Maryanne Kusaka, American politician and former Mayor of the County of Kaua'i.[1] She was mayor of Kauai from 1994 to 2002. A career Republican, Kusaka sought a seat in the Hawai'i State Senate in 2004 but lost to the Democratic Party's Gary Hooser by 16,274 votes to 8,270.
Kusaka was born in Kamuela on the Big Island of Hawai'i. She was raised in Hana on the island of Maui. She graduated from Mid Pacific Institute in Honolulu and then attended the University of Northern Colorado to become an elementary school teacher. For over 33 years, Kusaka taught at various elementary schools on the island of Kauai until her election to the mayor's office in 1994.