State Rep. Andria Tupola is seeking a second term, contending her education and commitment to community service prove she is fit to represent District 43. But Stacelynn Eli maintains that her own experiences as a lifelong Waianae Coast resident and former legislative aide make her the right candidate for the job.
Tupola, 35, a Republican, and Eli, 32, a Democrat, are vying to represent the district encompassing Kalaeloa to Maili.
In the 2014 general election, Tupola, then a first-time candidate, unseated then-state Rep. Karen Awana, who had defeated Eli in the 2014 Democratic primary. Awana was ousted in this year’s Aug. 13 primary after Eli received 226 more votes.
One of Tupola’s top transportation priorities is to continue pushing for a secondary access road in and out of the Waianae Coast. She said she has been working with U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard on repairing Kolekole Pass, a road that serves as an alternate route to Farrington Highway. It is not open to the public.
Regarding public schools, she would like to work with the state Department of Education to increase per-pupil funding. One way to generate more funding, Tupola said, could involve trimming the DOE’s administrative budget. In fiscal year 2014 the state’s per-pupil funding was $14,434, according to the DOE.
“I enjoy public service, and there’s a lot of different projects that we started and want to see happen in the community,” Tupola said. “We’ve had a lot of traction and a lot of progress, but it’s only been two years. There needed to be kind of like a stimulation of energy in the community where people are invited to engage and take part. And it’s really helped.”
A former Leeward Community College and University of Hawaii-West Oahu professor, Tupola has lived in Maili with her husband and two daughters, ages 9 and 7, for six years. The Brigham Young graduate and former Nanakuli/Maili Neighborhood Board member serves on the House Education, Health, Higher Education, Labor and Public Employment, Public Safety and Transportation committees. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in music at UH Manoa.
Tupola touted the numerous community projects and events she and her staff organized during her first term, including five community cleanups, 21 town halls, three entrepreneurial conferences, and emergency preparedness fairs, as ways she has directly communicated with and helped residents.
If elected in the Nov. 8 general election, Eli, a Nanakuli resident, said addressing affordable housing and job creation issues would be among her top priorities. The growth of Kapolei as Oahu’s secondary urban center could help spur jobs and more affordable residential units in the area, particularly for young people and families living on the mainland who want to move home to Hawaii, she said.
Eli said that while walking through her district and talking to residents, she has found that many kupuna live alone, their children and grandchildren having moved to the mainland due to Hawaii’s high cost of living.
Additionally, she said she would push for more capital improvement project funding for the district.
Eli, whose family has lived on the Nanakuli Homestead since the 1930s, works at a home-improvement store and took a break this semester from studying political science and economics at UH West Oahu to focus on her campaign. The Nanakuli High and Intermediate School graduate served on the neighborhood board and previously worked at a construction company. As a fifth-generation Nanakuli resident, she said her family’s background as builders has helped her better understand residents’ needs.
She served as a legislative aide to state Rep. Lynn DeCoite (D, Lanai-Molokai-Paia-Hana), state Sen. Brickwood Galuteria (D, Kakaako-McCully-Waikiki) and Awana before running for office. Eli also serves as a board member for the Nanakuli High and Intermediate Performing Arts Center.
“I have a good understanding of what it takes and how to build and establish relationships so that the needs of my community are met,” Eli said. “Five generations speaks volumes as far as knowing what the needs of our community are. I think it’s not like I would be testing the waters or kind of guessing what the issues are. I’ve lived here all my life.”
When both candidates were asked whether they would support increases to the state gas tax, vehicle weight tax and state registration fees to help pay for state road projects, as Gov. David Ige has said he would again propose, Tupola and Eli said they would oppose the measure.
Tupola said she does not support tax increases because it places an added burden on already strained families in Hawaii, adding that there are concerns about the state Department of Transportation’s efficiency. Eli said she opposes the proposal at the moment but would need to research where the funding has been spent so far.
The candidates differed in their responses on the matter of whether state lawmakers should support an expected proposal to again extend Oahu’s half-percent excise tax surcharge to finance construction or operation of the rail system.
Tupola, who said she has surveyed her community with phone calls, a town hall meeting and online questions, would oppose such a proposal. She said her constituents are concerned about the rail project’s financial management.
Eli said she would need further information on the proposal before casting her vote on an extension.