Matching the pace of development with the construction of infrastructure while preparing for the first leg of the city's proposed $3.7 billion commuter rail project are the priorities for the two challengers to City Councilman Nestor R. Garcia.

Going against the incumbent are Lance Widner, 32, an assistant vice president and investment officer for First Hawaiian Bank, and Emil Svrcina, 46, a computer consultant and programmer. Garcia, 51, has held his seat since 2002 following eight years in the state House of Representatives.

"I can't worry about who I am opposing or what they're proposing. I just have to focus on what my constituents are telling me. We have a lot of important problems to deal with," said Garcia. "I don't play off what the other guys are going to do. I keep my ear to the ground, and I pick up on what people want to do, and I get it done. I like to think it has served my constituents well."

Widner, a native of Jefferson City, Mo., has some legislative and community experience after serving as government affairs chairman for the Royal Kunia Community Association over the past three years.

"I think that I bring a new energy and a fresh perspective; someone who is 32 years old can potentially connect with younger voters," Widner said. "The voter turnout rate in Hawai'i is low anyway, and the turnout of the 18-35 crowd is dangerously low. We have to have more people involved in the legislative process from the younger generation."

Svrcina, who escaped with his wife from Chrudim in the former Czechoslovakia more than 20 years ago when it was a communist country, has owned several businesses and worked as a computer consultant for large businesses and government agencies.

"I love our city and state and this country. Half of my life I lived under very oppressive governments where engineering people out of their freedoms is the norm," said Svrcina. "Listening to the arguing over the rail project this year, I felt there was a lot of elitism and arrogance. It gave me goose bumps, and I didn't want to feel that in America."

Garcia and Widner are pro-rail, but Svrcina does not support the project.

If any candidate captures 50 percent of the ballots plus one additional vote in the Sept. 20 primary, he or she will win the seat outright. If no candidate achieves that vote total, the two top finishers will face off in the Nov. 4 general election.

Garcia, Svrcina and Widner are all concerned that residential and business development in the district is outgrowing infrastructure.

Garcia wants to make sure that the community understands that the proposed first phase of the rail line, which will run from Kapolei to Waipahu, will bring transit-oriented development and that their input is needed.

"They (the community) need to be involved in the decision-making process," said Garcia. "I'd like to have another four years to make sure that whatever comes out of this (rail) project, including the development, is right for my community."

In addition to the rail project, housing developments are popping up from Waipahu to Mililani, and all candidates are concerned that increased traffic will result because road-building lags behind the communities' construction.

Additionally, sewers, schools and other critical infrastructure needs to be in place to accommodate an increase in population.

"It's killing the quality of life. People are wasting their lives and time in traffic," said Svrcina. "It kills economic growth in general, so we need to take care of traffic congestion."

Svrcina said engineering sustainable communities and renewable energy sources will help make Hawai'i self-sufficient.

Widner would like to see an increase in cooperation between the city, state and private developers to ensure that as communities grow, so does the infrastructure necessary to support and sustain them.

"We've had an extraordinary number of houses built without the infrastructure. I do support development, but I think it has to be smart development," said Widner.

Widner supports decentralizing city services and businesses to allow people to work from home or remotely from the district in an effort to reduce the number of cars bound for Honolulu each day.

Garcia wants to work toward developing sustainable communities while teaming with developers to mitigate the negative impacts of new development.

"A lot of the communities I represent are targeted for development, and people seem to think that government is not paying attention to the impacts that development brings," said Garcia. "Understandably, they are concerned about whether the infrastructure will be there when the people come. I have to work with my state partners to make sure that we can get the infrastructure up in time and lessen any of the negative impacts that development brings."