Keiko Bonk - Politics

Politics

Bonk made her national political reputation as an elected official by becoming the first person in North America elected to a partisan level office as a member of the Green Party. She was one of the co-founders of the Green Party in Hawaii. She was elected to two terms on the Hawaii County Council from 1992 to 1996, and as chair of the council from 1995 to 1996. In 1996 and 2000 she ran for mayor. In 1996 she was narrowly defeated by the Democrat incumbent, Stephen K. Yamashiro. In 2000 she was defeated by Harry Kim, who ran as a Republican. Bonk worked building the Green Party, and spoke in support of Ralph Nader as the presidential nominee of the Green Party in 1996.

After leaving office Bonk taught art at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, until moving to Honolulu with her second husband Michael Christopher, when he returned to school to pursue a second doctoral degree. Christopher holds doctorates in sociology and clinical psychology, and has been her political partner even before they married in 1998. After moving to Honolulu, Bonk was chosen as Executive Director of the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu in 2003 She was fired in February 2005 by its board of directors citing "philosophical differences".

Bonk went on the become the campaign coordinator of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Network. She promoted congress' investigation into corruption in Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council, the government advisory council responsible for management of the pacific fishery. Bonk worked as the Executive Director of the Hawaii branch of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI).

In 2012 Keiko Bonk was nominated as the Green Party candidate for Hawaii House of Representatives, 20th district. The incumbent in that district is a Democrat, Calvin Say.