Incumbents Inaba, Villegas win Kona council seats

There’ll be no change to Kona’s representation on the Hawaii County Council following Saturday’s primary election.

Incumbent North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba appeared set for a second term after mail-in ballots were counted. Inaba received 2,176 — or just under 62% of votes — to Lee-Ann Heely’s 1,342 votes.

“I want to mahalo my Kona community for trusting in me to continue to do good work at the Hawaii County Council,” he said. “It has been an honor to serve and I am grateful for another two years.”

Heely, in her first run for office, raked in over three times more than Inaba in campaign contributions.

Closer to the urban core of Kona, Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas was elected to a third two-year term representing residents from Kealakekua to Kailua-Kona.

Villegas was the only County Council candidate to survive without any challengers in the nonpartisan race this election season. Her name remained on the ballot even though unopposed.

“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our community for another two years,” she said. “The privilege of running unopposed has allowed me to remain focused on doing the job during what can otherwise be a stressful campaign season.”