Trevor ozawa biography

Eight years after his first campaign for Honolulu City Council, Chair Tommy Waters is running with an incumbency advantage.

He lost his first attempt in 2014 and narrowly won the second after a special election rematch in 2019, assuming the leadership position in the nine-member council in 2020.

This year, Waters faces a single opponent who is best known locally for his vocal opposition to mask mandates in schools.

The rival candidate, Kaleo Nakoa, who most recently served on the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, says he filed to run because he thought Waters would run for U.S.

Congress. After Waters announced his intention to stay on the council, Nakoa decided to stay in, saying he’d already committed to his candidacy.

“Maybe this is my calling to do something, or to bring up the issues that (are) going on,” he said in a recent interview.

Waters is finishing up his first term representing District 4 on the council with largely good reviews from his constituents.