Kevin Dayton is the former Capitol Bureau chief for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He was formerly Capitol Bureau chief and Big Island Bureau chief for The Honolulu Advertiser, which was Hawaii’s largest circulation daily newspaper until it closed.

He also reported for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald in Hilo, the Honolulu bureau of the Associated Press, Sun Press weekly newspapers in Kaneohe, and the Tucson Citizen.

He also worked as an executive assistant and executive director for Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi, and is a former U.S. Army infantry sergeant.

He holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Hawaii Manoa, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.

He and his wife Mahealani live in Hilo and have eight children, five of them grown. They have been state-licensed foster parents since 2009.