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KAUAI COUNCILMEMBER

About the 2026 Kauaʻi County Council Race

The Kauaʻi County Council is a seven-member body elected at-large, meaning every registered voter on Kauaʻi picks up to seven of the candidates from the same island-wide ballot — the top seven vote-getters in the general election win seats. The Council has no sub-districts; all seats are island-wide. As of the June 9, 2026 official filing record, 27 candidates initially filed for the race; Bart Thomas withdrew after filing, leaving 26 confirmed on the primary ballot. Council Chair Mel Rapozo vacated his seat to run for mayor. Fern Holland is among the filed candidates who previously served on the Council. The at-large structure means voters choose among all island-wide candidates on a single ballot. Key issues candidates have addressed in campaign coverage include housing affordability, the role of short-term vacation rentals, tourism-driven development, and public-safety and infrastructure investment. Voters should consult candidate websites, KKCR Elections forum recordings, and Honolulu Civil Beat candidate Q&As for verifiable stances.

Open seat — no incumbent running.

Primary date: 2026-08-08

SECRETARIO, Rachel M.

Party: Nonpartisan · Backing: Independent

Platform: Lifelong Kapaʻa native, teacher, financial planner, 4-time marathon runner, and two-time council candidate.

  • Lifelong Kauaʻi native raised in Kapaʻa; attended Kapaʻa Elementary, Middle, and High Schools; earned a Congress-Bundestag Scholarship in high school and spent a year living in Germany; holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and studied at Kauaʻi Community College.
  • Multi-career professional: works as a teacher and financial planner; has also performed as a stand-up comedian and is a four-time marathon runner — bringing a diverse, community-engaged life experience to her council candidacy.
  • Ran for Kauaʻi County Council in 2022 on a platform of giving back to the community that raised her; featured in Civil Beat's 2022 coverage on the persistent underrepresentation of women on the Kauaʻi County Council; returning for the 2026 race with an active campaign site at rachelsecretario.org.
  • Active campaign website at rachelsecretario.org details her 2026 candidacy; she ran previously in 2022 and was featured in Civil Beat's reporting on the persistent underrepresentation of women on the Kauaʻi County Council — making her one of the most publicly documented non-incumbent candidates in the 2026 field.

Editorial summary: Rachel Secretario is a lifelong Kapaʻa native with careers spanning teaching, financial planning, and community performance. Her 2022 and 2026 council campaigns at rachelsecretario.org and Civil Beat coverage reflect a commitment to community representation and the challenge of electing women to Kauaʻi County Council. Her financial planning expertise is expected to inform a fiscally responsible approach to county budgeting.

Key issues: Community representation, Fiscal responsibility, Housing affordability, Women in local government, Environmental protection

Website: https://rachelsecretario.org

Profile last reviewed: 2026-06-03

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