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3 candidates vie for only open seat on council

Journalist, a farmer, a retired wastewater operator look to represent Lanai on council

By KEHAULANI CERIZO 8 min read

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Maui News will be featuring the profiles and platforms of candidates in the lead up to the Aug. 8 primary election. Today's story focuses on the race for the Maui County Council Lanai residency seat. Stories on other races will be published in the coming days, with a special primary issue to be released on July 25.

Despite having zero COVID-19 cases on island to date, Lanai faces a host of other challenges. The smallest inhabited island in Maui County has limited job opportunities, housing woes and shipping hurdles. The island also has the unique structure of being 98 percent owned by billionaire Larry Ellison and his entity Pulama Lana'i. Add in countywide hot-button issues of affordable housing and agriculture -- along with the pandemic's financial repercussions -- and the new council member representing Lanai will have much to do.

Lanai holds the only open Maui County Council seat not defended by an incumbent, as Council Member Riki Hokama is stepping down due to term limits. Three candidates -- Alberta de Jetley, Gabe Johnson and Matthew Mano -- will be narrowed to two during the primary.

While each candidate has clear distinctions, all agree that running for council during this hard time can be seen as an opportunity to make important changes.

ALBERTA DE JETLEY

Alberta de Jetley said Lanai's challenges offer "terrific" opportunities. 

Lanai has never been sustainable, she said, but now the island has an owner who can afford it and develop it well. She touted Pulama Lana'i projects -- from regrowing Hawaiian forestland on 30,000 acres to the $10 million hydroponic farm that employs 20 people.

"They aren't just growing food for Lanai, they are growing food for the state and possibly the Mainland," she said. "We have the chance of offering a true export crop."

De Jetley emphasized the need to diversify Lanai's economy, saying that because Lanai is owned by one person, the island can better control its course.

"It's not like we have to depend on the county," she said. "We are still waiting for our skateboard park. We are waiting for affordable housing. With Hawaiian Homes, they finally released 16 more house lots, but the people on the original list, more than half of them are dead."

The candidate also discussed the importance of agriculture. A farmer for 13 years, De Jetley said money should support longstanding local farming groups that have been doing the hard work. Existing farming organizations can implement hands-on training better than a government agency could do, she said.

As for the countywide problem of affordable housing?

"Ditch that 'affordable housing' image -- let's build new communities," she said. 

De Jetley wants to see walkable towns anchored by services, such as a small general store, a child care facility, a barber shop, even an ice cream store. She likened possibilities to Mililani-style development that holds rental and multifamily housing, a mix of "nice homes and lower-end housing."

"And when you build a house, regardless of its price range, make it expandable," she said.

De Jetley, who wrote a book on Lanai's history, pointed to the names and dates of people and experiences that have shaped the county. In all, the candidate said she's seen a lot.

"I've been through the mill but I can clean up nicely," she said, laughing. "I've started businesses, I've created jobs, I know what it's like to lose businesses and reach the verge of bankruptcy."

Because of her journalism background, she said she looks at various sides of an issue.

"But I do have strong feelings about certain things," De Jetley added. "One of the main reasons I'm running is I would dearly love to see Lanai with an assisted living care facility so people from Lanai have a place to come home to when they're makule and on their way out."

GABE JOHNSON

Gabe Johnson said that running for council is imperative now -- despite all the pandemic stressors -- because it's an opportune time to ensure food security.

"COVID-19 has shown us the weak side of our tourism-based economy," he said. "We have but a short time to pivot before it gets worse, so we must act now. My farming background as well as my passion for helping common folk get ahead will give local workers a choice at the council level."

Johnson said the island is confronting several issues. For one, Lanai is dependent on a weekly barge of goods from around the world, yet it's zoned mostly for agricultural land.

All that ag land offers a "great opportunity" for Lanai's youth, as well as entrepreneurs, he added.

"I believe the county can help set up an ag park that would create a myriad of new jobs," he said.

Beyond just Lanai, the entire county can benefit from investing more in agriculture, he said.

"It creates more than just farmers," he said. "We need the technology, education, cultural practices and marketing tools to successfully farm. A whole economy can be created by agriculture. As a farmer, I'm often told we have the best brand in the world -- everyone wants to buy 'Made in Hawaii' products."

Johnson, an organic farmer, said he sees more consensus in the county's farming community than he sees division. He supports the county's proposed Department of Agriculture and said it can assist with soil sampling, grant writing and partnerships with nonprofits.

"This is where the government can come in to help," he said. "Large issues that the farmers cannot solve alone must be handled by our local government."

For the countywide housing issue, Johnson said it's unfortunate the issue has been "politicized."

"So the simple answer is that we just need the political will to get it done," he said. "My affordable housing plan is to use land trusts, nonprofit developers like AmeriCorps, and to give grants to local credit unions in order to secure mortgages for our community."

Johnson said he's recognized as a farmer and a father. He's also known for working with people with disabilities and fought for their rights. 

"I believe my message rings true to the voters of Maui County and I will work hard to make sure their needs are met," he said.

Johnson also ran for the Lanai council seat in 2016 and 2018, losing to Hokama both times.

MATTHEW MANO

Matthew Mano said the present pandemic and economic pressures fuel his desire to make Lanai a place where the next generation of his family can make their homes in the future.

"I'm doing this for my kids, my grandkids and my great-grandkids," he said.

As it is, Mano's native island has extremely limited job options, most of which are provided by Pulama Lana'i, he said. Existing positions are in hotels; other jobs are in landscaping and construction. 

Mano said he would like to see Lanai have more stable, secure jobs, such as state, county or federal opportunities.

"It's a small-knit community where we have concerns about job stability," he said. "My concern is what would be the future for the next generation who wants to stay on Lanai? Will they have the possibility of having higher-paying jobs?"

Mano added that affordable housing has been a problem for decades, with little being done to address it. 

"They keep saying, 'OK, if you're going to build houses, you need to build a certain amount affordable. And then they come up with, 'Show me the water bill.' I'm sitting here confused, thinking, how can he show you the water bill when we didn't give him the water pump?"

Mano said solutions will come with collaboration from the community and the council.

Like his opponents, Mano sees the value in agriculture and said that there is a place in the county for all kinds of farmers, from large to small, organic and nonorganic. He added that he would like to see farmers move away from use of toxic chemicals because as a Vietnam veteran, he's seen the negative impact of herbicides and insecticides.

He also believed more could be done to cultivate agriculture and aquaculture, and said he would leave to it existing farmers to determine how it's done, as opposed to creating a government arm that would potentially regulate the industry.

Mano, who is trailing de Jetley and Johnson in funding, said his campaign finances are his own money, and that he is not in the race for personal benefit.

"I am a family-oriented person first. . . . I am a truthful person, I will not lie to you, if I will tell you I will do something, I will do it, and it has to promote Maui, Lanai and Molokai," he said. "I will not jump off the wagon to allow some kind of entity to buy me out."

* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.

** This story includes a correction from the original posted on Friday, July 17, 2020. It featured the race for the Maui County Council Lanai residency seat. The incorrect race was identified in an editor's note published with the story. The Maui News apologizes for the error.

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