Hawaii State Representative, Dist 12
Duties: The Hawaii State House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The Hawaii House of Representatives is a part-time body.Areas Represented: Portion of Keahua, Hali imaile, Pukalani, Makawao, Pulehu, Waiakoa, Keokea, and UlupalakuaHow Elected: The house consists of 51 members elected from an equal number of respective representative districts. A Representative must be a Hawaii resident not less than three years, is at least 18 years old, and is a qualified voter of the representative district from which the person seeks to be elected. Candidates for state legislative offices who are nominated in the primary election and are unopposed in the general election will be deemed elected to the office sought after the primary election regardless of the number of votes received by that candidate (Hawaii State Constitution, Article III, Section 4). Term: Two years, not subject to term limits.Base Salary (FY2024): $72,348 plus $225/day if living outside Oahu, $10/day for members living on Oahu; Senate President - $81,024
Please provide a brief Candidate Statement, describing your qualifications and why you are running for this office.
What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what would you do about it?
Maui's economy is still heavily reliant on tourism. What, if anything, should be done differently about tourism and the economy?
What steps would you take to ensure that the state has resources to meet emergency needs in addition to supporting its annual budget?
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Education
Bachelor's of Business Administration, Finance, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Community/Military Service
Elder at Hope Chapel North Shore
Campaign Phone
8082500020
I’m running for office because I love Maui and everything about this island that sets it apart from the rest of the world. I’m a husband, a father of two young children, and was born on Maui with four generations family here. After graduating from UH Manoa with a degree in Finance, I’ve navigated a successful career in project management over the past decade. Through my experience I’ve come to understand many core reasons for our state’s high cost of living. It saddens me when local families can no longer afford to live here and are forced to leave. My heart is to prioritize reducing the cost of living, reducing taxes on essentials, incentivizing local homeownership, while preserving our values, liberties, land, resources, and culture.
An upcountry issue that has continued for decades has been our water supply. A lack of a sustainable water supply is directly contributing to the cost of housing and food production. For years we’ve had long water meter waiting lists and empty promises for solutions. As defined by HRS §174C-2; “the waters of the State are held for the benefit of the citizens…. and have a right to have the waters protected for their use.” As a legislator I will push the state to fund and work in collaboration with the county to upgrade our water collection and distribution systems, and end long waiting lists.
The tourism industry has been good for us and is a mature industry which doesn’t need as much support. I would reallocate some funds from the tourism authority that promotes this well established industry, and issue more grants and bonds for agricultural production. When Hawaii first became a state, agriculture was the primary industry, and we can work to reduce the high costs of operations looking to expand the industry through adjustments in regulation to allow for crops like commercial hemp to be grown and exported.
We have a serious food production issue with more than 90% of our produce. The state should invest in our agricultural industry by incentivizing its growth and removing barriers. I support legislation to exempt food from GET tax, as many other states do not tax food sales. I would also encourage the department of education (the largest restaurant in the state) to purchase at least 30% of its food from local sources. This would both provide a reliable floor for local producers to grow upon, and increase the health of our economy through keeping more money in state.
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