Age, philosophy divide rivals for Kaneohe-to-Mokuleia seat

COURTESY PHOTOS Brenton Awa and Ben Shafer COURTESY PHOTOS Brenton Awa and Ben Shafer Stay updated on Hawaii and national elections coverage Republican state Sen. Brenton Awa, 38, faces his first reelection contest on Nov. 5 against a fellow Native Hawaiian who’s a generation older, 65-year-old Democrat Ben Shafer, to represent a vast and diverse district that runs from the northern end of Kaneohe, up the Windward side and across the North Shore to Mokuleia.

Awa (R, Kaneohe-Laie-Mokuleia ) insists he’s not campaigning, won’t post a single yard sign or take donations but wants to continue to serve his community, where he grew up wrestling for the Kahuku High School Red Raiders.

He’s running for reelection by “doing it for nothing, ” Awa said. “We’re going to do it the way it should be done.”

Awa used his background as a television news anchor coupled with his video skills and Instagram following to report on a water well leak of 1 million gallons a month in Mokuleia that persisted for at least 10 years, and perhaps as long as 20 years, but records don’t go back that far.

The U.S. Army leases the state land and Awa said an Army general saw his video and prompted the state Department of Transportation to have the leak fixed within two weeks, saving both water and money on an island where residents have been asked to use water cautiously.

“A Senate seat carries power, even if you’re in the minority, ” Awa said. “I have also used my ability to communicate, social media and journalism. I just tell people the facts and let them form their own opinions.”

Shafer, who traces his Hawaiian ancestry back centuries in and around Kahana Bay where he lives, defeated longtime former state Sen. Clayton Hee in the Aug. 10 Democratic primary.

Shafer works as a technician for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and represented his union on the Hawaii’s union umbrella, the AFL-CIO.

He opposed expansion of the Turtle Bay Resort and has the backing of powerful unions and former elected officials, some of whom served in office a generation ago.

Shafer supports term limits for state legislators who make up the only elected body in Hawaii that does not face a timetable to leave office. He also wants public campaign financing for all Hawaii politicians, which proponents argue will help reduce their dependence on donors and the risk of political corruption and bribery.

Perhaps more urgently for constituents, Shafer wants to look at best…