Civil Beat has asked candidates for the Hawaiʻi General Election on Nov. 3 to answer a survey about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following comes from Nathan Kenichi Char, Democratic candidate for State House District 26 which includes portions of Downtown Honolulu and Kakaʻako as well as Makiki, Punchbowl and Kaheka.

His opponents are Janel Fujinaka, Arjuna Heim, Robyn McCreary, Ian Ross and Tony Silva.

Go to Civil Beat’s 2026 Elections Guide for general information, and check out the other candidates on Civil Beatʻs 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot.

Why are you best suited for the job? And why do you want the job?

I have been involved with the Makiki Neighborhood Board for nine years and have served as Chair since 2024. Combined with living and growing up here, I recognize the shared concerns of my neighbors and I want to be a part of the solution. The job will allow me to contribute in a way that mirrors the pride I feel for my home and my love for the community that raised me. My dream is to make this place a destination for families to stay, not just a transitory space for people passing by.

What is the biggest issue facing your district, and what is the first thing you would do to address it in the first six months after being elected?

Rising housing costs, for sure. They contribute to homelessness and drive teachers and other working families out of our community. Residents feel the pressure everywhere, from renters near the freeway to homeowners up Tantalus. In the first six months, I would expand proven affordable housing programs by supporting an increase in both staffing and funding for HHFDC. I would also work to address rising insurance costs, which are increasing expenses for homeowners and renters alike.

Here’s one question from your constituents: Do you support maintaining a monopoly for interisland shipping?

Interisland shipping is essential infrastructure. My preference would be a publicly operated system focused on reliability and affordability rather than profit, similar to other public utilities and services (like our libraries). High shipping costs raise the price of everything from food to medicine for Hawaiʻi residents. If a public model is not feasible, I would want to support increasing competition to keep shipping costs down and give local businesses and residents better options.

What do you think were the most important bills to come out of the 2026 Legislature? What failed that should have passed? What passed that you wish had failed?

The bill to limit corporations’ power to spend money influencing elections was a massive step forward for taking money out of politics. The spending bill that extended tax breaks for more than 90% of Hawai’i residents was a win for making Hawai’i more affordable. On the spending bill, I was sad to see the green energy credits get cut, but understand the need to keep the budget balanced. Let us kill chickens, or lower barriers to dealing with them; the city doesn’t want to address the pests.

The 2026 session was also overshadowed by an issue of public trust: $35,000 in the brown paper bag given to an “influential” state lawmaker. What do you think the Legislature needs to do going forward to rebuild public confidence in state government?

To rebuild trust, people need to see that politicians are not allowed to play by a different set of rules. We need stronger enforcement, independent investigations, and real accountability for bad-faith lawmakers. Right now, the Campaign Spending Commission has no investigators. If we are serious about accountability, we have to fund the staff needed to investigate allegations and enforce campaign spending laws. Trust will return when residents see that corruption has consequences.

In recent years, Hawai’i has experienced a series of damaging and dangerous weather events that have exposed weaknesses in our planning, preparation and response. What could you as a lawmaker do to help your district be better prepared?

I would like to focus on resiliency. To me, that means investing in infrastructure upgrades for things like stormwater runoff, flooding, and grid reliability. This also includes supporting community resiliency hubs that can provide information, supplies, and services during emergencies. We also need stronger emergency communication systems and greater support for neighborhood preparedness efforts so residents know where to go, what to do, and how to help one another when disasters occur.

What would you do in office to address the here and now of climate change? And how would you address the costs to taxpayers, property owners and businesses to adapt?

I would like to see the tax incentives for solar power and other green energy sources be reinstated. The state cannot address the costs to taxpayers, property owners, and businesses alone because the problems were pushed off for too long and now the costs are immense. I strongly support working with our federal delegation to bring in federal money to drastically upgrade Hawai’i’s infrastructure to be more resilient.

Over 3,000 bills are introduced every session and there is always frantic horsetrading in the final days of session. Do you think there should be a limit on the number of bills introduced to enable more meaningful debate?

Instead of limiting the number of bills legislators can introduce, I would rather address the root cause of this rushed decision-making issue. Extending the legislative session would help reduce last-minute scrambling and allow for more robust policymaking and informed decision-making, whether that is through more thorough committee hearings, public testimony or debate.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers are often in the dark about how much a piece of legislation will cost because the Aloha State is the only one in the nation that doesn’t require a fiscal analysis for bills. Should lawmakers be forced to put a realistic price tag on the legislation they introduce?

Absolutely! That just makes sense. Understanding the costs, savings, and long-term impacts of a proposal leads to better decision-making and effective results. That said, the investigation should come from independent and credible sources. To minimize bias, I support relying on organizations such as the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization to provide objective fiscal analyses.

There are no term limits for state legislators in Hawaiʻi, so incumbents tend to win. Would you seek to change that? Why or why not?

Yes, I would want to change that. We live in a democracy. I think it’s good to bring fresh perspectives into government and prevent political power from becoming too concentrated. Term limits encourage competitive elections and help keep elected positions connected to the communities they are supposed to answer to. It also encourages transparency. I believe public office roles should be a position of service, not a lifelong career.

What would you do to help improve the state’s public school system?

Definitely hiring more teachers and getting them extra support (like housing and supplies) so they can focus on teaching instead of survival. I would also invest in school maintenance so students can focus on learning instead of excessive heat or crumbling classrooms. Getting schools to provide options for mental health and counseling services is another way. I would also want to connect students with clearer education-to-career pipelines in the trades, healthcare and technology.

Hawaiʻi is heavily reliant on tourism. What would you propose to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy?

I want Hawai’i to invest in other industries, like film, tech, healthcare and renewable energy. Tech infrastructure (like internet cabling) can be upgraded to foster a healthier tech environment, which can address the issue of talented residents leaving for the mainland. In addition, more instructors need to be hired to educate nurses and doctors, which will remove bottlenecks in training and help address the much talked about shortages of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

An estimated 60% of Hawaii residents are struggling to get by. It’s a problem that reaches far beyond low-income folks and into the middle class, which is disappearing. What would you do to help?

Every policy should support families building stable futures in Hawai’i. That means better education, improving connections between schools and good union jobs, and supporting unions and other industries to foster greater opportunity. It also means building actually affordable housing and lowering insurance prices to make life more affordable. Opportunity and affordability are key to keeping us here at home.