Russell S. Kokubun is a Democratic politician who became a member and Vice President of the Hawaii Senate

Hawaii Senate

The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently...

.

Life

Russell S. Kokubun was born May 15, 1948 in Honolulu. He graduated from Punahou School

Punahou School

Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...

 in 1966, and Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University

Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...

 in 1971.
During the 1970s he worked on various agricultural ventures on the island of Hawaii

Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...

 (Big Island).
From 1984 through 1988 he served on the council of Hawaii County

Hawaii County, Hawaii

Hawaii County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no...

 and was its chair. In 1992 he ran for Mayor of Hawaii County, but lost to fellow-Democrat Stephen K. Yamashiro

Stephen K. Yamashiro

Stephen Kei Yamashiro was an American politician and lawyer who served as the former Mayor of Hawaii County from 1992 to 2000. Yamashiro served on the Hawaii County council from 1976 to 1990, including eleven years as the council's chairman...

. From 1995 to 1997 he was Yamashiro's executive assistant, and then deputy planning director of the county.

Senate career

Kokubun represented Hawaii's 2nd Senatorial District since his appointment in 2000. He was elected to the seat in 2002 and re-elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008.
The district includes portions of South Hilo District (portion of Waiakea Uka); Puna District (Keeau, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Glenwood, Pahoa, Hawaiian Acres, Orchid Land Estates, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pohoiki, Opihikao, Kehena, Kaimū, Kalapana, Volcano); and Kaʻū District

Kau, Hawaii

thumb|right|300px|The districts of the [[Hawaii |Big Island]]. From Northernmost, clockwise; [[Kohala, Hawaii|Kohala]], [[Hamakua]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], Kau , [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...

 (Pāhala, Punaluu, Ninole, Honuapo, Naalehu, Kahuku) on the island of Hawaii.

In 2007 he was a member of the Joint Senate-House Investigative Committee on the Bureau of Conveyances.
As of the 2009 Legislative Session, Kokubun was a member of the Senate committees on Energy and Environment; Higher Education; Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs; and Ways and Means.

External links

• Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force Message from the Chair
• Follow the Money - Russell Kokubun
  • 2006 2004 2002 campaign contributions