WAILUKU - Kalamaula Homesteads resident Stacy Helm Crivello has filed as a candidate for the Molokai seat on the Maui County Council, seeking to fill the vacancy being left by outgoing Council Chairman Danny Mateo, who has reached his term limits.
Crivello is serving on the county Charter Commission and works part time as the executive director of Hale Hookupaa, a nonprofit substance abuse treatment center in Kaunakakai. She retired in 2001 as Verizon's Molokai and Lanai manager.
She was a founding member of the Molokai Land Trust and the Molokai Affordable Homes and Community Development Corp. She also serves on the boards of Na Puuwai Hawaiian Health System and Hawaii Alliance Community Based Economic Development. She previously served on the Hawaii State Community Based Economic Development Advisory Board and the Maui County Fire and Public Safety Commission.
Crivello is the first candidate to enter the race for Mateo's seat. She filed nomination papers April 9.
In other races, Haiku resident Russell Simon filed for the 13th House District race. Simon will run as a Republican for the seat currently held by Democrat Mele Carroll.
"I'm highly concerned with the political situation here, with the one-party system," he said in an interview. "I'm running Republican for a two-party system."
Simon, who grew up on Kauai, has a background in agriculture and electronics, and is currently partnering with his brother to start a chocolate farm on 12 acres in Hana.
He said he supports the "concept of ahupuaa, where we take care of the land and the land takes care of us."
"One of the reasons I'm running for office is to promote diversified agriculture and look at the water policies," he said.
Simon filed April 9 to become the first official candidate in the race.
Also last week, candidate Joe Blackburn made his campaign official for the Wailuku seat on the Maui County Council by filing nomination papers. Blackburn, who served both the Maui Police and Fire departments, announced last summer that he would run for the seat currently held by Council Member Mike Victorino.
Candidates have until June 5 to file for state and county offices.
