HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

A pair of newly elected lawmakers are facing a tough choice in the wake of their wins. As University of Hawaii system employees, they must now resign from their posts due to a contractual policy.

Democratic State Representative-elect Jarrett Keohokalole says he'll do so without question, or regret.

"It was tough but, we went into it with our eyes open" he said.

Keohokalole worked as a legal fellow for UH Manoa, advising a group working on invasive species prevention.

"I'm a new legislator, there's a lot that I need to learn to make sure I'm doing the job right. In fairness to the folks at UH and the people working on invasive species issues, they don't need a half time guy, they need a guy who's full time" he continued.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser has endorsed our campaign!

"..it's Democrat Jarrett Keohokalole who offers the best combination of deep community ties and a nuanced understanding of issues from his law background. An invasive species specialist fellow at the University of Hawaii law school, he previously worked for a public defender and at an inner-city charter school in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

The community would benefit from his positions favoring restoration of traditional agriculture and aquaculture and his perspective advancing interests of working families." (Star Advertiser, Friday 10/24/14 Pg. A17)

All four candidates in this race for House District 48 Kahaluu-Ahuimanu-Kaneohe were featured on local news station KITV. Watch the short clip below:

"Environmental issues, traffic and the push-and-pull between development and agriculture are among the concerns in State House District 48 (Kaneohe, Heeia, Ahuimanu, Kahaluu, Haiku Valley, Mokuoloe) on the Windward Coast. Democrat Jarrett Keohokalole and Libertarian Kaimanu Takayama are vying for a seat left open when incumbent Jessica Wooley was appointed to head the Office of Environmental Quality Control. The campaign for Republican Eldean Kukahiko, a previously scheduled guest, claims to have not agreed to appear on the show, and will not be participating in this discussion. Nonpartisan candidate Kana Naipo is not able to attend, citing a previous commitment."

(Begins at 30:25.) Watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ccQSnak4Q 

Kahalu'u Neighborhood Board held its 2014 Candidate Forum at KEY Project, with candidates including Jarrett Keohokalole discussing their views, representing House District 47 & 48, and Senate District 24 & 23.

You can watch the entire forum here.

An excerpt from Star Advertiser Article - Sunday, July 27, 2014: "Democrats target sustainability, job creation" by B.J. Reyes

"...The race in the Democratic primary for House District 48 is shaping up into one of the closest contests of this primary season.

...Keohokalole, whose father was a construction worker and a district representative for the Operating Engineers Local 3, has drawn support from a cross-section of construction and development groups and labor unions, including the Operating Engineers, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, the Plasterers and Cement Masons, United Public Workers, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

His campaign has pulled in $42,000 from January through June, with $29,000 still on hand and $2,900 in debt.

'I'm proud of the blue-collar endorsements that I've received,' Keohokalole said. 'I'm proud of my connection to labor. I think Kaneohe is a working-class community. That's why I hold signs at 5:30 in the morning, because there are a lot of construction workers.'

Read what Jarrett Keohokalole has to say about his candidacy for Hawai'i House of Representatives District 48.

http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/07/candidate-qa-house-district-48-jarrett-keohokalole/ 

Published on Jun 27, 2014

Duane Shimogawa hosts this episode, features two environmentalists vying for the Democratic primary in House District 48: Robert Harris, Executive Director of the Sierra Club; and Jarrett Keohokalole, a legal fellow at the University of Hawaii law school working on invasive species issues. This particular seat, representing Kaneohe, Kahaluu and Haiku Valley, has no incumbent since former Rep. Jessica Wooley (D) has moved on to head the state's Office of Environmental Quality Control. 

Published on Apr 16, 2014