3. Candidate Survey Response
The following presents the HAA Candidate Survey questions in their original order and wording, together with Heather Kimball’s actual selections and written comments.
Formatting has been standardized for readability.
The substance of the candidate’s responses has not been changed.
2026 Hawaiʻi County Council Candidate Survey
SECTION 1 - Leadership & Decision-Making
This section is intended to help voters better understand how you approach leadership, public service, and complex policy decisions.
Question 1. When evaluating a complex public policy issue, which of the following factors do you typically consider?
Candidate selections
✔ Constituent concerns
☐ Scientific evidence and research
☐ Recommendations from government agencies
☐ Fiscal responsibility and cost effectiveness
☐ Long-term outcomes
☐ Public health and safety
☐ Environmental impacts
☐ Fairness to affected stakeholders
✔ Legal considerations
✔ Practical implementation and enforcement
☐ Community partnerships and volunteer involvement
Candidate comment
“This is a difficult one to answer with just three choices. It is highly dependent on the specific matter that is before us. Generally, for my own legislation, I get my guidance on what to pursue from constituent concerns. I then evaluate: is it needed, can we do it legally, is it enforceable, and finally, what are the unintended consequences?”
Question 2. When evaluating different viewpoints on a public issue, which of the following approaches do you typically find helpful?
Please select the three choices that best reflect your perspective.
Candidate selections
✔ Meet with affected residents
☐ Meet with subject-matter experts
☐ Review scientific research
☐ Request information from government agencies
☐ Hold community meetings
☐ Seek balanced solutions that consider multiple perspectives
☐ Visit affected locations firsthand
☐ Evaluate costs and budget impacts
✔ Review measurable outcomes from similar programs
✔ Consult nonprofit and community organizations
Comment (optional)
Question 3. Which of the following qualities do you believe contribute to effective public policy?
Please select the three choices that best reflect your perspective.
Candidate selections
☐ Compassion
☐ Scientific evidence
☐ Fiscal responsibility
☐ Accountability
☐ Transparency
☐ Prevention
☐ Enforcement
✔ Collaboration
✔ Long-term thinking
✔ Community input
☐ Environmental stewardship
☐ Public health
☐ Practical results
Comment (optional)
Question 4. When facing a difficult issue where there is no perfect solution, what approaches do you generally find most helpful?
Please select the three choices that best reflect your perspective.
Candidate selections
☐ Focus on immediate concerns
☐ Focus on long-term outcomes
☐ Follow existing policies and procedures
☐ Seek additional information and evidence
✔ Consult affected stakeholders
✔ Consider unintended consequences
☐ Seek balanced solutions among competing interests
✔ Start with a small pilot project and evaluate results
☐ Prioritize practical implementation
☐ Reassess and adjust based on outcomes
Comment (optional):
SECTION 2 - Humane Animal Management & Community Well-Being
This section is intended to help voters better understand your perspectives regarding animal management and related community issues.
Question 5. How important is humane treatment when developing county animal policies?
✔ Extremely Important
☐ Very Important
☐ Moderately Important
☐ Slightly Important
☐ Not Important
Comment (optional)
Question 6. Which statement best reflects your approach to addressing community challenges?
✔ Strongly favor prevention and education
☐ Generally favor prevention while supporting targeted enforcement
☐ Equal emphasis on prevention and enforcement
☐ Generally favor enforcement
☐ Strongly favor enforcement
Comment (optional)
Question 7. Do you support expanded access to low-cost or free spay/neuter services?
✔ Strongly Support
☐ Support
☐ Neutral / Unsure
☐ Oppose
☐ Strongly Oppose
Comment (optional)
Question 8. How familiar are you with Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and other humane community cat management programs?
✔ Very Familiar
☐ Familiar
☐ Somewhat Familiar
☐ Limited Familiarity
☐ Not Familiar
Comment (optional)
Question 9. What role should managed community cat programs play in Hawaiʻi County?
✔ Major Role
☐ Moderate Role
☐ Limited Role
☐ No Role
☐ Unsure
Comment (optional)
SECTION 3 - Public Health, Accountability & Community Partnerships
This section is intended to help voters better understand how these issues fit within broader community priorities.
Question 10. Human health, animal health, and environmental health are interconnected. How important should this perspective be when evaluating public policy?
✔ Extremely Important
☐ Very Important
☐ Moderately Important
☐ Slightly Important
☐ Not Important
Comment (optional)
Question 11. Government-funded programs should demonstrate measurable outcomes and public accountability.
✔ Strongly Agree
☐ Agree
☐ Neutral
☐ Disagree
☐ Strongly Disagree
Comment (optional)
Question 12. What role should community organizations and volunteers play in helping address county challenges?
✔ Major Role
☐ Moderate Role
☐ Limited Role
☐ No Role
☐ Unsure
Comment (optional)
Additional Comments (please note Question # if adding to your response above)
Please share any additional comments:
Candidate comment
“As you know, we put a considerable amount of time and effort into plans for a TNRM pilot. This sort of program remains, in my mind, the best path forward to help address the issue of unowned cats on the island. We were making so much progress building trust with stakeholders and having a solid plan.
Then Bill 51 was introduced out of the blue. It was a stupid bill. It does not solve the problem; it broke the trust we had built and is completely unenforceable.
So I’m sure your members will ask, Why did I vote for it?
Two reasons:
First, we were informed by the county’s attorneys that because the bill had been introduced, if we voted against it, and at some later point an endangered species was killed by a cat on county property, we would be liable for legal action.
Second, we were assured that a pilot program, coordinated with the animal control and protection agency, could still take place under the language of bill 51.
It was a hard choice, but as a council member, I face these every meeting. I felt I had to support the bill out of fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers. I also felt the language was sufficient to still allow for a TNRM pilot.
It remains my opinion that we need to address the unhomed cats on our island for the protection of the environment and for the benefit of public health. Bill 51 will not accomplish this. However, a scientifically backed TNRM program, community resources, and public education can be used to address the problem in a way that is more likely to be effective and is humane.
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