Gilbert Kahele
Gilbert Kahele (May 15, 1942 - January 26, 2016) was a Democratic member of the Hawaii State Senate, representing District 1 from his appointment to the chamber in January 2011 to his death in January 2016. He was initially appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie to replace Sen. Russell Kokubun.[1][2] He served as Majority Caucus Leader from 2015 to his death and was Senate Majority Whip from 2013 to 2014.
Biography
Kahele served in the United States Marine Corps from 1960 to 1964.[3]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Kahele served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Consumer Protection |
| • Hawaiian Affairs |
| • Higher Education and the Arts |
| • Tourism and International Affairs, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Kahele served on the following committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs |
| • Transportation and International Affairs |
| • Ways and Means |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Kahele served on these committees:
| Hawaii committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Agriculture, Vice Chair |
| • Hawaiian Affairs |
| • Tourism |
| • Transportation and International Affairs |
| • Ways and Means |
Campaign themes
2014
Kahele's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[4]
Hilo Cargo Facility
- Excerpt: "Work out the details of the project between the Contractor, Department of Transportation and the Department of Accounting and General Services. I want to secure the funding so that construction on the building can begin."
Hilo High School Gym
- Excerpt: "Continue to work with State and County government to have this project “shovel ready” and construction can begin."
Lanakila Homes
- Excerpt: "Work with the Hawaiʻi Public Housing Authority and Department of Accounting and General Services to secure a contractor for the repair and remodel of the remaining units that have been in disrepair for years. Once remodeled, there will be 62 more units available for public housing families who desperately need a place to live."
University of Hawai’i Hilo
- Excerpt: "Facilitate the process between the Administration, Legislature and the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo to ensure progress on two critical projects: School of Pharmacy Building and Student Housing"
Capital improvement projects
- Excerpt: "Follow up on previously approved projects which have been “on the books” for East Hawai’i but for which monies have not been released. The vast majority of these projects are for maintenance and repair and could create immediate jobs for Hilo contractors and businesses."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2014
- See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Hawaii State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent Gilbert Kahele defeated Wendell Ka'ehu'ae'a in the Democratic primary and defeated Gregory "Kobata" Arianoff (L) in the general election.[5][6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Gilbert Kahele Incumbent |
86.3% | 11,638 | |
| Libertarian | Gregory "Kobata" Arianoff | 13.7% | 1,850 | |
| Total Votes | 13,488 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gilbert Kahele Incumbent |
82.2% | 8,366 |
| Wendell Ka'ehu'ae'a | 17.8% | 1,817 |
| Total Votes | 10,183 | |
2012
- See also: Hawaii State Senate elections, 2012
Kahele won re-election in the 2012 election for Hawaii State Senate District 1. Kahele defeated Donald Ikeda in the August 11 Democratic primary and ran unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[8][9]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Gilbert Kahele Incumbent |
58.4% | 7,027 |
| Donald Ikeda | 41.6% | 5,011 |
| Total Votes | 12,038 | |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Hawaii scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2015
In 2015, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 21 through May 7.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 15 through May 2.
|
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2013, the Hawaii State Legislature was in session from January 16 to May 3.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kahele left behind a widow, Linda, and their two children.[3]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for Gilbert + Kahele + Hawaii + Senate
See also
- Hawaii State Senate
- Hawaii Senate Committees
- Hawaii State Senate District 1
- Hawaii State Legislature
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Gilbert Kahele on Facebook
- Gilbert Kahele on Twitter
- Campaign Contributions: 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Honolulu Star Advertiser, "Senate replacement appointed for Kokubun seat," January 11, 2011
- ↑ KHON, "Hawaii Island Senator Gil Kahele dies at 73," January 26, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 senatorkahele.com, "About Gil," accessed October 6, 2014
- ↑ senatorkahele.com, "Gil's Goals for East Hawai'i," accessed October 6, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ civilbeat.com, " Unofficial 2012 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary election results," accessed March 24, 2014
- ↑ Paychecks Hawaii, "PAYCHECKS HAWAII Ratings of the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ Paychecks Hawaii, "PAYCHECKS HAWAII Ratings of the 2013 Hawaii State Legislature," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Malama Solomon (D) |
Hawaii State Senate District 1 2012–2016 |
Succeeded by Kaiali'i Kahele (D) |
| Preceded by Russell Kokubun (D) |
Hawaii State Senate District 2 2011-2012 |
Succeeded by Russell Ruderman (D) |
