JoAnn Yukimura

From dKosopedia

Categories: Kauai County, Hawaii | Hawaii Democrats

JoAnn Yukimura entered elective politics in 1976 by runing as a candidate for the Kauai County Council. Yukimura called for controlling growth, preserving open space, public access, and the rural quality of Kaua‘i when few other politicians broached these subjects. She promised buses and bikeways and farmer-to-consumer markets. Yukimura won election receiving the highest number of voted of the seven winning at-large candidates, both in the primary and general elections. She served on the Kaua‘i council from 1976 to 1980.

In 1980, JoAnn Yukimura ran for mayor against incumbent Eduardo Malapit. She lost by 5% of the vote. In 1982, when Malapit retired and senior State House member and Finance Chair Tony Kunimura returned home to run for mayor, Yukimura was again defeated by 5% of the vote.

From 1984 to 1988, Yukimura served on the Kaua‘i County Council.

In 1988 Yukimura again ran for mayor and won by a 2 to 1 margin over Mayor Tony Kunimura. Elected to a two-year term, she oversaw and managed 1,000 county employees and county capital and operating budgets totaling $60 million. Re-elected to a four-year term in 1990. JoAnn Yukimura was the first woman of Japanese-American ancestry to be elected mayor in the United States.

In 1992, hurricane ‘Iniki devastated Kauai. As the head of Civil Defense at the County level, Mayor Yukimura oversaw the local response and rebuilding on Kaua‘i after Hurricane ‘Iniki which caused $1.6 billion in damages to the island. The effort to re-build was enormous and beyond the capability of the County to manage effectively. Rumors of funds missing and graft also tarred her administration perhaps unfairly.

Ms. Yukimura stood for re-election in 1994. During her time in office, she had been criticized for micro management and a tendancy to try to force fit urban solution into a rural community. She also alienated the business community with anti-growth policies. While she made it through to the runoff, having another Democrat in the non-artisan primary was not helpful. She lost to Maryanne Kusaka in the general election and left office.

In 2002 and 2004, Yukimura was again elected to serve on the Kaua‘i County Council. She is rumored to be running for Mayor again in 2006 and is the early favorite.

External Links

• Yukimura tops council in votes (Kauai Garden Island, 11-3-04)
• JoAnn Yukimura: background (joannyukimura.com)
• Yukimura will not challenge Baptiste By Tom Finnegan (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 9-14-05)

Hawaii | Kauai County