An incoming County Council member in West Hawaii hopes to boost support for Kohala after one of the only election changes on the Big Island on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Cindy Evans was unseated Tuesday by her opponent James Hustace. Hustace, who has served as president of the Waimea Community Association for the past four years, received 58% of the vote, besting Evans’ 42%.

Following the swearing-in ceremony on Dec. 2, Hustace will represent Council District 9, which includes Kohala and parts of Waimea.

Hustace told the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday that his opponent had a good race, but said voters in his district “are looking for leaders who will listen to the wishes of the community.”

“The district has a lot of different communities with different concerns,” Hustace said. “In places like Waikoloa, there are people worried about the roads out of town in case of fire. And then in Waimea, people are concerned about water…which needs to be at the forefront of our discussions, not only to support housing, but also agricultural production.”

At the same time, Hustace said, District 9 residents are also concerned about the cultural and historical preservation of the numerous wahi pana throughout western and northern Hawaii.

Hustace said his first priorities after taking office will be to build professional relationships with his fellow Council members and the county’s new department heads. He will need that support, he said, to dedicate county resources to large-scale infrastructure projects in the area, including cesspool conversions and new roads for the rural district.

Evans was gracious in defeat, saying Hustace ran “a tough, really traditional race.” She said if she had been elected, her priorities for the district would also have included converting cesspools and roads, but also agriculture and developing affordable workforce housing.

After resigning, Evans said, she will continue to volunteer with the nonprofit Malama Pono Kohala, which supports domestic violence, while working to secure better roads for her district as a constituent.

On the other side of the island, the only other Council seat up for grabs Tuesday remained in the incumbent.

Puna Council member Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder, with 57% of the vote, defeated his rival Ikaika Rodenhurst.

Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder said he was humbled by his constituents’ faith in him, saying the district hasn’t had a Council member serve four consecutive terms, which is the limit, in a long time.

“I hope it’s because of what we’ve done,” Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder said, touting efforts to improve roads in the district, such as shoulder repairs and resurfacing of Stainback Highway to relieve traffic congestion.

When her final term begins in December, Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder hopes to ensure the county focuses on completing long-term development projects for Puna, such as a new public transportation hub in Pahoa and a study of possible locations for a new alternative route. outside the area.

Rodenhurst, who briefly served as the county’s public works director from 2021 to 2022, said he will continue to work in the private sector but will do everything he can as a citizen to help improve the county’s building permit process.

The other seven County Council seats were decided in primary elections.