reports have not been filed with the Campaign Spending Commission.
Palacat-Nelsen, a charter member of the Kuakini Hawaiian Civic Club of Kona, and Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s liaison to Hawaii Island who once headed the West Hawaii office of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, took 13.61% of the vote. He collected $3,490 in contributions, with the Hawaii Carpenters Political Action Fund his largest supporter.
In the District 9 race, Evans raised $31,964, with contributors including the Plumbers and Fitters Local 675, hauling company owners, family members and retired commercial fisheries executives.
Coakley, a Vietnam veteran who worked as a survey engineer, had 26.53% of the vote.
He collected $13,135 in contributions, with major contributors including Operating Engineers Local Union No 3 District 17 P as well as family members and friends.
Toafili worked two decades in the county Highways Division based in Waimea. He also had a shop in Waikoloa and now runs a CDL school in the area. His campaign spending reports have not been filed with the Campaign Spending Commission. He had 13.7% of the votes.