Three names emerge for DeCoite’s former seat
MN: … A former Maui County Council member, a Hana activist and a former Peace Corps member are among those interested in filling former state Rep. Lynn DeCoite’s House District 13 seat….
Party officials are in the process of receiving candidacy statements from residents interested in the House District 13 seat. The deadline to apply is June 30. The appointed candidate will fill out the remainder of DeCoite’s term, with elections in 2022.
Jonathan Starr, who is leading the selection process as chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s House District 13 Council, said on Friday that no candidacy statements have been received yet. However, he has heard of maybe six people who are intending to submit their names, which he declined to disclose in case they do not file or fail to meet certain requirements….
Candidates who have confirmed to The Maui News that they intend to submit their names are: former Maui County Council Member Stacy Crivello, former Hana Community Association President Claire Kamalu Carroll and Chase Keali’imalu Nomura, an economic development specialist with Maui County’s Office of Economic Development….
Meanwhile, another candidate who had been seeking the Senate District 7 seat and ran against DeCoite in the last election will not be submitting his name for the House District 13 seat. Instead, Molokai activist and environmentalist Walter Ritte said this week that he intends to challenge DeCoite for her newly appointed Senate seat, running under the Aloha ‘Aina Party, as he expressed frustration over the Democratic Party’s selection process for the Senate District 7 seat. Ritte was one of six candidates who submitted their names to the selection body.
DeCoite defeated Ritte in the 2020 Democratic primary for the House District 13 seat by just 93 votes….
Former Council Member Riki Hokama of Lanai, who also submitted his name for the Senate seat, said community members have asked him to try for the House seat and that he is “keeping all options open.”
The two other Senate candidates selected by the Democratic Party and sent to Ige — Maui County Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura and Leo Caires, a community leader, agricultural business owner and renewable energy executive — both said they do not live in House District 13 and will not submit their names….
read … Three names emerge for DeCoite’s former seat
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DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF HAWAIʻI REQUESTS EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR VACANT HOUSE DISTRICT 13 SEAT
News Release from DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF HAWAIʻI Maui County Committee June 21, 2021
The Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi is hereby requesting expressions of interest from qualified candidates for the newly vacant Hawaiʻi House District 13 seat. Democratic Party Members interested in becoming a candidate for potential appointment by Governor Ige to the Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives, District 13 should apply in time for receipt at Party Offices by 11:59 pm HST on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 as outlined below.
The State House District 13 seat was vacated on June 17, 2021 by Representative Lynn DeCoite, as she was appointed to the State Senate to represent Senate District 7. It is the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi’s obligation to submit a list of three candidates to Governor Ige, from which he can pick a replacement to fill the remainder of the term. Any member of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, who has been enrolled for at least six months, is in good standing, and who lives in House District 13 at the time of appointment may apply.
The process to fill the vacancy is governed by Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes 17-4(a), the DPH Constitution, Article VIII, Section 9, DPH Bylaws Article IX, Sections 4 and 5, and in the “Procedures for Filling Legislative Mid-term Vacancies” document approved by the State Central Committee at their December 2010 Meeting.
CALL FOR CANDIDATES
Deadline: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 11:59 pm HST
Applicants must fill out a Statement of Candidacy form, which is available via Google Form at http://bit.ly/house13app or via Word document at http://bit.ly/hd13wordapp or may be requested by email at vacancy@hawaiidemocrats.org. Only applicants may submit their own candidacy form; no one may submit a nomination on behalf of another. Forms must be submitted electronically via Google Forms or via email to vacancy@hawaiidemocrats.org.
Statements of candidacy must be accompanied by signatures of five Democratic Party members who live in House District 13. Those signatures may be submitted on paper or electronically at http://bit.ly/hd13signatures, and are due at the same time as the Statement of Candidacy form. We will attempt to verify electronic signatures as they come in and will attempt to notify candidates about how many valid signatures have been submitted on their behalf on a rolling basis. Once a candidate reaches five valid signatures, no further signatures will be needed.
All applications will be date- and time- stamped upon receipt and a confirmation will be sent to the applicant. The selection body will verify that all applications meet the requirements for residency and “good standing” and will prepare an official list of nominees to be considered.
The District Council of House District 13 comprise the official selection body and will meet on Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 10:00 am HST via zoom. The selection body will allow each candidate to speak for up to three minutes and members of the selection body will each be able to cast votes for up to three separate candidates.
The final three names as identified by the selection body will then be transmitted to the State Party Chair who will transmit the names to the Governor, who has until Monday, August 16, 2021 to make an appointment.
ELIGIBLE VOTERS
The members who are eligible to vote for this vacancy election are the officers of District Council 13, specifically the President, 1st Vice President, and District Council Representative from each of the nine precincts which form the district, plus the District Chair. A list of eligible voters may be found here.