Despite a series of questionable public appearances, and a laundry list of eyebrow raising statements, the Rodger “Rod” Kohole campaign for mayor continues to pick up steam against incumbent Albert Cravalho. Undeterred by the candidate’s comments about removing government protections from natural areas, and advocating the use of violence against his opponents at a campaign stop yesterday, the Kohole train continues to gain momentum. In fact, recent polls show Kohole pulling to within 5 points of Mayor Cravalho.
Rod Kohole’s rise as a political figure in Maui has been an unorthodox one, riddled with complaints and allegations. After his forced retirement as a justice of the Hawaiian Supreme Court at the age of 70, Kohole moved to Maui and began a number of agricultural and energy businesses. However, Rod couldn’t stay out of politics for long, and within a year he had formed the Foundation for Natural Law, a non-profit legal organization dedicated to fighting “government overreach” in all areas. The foundation represented a handful of geothermal drilling companies wishing to drill inside the preservation zone, but its first high-profile case was fighting an anti-foie gras initiative on behalf of one of Kohole’s farms. It was then that the opinions of the retired judge, and his unfiltered manner of speech began to grab headlines.
His followers say that they appreciate Kohole’s direct and rough manner, a departure from the usually laid back atmosphere that permeates everything, even the political arena, on Maui. His campaign slogan, “Let’s Ram Rod In the Mayor’s Office!” seems to perfectly represent his campaign so far: unorthodox, controversial, and aggressive. Many expressed concerns after he was asked about the problem of the working poor in Maui and he answered: “I keep hearing about the poor and the working poor. I have to be honest, we didn’t have working poor when I was a kid. Do you know why? Because if you work hard enough in this great country, you’re not poor! You don’t have to be a genius to figure it out. It’s simple math. If you haven’t prepared yourself for adulthood or are just too lazy to get another job, then, I’m sorry, but that’s you’re problem, not mine. Nobody who has the gumption to work 80-100 hour weeks is poor. I’m gonna start slapping these assistance checks out of hands, and replacing them with shovels when I’m in office.”
“His rhetoric is dangerous and he is appealing to the worst parts of our nature,” says Ellen Pahili, spokesperson for the Mayor’s office. “Albert Cravalho has changed Maui for the better and offered the kind of mature, steady leadership that we need going forward. Like many of us, I check my newsfeed every morning to hear what outlandish thing Mr. Kohole has said next, but that isn’t leadership. That’s a spectacle. This is a man who when asked if any government regulations were needed at all, like protections for child labor, said: ‘No! We don’t need someone in an office on a hill somewhere telling us that kids shouldn’t have jobs. Having a job builds character. The truth of the matter is kids are just better at certain things that adults. Crawling into tunnels or exhaust tubes for cleaning, assembling electronics and garments, all those things that are easier to do with little bodies and little hands. I believe in giving children the right to work, especially children who aren’t college material.’ What more is there to say? Rodger Kohole’s day-to-day statements are our best advertisements. He is a dangerous and misguided man, unfit for office.”
The Kohole campaign counters that it is Cravalho who has put the public in danger through numerous controversial programs and decisions, and the terrible Veilcorp Luau bombing that claimed the lives of 10 people, including Tracy and Alohi Oeming, wife and daughter of Veilcop founder Eric Oeming. They say only Kohole has the courage to stand-up to the special interests, and protect the hard working people of Maui.
Kohole arrived at the Chop House yesterday riding a pig and brandishing a sidearm, much to the delight of his assembled fans who call themselves “Ramrods”. Kohole wasted no time in giving the crowd the kind of speech he has become famous for. “I just wanted to show everyone how I plan to ride the swine out of office. I brought this, [the gun] just in case the hog or my opponents had other ideas. I want the powers that be to know that we’re taking it all back by any means necessary. We’re going to drill wells for power, we’re going to harvest trees, we’re going to use the bounty that has been provided us, without worrying about what the scientists, and tree-huggers say. I promise that when elected the first thing I’m going to do is open some of these areas that have been designated as native lands. In my America you own land through hard work, not because your ancestors lost a fight. The days of participation trophies, big government, apologizing, and trigger warnings are over.”
Kimberly Hekili from The Lahaina Conservation Association (LCA), calls the prospect of Kohole in office a, “nightmare.” She contends that years of restoration and conservation projects would be undone, should the retired judge win the election. “All you have to do is look at other areas where thinking like this has prevailed. Kohole would have us strip mine the mountains, pollute streams in the pursuit of energy readily available in other cleaner methods, and hunt endangered animals into extinction. He even wants to strip protections from the Nene, our state bird, in order to use them to create a specialty foi gras market on the island. Electing Rodger Kohole would be an ecological disaster.”
The general election will be held November 8. Pundits say that despite being written off early in the primaries, the slow and steady growth of Kohole should worry Cravalho. They say his campaign mirrors some of the growth of the populist movements 30 years ago. With only a little over a month left until the election, both campaigns are sure to ramp over the next few weeks.
