A new West Hawaii County Council member is hoping to increase his support in Kohala after one of the Big Island’s only election upsets Tuesday.

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

After 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 ran a good race, but said voters in his district “are looking for leaders who listen to the wishes of the community.”

“The district has many different communities with different concerns,” Hustace said. “In places like Waikoloa, there are people who are concerned about the roads to get out of the village in the event of a 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 for agricultural production.

At the same time, Hustace said, District 9 residents are also concerned about the cultural and historical preservation of the many wahi pana in West and North Hawaii.

Hustace said his first priorities after taking this seat will be building 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 region, including catch basin conversions and new roads for the rural district.

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

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

On the other side of the island, the only other Council seat up for grabs on Tuesday remained that of the outgoing president.

Puna Council member Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder defeated challenger Ikaika Rodenhurst with 57 percent of the vote.

Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder said he was touched by his constituents’ confidence in him, saying the district hasn’t seen 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 the district’s roads, such as shoulder repairs and highway repaving Stainback to reduce traffic jams.

When his final term begins in December, Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder hopes to ensure the county focuses on wrapping up long-pending projects for Puna, such as a new transit center in Pahoa and a study of potential locations for a new alternative route. out of 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 seats on the departmental council were allocated during the primary elections.