Maui County Democratic Party Receives 13 Applications for House District 13

News Release from Maui Democratic Party, February 7, 2015

WAILUKU, Hawai‘i – The Maui County Democratic Party has received 13 applications from registered Democrats in good standing who live in House District 13, which encompasses Paia, Haiku, East Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe to replace the seat left vacated by Representative Mele Carroll.

Applicants include Lori Buchanan of Molokai, Shay Chan Hodges of Haiku, Scott Crawford of Hana, Lynn DeCoite of Molokai, Alberta De Jetley of Lanai, Lucienne DeNaie of Huelo, David Fry of Haiku, Barbara Haliniak of Molokai, Susan “Netra” Halperin of Haiku, Lance Holter of Paia, Robert Parsons of Haiku, Kay Okamoto of Lanai and Noelani Yamshita of Molokai.

The 22 members of the District 13 Council will comprise the official nominating committee and will meet on Saturday, February 14, 2015. The committee will allow each candidate to speak for up to 10 minutes and committee members will be able to vote for up to three candidates, but not for the same person.

The final three names as identified by the nominating committee will then be transmitted to the Maui County Democratic Party Chair and the Hawai‘i Democratic Party Chair who will then forward the names to the Governor. The Governor has sixty calendar days following the first day of the vacancy to make an appointment to the House seat.

The nominating committee will not release the top three names of the candidates and will defer to the Governor on whether he will release the three names to the public.

For any questions or more information, contact Maui County Party Chair Troy Hashimoto via e-mail at troy@mauidemocrats.org or by phone at (808) 249-0333.

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Included is a short bio of each candidate. Information has been taken from each applicants resume:

– Lori Buchanan of Molokai is a field outreach coordinator for the Molokai/Maui Invasive Species Committee and the co-owner of Molokai Security Service. She serves as a member of the Molokai Planning Commission.

– Shay Chan Hodges of Haiku is the author of “Lean on and Lead, Mother and Work in the 21st Century Economy” and is a freelance technical and grant writer.

– Scott Crawford of Hana is the executive director of Kipahulu Ohana and serves as the chairperson of the Maui Nui Makai Network.

– Lynn DeCoite of Molokai is the owner of L&R Farm Enterprises and R.J. Snacks. She serves as a board member of the State Board of Agriculture and is the president of the Molokai Homestead Farmer’s Alliance.

– Alberta De Jetley of Lanai is the publisher and editor of Lanai Today and the owner of Alberta’s farm, Lanai’s largest commercial farm. She was a previous chair of the Lanai Chamber of Commerce.

– Lucienne De Naie of Huelo is a self-employed consultant. She serves as the secretary of the Haiku Community Association and is a member of the Maui Cultural Lands Advisory Board.

– David Fry of Haiku is the owner and founder of Tanuki Interactive, a web development and strategy company. He serves as a board member of the Haiku Community Association.

– Barbara Haliniak of Molokai is the president and owner of The Business Depot, a bookkeeping and payroll service. She also serves as president and founder of Molokai Island Foundation, which supports inclusion of the STEM project in a school’s curriculum.

– Susan “Netra” Halperin of Haiku is the executive director of Restorative Solutions Maui, co-founding the non-violent communication in schools program and serves as a board member of the Haiku Community Association.

– Lance Holter of Paia is the owner and broker of Lance Holter Real Estate and Construction. He is a former chair of the Maui County Democratic Party and a former Maui Tomorrow Board Member.

– Robert Parsons of Haiku serves as an Executive Assistant to Mayor Alan Arakawa and a past chair for the Maui Conservation Alliance.

– Kay Okamoto of Lanai is the owner and principal broker of Okamoto Realty and a former educator. She previously served on the Maui County Charter Commission and the Maui County General Plan Advisory Committee.

– Noelani Yamashita of Molokai is the Executive Director of Ka Honua Momona International, a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing natural and cultural resources and is a graduate of both the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and Princeton University.