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

I bring the experience and memory of 40 years inside the Hawaiʻi Legislature, plus the 1978 Constitutional Convention. Voters will decide whether my experience warrants another Senate term.

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?

I believe the biggest issue in my district, and most middle-class districts, is financial insecurity and affordability. I would encourage longer-term thinking, not so much quick action, except for immediate relief, which the Legislature has been providing in various forms. I believe decades of short-term thinking has worsened the problem with 50,000 to 60,000 Hawaii residents leaving the state each year, many because they cannot make ends meet.

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

Yes. Shipping service between the islands is by Young Brothers, a state-regulated monopoly that concerns mostly neighbor island residents who started paying a 25.75% rate increase five months ago. A recently enacted law requires automatic annual shipping rate increases of up to 5%, instead of higher increases over longer periods. My concern is less whether the market is monopolistic and more whether rates, service quality, accountability, and reliability adequately serve the public.

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?

I believe the important bills passed include SB 3125 that basically kept the promised tax relief for middle-income households and the HB 1800 budget bill that funds state programs and grants to nonprofits that serve the community and families struggling pay their bills. HB 1519 failed but should have passed to require public disclosures to better regulate “pay to play” campaign contributions, much coming from state contractors and non-profit grantees, their leaders, families, and employees.

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?

The question is bigger than the $35,000 U.S. Department of Justice attorneys used to recommend a reduced sentence for Ty Cullen who they say provided valuable assistance to federal investigators. I believe the Legislature needs a civic culture in which members support civic norms in the legislative process. By civic culture, I mean shared expectations of honesty, transparency, respect for adversaries, and public accountability.

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?

Hawaiʻi has experienced many harmful weather events in the past few decades and has attempted to address them and take proactive measures, as best as possible, to reduce future harm. I believe storm and emergency preparation systems are infrastructure and should be treated and funded as such, rather than debated and considered important enough to take action. My district would benefit from reliable emergency sirens, shelters, and funds for ready relief.

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 believe that climate change is a global issue with opposing political narratives that confuse people, diminish consensus, and prevent common action. Without consensus, we mostly debate the negative impacts on taxpayers, property owners, and businesses. I believe the state should lead a global conversation to chart the future of the world’s beaches and shorelines, including Hawaiʻi’s.

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?

To me, the large number of introduced bills has little to do with “frantic horsetrading” during end-of-session House-Senate conferences. In the past I’ve seen House and Senate leaders encourage collaboration early in the legislative sessions to allow time to curate policy proposals. To reduce the total number of bills, the Senate has briefly allowed members to co-sponsor bills after introduction, but found the logistical solution was not enough to shift unspoken legislative norms.

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?

I believe the Legislature should establish a formal process for legislators to request fiscal notes on bills with possible fiscal impacts. I also support the implementation of HRS Chapter §21F on Legislative Fiscal and Budget Analysis and the Office of the Legislative Analyst.

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?

I’ve organized national projects to address the apparent dysfunction in the relationship between Legislatures and its voting community. Initiatives, referendums, and term limits have been tried and they tend to shift power to lobbyists and monied interests. I would work to make it safe for community and neighborhood leaders to talk with each other and reach consensus on the qualities a community might want in their legislative representatives. Political norms currently discourage such collaboration.

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

The Department of Education may be the most changed, improved, and restructured program in government, yet seems essentially the same, fragmented with well-meaning competing interests. In the Hawaiian Kingdom, public education was essential to national goals and was broadly supported by communities and students. I would allow classrooms and schools DOE policy exemptions to support student learning and teaching to respond to the interests, talents, and needs of their students and communities.

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

I propose developing a knowledge economy that includes industries reliant on technology. This would be a similar effort launched in 2000 through the New Economy Caucus. I believe an essential step would be to facilitate community and cultural consensus – for a diversified economy. Such a consensus could enable conversations on the what and how of diversification, without community sectors withdrawing if their proposals fail.

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?

See my response to the biggest issue question near to top.