Shannon Matson

Hawaiʻi County Council District 5 - Upper Puna

Candidate Questionnaire Status: RESPONDED

Shannon Matson completed the HAA Election Center 2026 Candidate Survey and provided additional written comments emphasizing balanced policy, prevention, collaboration, stakeholder participation, animal-welfare reform, and government support for community organizations.

Voter Education Notice: HAA’s Election Center, Candidate Summary, candidate snapshots, and candidate pages are provided for issue-based voter education. They are based on candidate survey responses, follow-up clarification when provided, and HAA’s assessment of alignment with humane, accountable managed cat policy. They are not formal single-candidate endorsements and should not be represented as such.

1.  HAA Candidate Snapshot

 

 

2.  HAA Assessment

Managed Cat Policy Alignment: Fully Aligned

Shannon Matson’s survey response demonstrates strong support for humane, managed community cat policy.

She rated humane treatment and the One Health perspective as extremely important; strongly supports expanded access to low-cost or free spay/neuter services; is very familiar with TNR; and believes managed community cat programs should play a major role in Hawaiʻi County.

Her leadership responses emphasize constituent concerns, public health and safety, environmental impacts, consultation with affected residents and subject-matter experts, additional evidence, and balanced solutions among competing interests.

Matson also strongly supports measurable outcomes and public accountability. She selected a moderate role for community organizations and volunteers, while clarifying that these partnerships are crucial and that government must provide resources rather than dictate outcomes.

In her additional comments, Matson calls for a balanced and collaborative approach to complex animal-management issues. She describes the conflict involving cats and Nēnē as an example of an issue that became unnecessarily divisive and argues that community stakeholders and volunteers should have a larger seat at the table. She also states that policy should clearly identify the problem being addressed and consider how proposed solutions will affect everyone involved—including animals and people who cannot advocate for themselves.

HAA views her stated positions as strongly aligned with the HAA Coexistence Framework, Conservation Science Compliance Standard, and One Health Alignment Standard.

HAA Takeaway

Shannon Matson supports prevention, spay/neuter access, TNR, managed community cat programs, public accountability, balanced decision-making, and collaborative solutions supported by government resources.

Her emphasis on moving beyond divisive “us versus them” approaches and giving community stakeholders a meaningful role is especially consistent with HAA’s coexistence-based approach.

Overall assessment: Fully Aligned with Managed Cat Policy.

 

 

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

“This is a very challenging question, I think ALL of these factors are important.”

 

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

“Again, all are important factors to consider and it depends on the situation/issue.”

 

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

“Accountability/enforcement are intertwined, policy-making does zero good without collaboration between community and enforcement entities and really ideal policy-making to create culture shifts should be about prevention and education so enforcement isn’t needed."

 

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

Candidate comment

“These partnerships are crucial, but government needs to support these orgs. and provide resources, not dictate outcomes."

 

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

Please share any additional comments:

Candidate comment

“We need a balanced approach to solving these complex problems.
The Cat/Nēnē issue is an unfortunate example of what could have been a collaborative partnership, but instead got turned into a divisive, “us vs them” situation. Ultimately causing harm to many potential relationships and harming vulnerable animals that are not able to advocate for themselves.
Similar incidents come up regularly in regards to hunting and management of State and County lands. I have attended many County Game Management Advisory Commission meetings, and believe the volunteers serving on that Commission should have a larger seat at the table to address some of these issues from a direct stakeholder perspective.
When attempting to correct issues or create new policy I will always be rooted in community first and be clear on what problems we are trying to solve for and how the potential solutions will impact ALL involved, including those who cannot advocate for themselves.
I will be prioritizing reforming our County Code in Chapter 4 regarding animal welfare and management as my family and direct community have been personally impacted by unaccountable dangerous dog owners in multiple ways.
I will take a collaborative approach to this and believe I will be successful because of my prior history in advocating on this subject matter and will continue to work to refine the law and encourage enforcement until we get the results our community deserves."

 

 

 

 

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4.  Candidate Information

Candidate: Shannon Matson
Office: Hawaiʻi County Council
District: District 5
Campaign email: [email protected]
Campaign telephone: 808-937-3037
Campaign website: ElectShannonMatson.com

Her campaign website identifies District 5 as including communities such as Keaʻau Agricultural Lots, ʻĀinaloa, Tiki Gardens, Kurtistown, Orchidland Estates, Hawaiian Acres, and Fern Acres.