3.  Candidate Survey Response

The following presents the HAA Candidate Survey questions in their original order and wording.

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

“As a Planning Commission member and former safety director, I've learned that the best policy begins by listening to the people most affected. I combine constituent input with hard data on public health outcomes and budget realities, because good intentions that aren't fiscally grounded don't get implemented. Every dollar we spend must produce a measurable result for our community. ”

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

Candidate comment

“I don't govern from a desk, I walk the district. I've met directly with unhoused residents, animal rescuers, small business owners, and kupuna. Visiting a location in person changes everything. Nonprofits and community organizations are often doing the work the government hasn't, they deserve a seat at the table, not just a footnote.”

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

Candidate comment

“Compassion without accountability becomes wasted funding. Accountability without compassion becomes cruel enforcement. I believe effective policy must be rooted in both, guided by data, executed with heart, and measured by real outcomes in people's and animals' lives.”

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

Candidate comment

“The county has a history of implementing programs and never revisiting whether they work. I believe in piloting ideas, measuring results honestly, and being willing to change course when data demands it. Rigid policy that ignores unintended harm to animals, people, or wildlife, is not leadership.”

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

Candidate comment

“Humane treatment is not optional- it is a reflection of our community's character. How we treat the most vulnerable among us, including animals, reveals who we are as a society. Policies that default to cruelty because it is cheaper or easier are policies I will oppose.”

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

Candidate comment

“Prevention is always more cost-effective than reaction. For animal management specifically, investing in spay/neuter, community education, and volunteer infrastructure reduces the burden on our shelter system, reduces suffering, and ultimately saves taxpayer money. That said, targeted enforcement must remain available when animal welfare or public safety is at risk!”

Question 7.  Do you support expanded access to low-cost or free spay/neuter services?

✔ Strongly Support
☐ Support
☐ Neutral / Unsure
☐ Oppose
☐ Strongly Oppose

Candidate comment

“Overpopulation is the root cause of most animal welfare crises we face. Free and low-cost spay/neuter is among the highest-return investments a county can make reducing 1 shelter intake, euthanasia rates, disease transmission, and community conflict. I would actively seek partnerships with nonprofits and explore budget allocations to expand these services countywide.”

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

Candidate comment

“I am familiar with Trap-Neuter-Return programs and the evidence base supporting their effectiveness in stabilizing feral cat colonies over time. I understand the ongoing debate between wildlife advocates and animal welfare organizations and believe any county approach must be science-based, accountable, and community-driven rather than reactive or politically motivated.”

Question 9.  What role should managed community cat programs play in Hawaiʻi County?

☐ Major Role
✔ Moderate Role
☐ Limited Role
☐ No Role
☐ Unsure

Candidate comment

“Managed community cat programs must be part of a broader, evidence-based strategy that includes spay/neuter infrastructure, community caretaker support, and honest tracking of outcomes. I do not support ignoring feral cat populations, nor do I support unmonitored, unaccountable colony management. A moderate, well-structured role with measurable benchmarks is the right approach for Hawaiʻi County.”

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

Candidate comment

“This is the One Health framework, and it is not abstract theory, it is real life in Hawaiʻi. Zoonotic disease, watershed contamination from unmanaged animal populations, and the mental health benefits of humane community environments all intersect. A council member who compartmentalizes these issues will miss the big picture. I will not. EVER.”

Question 11.  Government-funded programs should demonstrate measurable outcomes and public accountability.

✔ Strongly Agree
☐ Agree
☐ Neutral
☐ Disagree
☐ Strongly Disagree

Candidate comment

“ I have been one of the loudest voices calling out Hawaii County's failure to track outcomes for funded programs, including the $33 million spent on homelessness services with little measurable result. The same standard must apply to every county-funded animal management, shelter, or wildlife program. Funding without accountability is not compassion, it is negligence. ”

Question 12. What role should community organizations and volunteers play in helping address county challenges?

✔ Major Role
☐ Moderate Role
☐ Limited Role
☐ No Role
☐ Unsure

Candidate comment

“ In Hawaiʻi, community organizations and volunteers are often the first and last line of response, in animal welfare, in disaster relief, in social services. The government cannot and should not try to do it all alone. My approach as a council member will be to actively fund, support, and collaborate with nonprofits and volunteer networks rather than duplicate their work with expensive county bureaucracy. ”

Additional Comments (please note Question # if adding to your response above)

Please share any additional comments:

“I walk around my district daily. I have seen firsthand the connection between unmanaged animal populations, public health concerns, and community safety. Cats living in unsanitary conditions near our downtown corridor, dogs at large in residential neighborhoods, and the trauma that shelter workers and volunteer rescuers carry, these are real issues that deserve real leadership.

I commit to: supporting evidence-based humane animal management policy; funding and partnering with local rescues and TNR networks; demanding measurable outcomes from every 2 county animal services dollar; and treating our wildlife, our companion animals, and the people who care for them with the dignity they deserve.

Hilo is rising, and that includes every living member of our community.  

Me ke aloha,  

JoNelle Fukushima

Candidate for County Council District 2

jonellefukushima.com "