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In a tight race with no candidate taking a majority of the votes Saturday, former Maui County Council Member Dain Kane and “aloha aina” advocate Alika Atay prevailed in the primary contest for the Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu residency seat.
Kane was the top vote-getter with 6,329 votes, or 24.1 percent, and led the race all night. Atay finished with 6,138 votes, or 23.4 percent, squeezing out Maui County Managing Director Keith Regan, who finished third with 5,872 votes, or 22.3 percent. Joseph Blackburn took fourth place with 4,314 votes, or 16.4 percent, and Hana Steel was fifth with 1,385 votes, or 5.3 percent.
Of all the Maui County races, the Wailuku council race was the most nip-and-tuck, especially for the second position.
After the second printout, with 23 of the 34 precincts reporting, Regan held an 88-vote lead over Atay with 5,007 votes, or 22.6 percent, while Atay had 4,919, or 22.2 percent.
“I’m really surprised. I had no idea what to expect,” Kane said after the second printout.
When asked why voters supported him, he said: “I honestly don’t know what to think. Other than people, I guess there are folks out there, were comfortable with me when I was serving in the past, and they liked what I did. I’m hoping they see I can bring back additional experience and hopefully some wisdom that I’m older and continue to do good things. I have some good things to bring to the table.”
“We’re excited. We’re humbled.”
Kane held the council seat from 1999 to 2006.
During the primary, the 54-year-old Wailuku resident was seen waving signs by himself or with only a small group.
“No machine,” Kane said. He said he wasn’t knocking those that had large and organized operations, but he said he never had a “big core campaign” or a campaign headquarters.
Kane, who is a self-employed public relations and government affairs consultant and small farmer, part of Saturday at home waiting for the results, then visited campaign headquarters of other candidates.
Atay could not be reached for comment Saturday night.
The 62-year-old calls himself a natural farming alchemist. The Waihee resident is a leader of the SHAKA Movement, Sustainable Hawaiian Agriculture for the Keiki and the Aina. It led Maui County’s first successful initiative in 2014, calling for a moratorium on the farming of genetically modified organisms. Last year, the GMO moratorium was struck down by U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway, who ruled it was “invalid and unenforceable.” The case is on appeal with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Atay ran on a platform of “aloha aina,” or loving the land, which he said should be considered when making decisions.
Contacted after the third printout with all precincts reporting, Regan said: “There is nothing I would have changed. I just appreciate all the volunteers that came out to help us over the last 13 months. I wish the best to all the candidates.”
“We worked really hard. Our team worked hard to get us to where we are today,” he added.
“I’m appreciative to the 5,872 individuals who voted for us. I thank them for that confidence.”
Regan added that he will continue to be “very committed to this community.”
He said he will be watching the council races and to how the candidates address the issues. As for making another attempt at political office, Regan said “only time will tell.”
Over the past seven months, the One Ohana PAC, a super PAC of Maui time-share owners, spent more than $43,000 on radio and online ads and media consulting services on Regan’s behalf.
Regan said he is not sure if the super PAC endorsement impacted the results.
By law, super PACs can have no connection to candidates, who have no control over super PAC allocations. Candidates do not directly receive funding from super PACs.
Regan said: “My concern about the PACs, as you as a candidate, there is no coordination. PACS can do and say whatever; they print what they want.”
“It may or may not have a positive or negative impact on the campaign.”
This was Blackburn’s third attempt at winning the Wailuku residency seat. He faced Victorino twice unsuccessfully.
“The political side we are done,” Blackburn said after seeing the first printout, in which he was fourth. “Now I can focus back on my family.”
“We thought we would do better,” Blackburn said. “It is what it is. That’s how it goes.”
Blackburn, who was spending the night at his Wailuku home with about 30 family members and friends, said that normally the race follows the direction of the first printout and that he wasn’t optimistic. He was right because the second printout showed him further behind.
“I thought we would get through the primary,” he added.
He also had hoped for a better voter turnout.
“People on Maui, slow to vote at times. I think this is another example of it. What can you say? We tried. We worked hard,” he said.
“We’ve enjoyed being part of the process. It has been great for our family,” said the real estate broker and former firefighter and police officer.
He added that he and his family will still remain active members in the community and will continue to prepare meals for the needy and homeless during Thanksgiving and Christmas. He also will continue to do free pancake giveaways, as he has done on his own and during his campaign.
Steel, Maui County’s recycling coordinator, could not be reached for comment Saturday night. The 70-year-old had previously said that her main purpose in the election was to share her platform. That called for assisting seniors in finding affordable housing.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.