Duties: The County Council is the legislative branch of the County. Council is responsible for passing the laws that govern the county, as enacted by ordinance and written in the Hawaii County Code.How Elected: The County Council consists of nine members elected from geographical districts. Members are elected on a non-partisan basis. A Councilmember must be a qualified resident and registered voter of the district from which the person is to be elected for at least 90 days immediately preceding the primary election. A candidate who receives the majority of votes cast (i.e., more than fifty percent excluding blank and overvotes) or is unopposed for the office in the first special election, held in conjunction with the primary election, is deemed elected. The contest will not appear in the second special election, held in conjunction with the general election. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for the office in the first special election, the two (2) candidates, receiving the most votes in the first special election, will appear on the second special election ballot. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes at the second special election is deemed elected (Hawaii County Charter, Article XIII, Section 13-27).Term: Two years, limited to a maximum of four consecutive full terms.Base Salary: Councilmember - $70,008; Chairperson - $77,016
Education
Hawai’i Community College - Associate Of Arts & UH Hilo
Community/Military Service
Community Events, Parades, etc
Campaign Phone
(808)756-3933
Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder lives in Olaʻa, is the current Representative for District 5, and the Finance Chair for Hawai'i County. He is a Father of three children with a background in renewable energy and customer service. He and his wife Dawn own Liko Lehua Cafe in Hilo and an emerging farm in Olaʻa. He promotes better education, the arts and tradition. In a recent interview, Matt stated "I love our District and our Moku (island)...I will do everything in my ability to better the lives of our people." Matt is the only candidate with experience in how to positive change for our community.
Matt listens to his community. Since 2018 he has increased Police Positions in Puna, passed laws allowing for County Maintenance of private roads, improved Stainback Highway, and provided free towing of Abandoned Vehicles from private property. He has fulfilled every promise made to the good people of Hawaii County. Recognizing the increasing growth in our area, he has begun a series of projects in District 5 including a New Police & Fire Station, Mass Transit Hub, and Community Center. It is clear Matt knows how to anticipate our future needs and will continue to get the projects done!
Matt's focused on creating opportunities across numerous sectors of our County Economy. He knows the struggles of small business and working 2-3 jobs to make ends meet. In 2024, he voted to decrease property tax rates for local residents. He has created numerous grant programs to stabilize the backbone of our economy, small local businesses. He continues to find ways to better our quality of life by ensuring access to jobs and housing. "Local families owning their own home is the key to creating positive growth in our future generations. Our keiki need the stability of generational equity!"
Creating more affordable housing requires a team effort at all levels across the public and private sectors. In the past few years Matt has assisted the current administration create 8,200 new housing units. While we all know that the need for housing is apparent, we must balance our increasing population and Hawaii's finite resources. This is why creating affordable housing in dense areas nears services and jobs is imperative. We also need to ensure housing is truly affordable, prioritized for local families, better our permitting systems, and provide our Staff with the right tools!
Education
Kamehameha Kapalama '06; University of Hawaii at Manoa '11
Community/Military Service
Health Coach; High School Football Coach; Former Director of Public Works for the County of Hawaii 2020-2022
Campaign Phone
(808)203-7450
I am a father, coach, engineer, and leader. I have been a football coach for 5 years and a health coach for 2 years. I am a licensed civil engineer and have managed public infrastructure projects for 12+ years. Formerly, I served as the Director of Public Works for the County. My values are integrity, commitment, and compassion.
I am running because Puna needs leadership that will show up and fight for our keiki’s future. I will work with everyone necessary to move our County forward, any councilmember, mayor, legislator, agency, or community member.
We need to create alternative access to our Puna community, both mauka and makai. We also need to work together to improve our subdivision roads for the safety of our people. Puna is the fastest growing community in the state. The necessary infrastructure improvements needed for a region with over 50,000 people are long overdue.
Regarding the overall county, mandated cesspool conversions are on the horizon and our government needs to partner with our community to help bear the burden of these costly, but necessary, improvements.
Lowering the cost of living, improving infrastructure, and providing affordable housing will support a vibrant economy. Creating food hubs and supporting local agriculture will lower the high cost of living for our island. Improving our infrastructure, including roads, water, sewer, and solid waste services, will make our home safer, cleaner, and easier to move around, as well as provide jobs. Removing redundant and unnecessary bureaucratic red tape in the permitting process will significantly reduce the costs to build homes and get us closer to affordable housing.
We can get closer to affordable housing by overhauling the permitting regulations, expand water and sewer services, and improve transportation infrastructure. The May 2024 UHERO report shows that 58% of the cost of new housing is driven by regulation. Water and sewer services are a must for the expanding development of housing to meet our community’s needs. Finally, mass transit services and improvements to our existing roads will improve our traffic as we build the homes necessary for our growing population.
